LAPD - Mission Station

If you, a loved one or a family member has been arrested by or is being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Mission Division, it can cause a lot of worries.  Facing such a situation, it is normal to need to know the bail amount (if any) associated with the offense if police deny an own recognizance (OR) release.  It is also common to ask what evidence is needed to convict one for the crime that allegedly took place, the defenses possible and the sentence a judge can impose if one is convicted of the crime. 

We at Greg Hill & Associates believe it is prudent to know a few more things before interacting with any branch of law enforcement.  It can be wise to know the size of the police or sheriff’s department, the area’s demographics, the most common types of crime the department investigates and just a bit about the area’s history to make one’s communication with law enforcement more meaningful, more savvy and perhaps, more respectful.  This can lead to a better outcome than if one lacks such perspective.

This article is presented with this goal in mind.

The LAPD Mission Division is staffed with 266 sworn police officers and an unspecified number of civilian members of LAPD.  It is tasked with policing the communities of Arleta, Mission Hills, North Hills, Panorama City and Sylmar.  The area covers 25.1 square miles with an approximate population of 225,849, which is less densely populated than most of Los Angeles County.

Arleta is a small community (3.1 square miles) in the San Fernando Valley, bordered by Mission Hills and North Hills to the north, the I-5 and Sun Valley to the east, Pacoima to the northeast and Panorama City to the west. 

According to Wikipedia, “Arleta contains a high percentage of Latino residents and of people born outside the United States.”  In 2010, the racial breakdown was 71.7 Latino, 11.0% Asian, 13.2% White and 2.2% African American.  Mexico (55.3%) and El Salvador (11.2%) were the most common places of birth for the 46% of the residents who were born abroad—which was a high percentage for Los Angeles. 

 
The median yearly household income in Arleta in 2008 dollars was $65,649, considered average for the city.  Renters occupied 19.6% of the housing stock, and house- or apartment-owners held 80.4%. 

Mission Hills is a small community near the intersection of the I-405 (San Diego Freeway) and I-5 (the Golden State Freeway).  It is at the end of Sepulveda Boulevard.  Granada Hills is to its west, Sylmar to its north, San Fernando to its northeast, Pacoima to the east and Arleta to the south.  The I-118 (Ronald Reagan Freeway) bisects the city.

Mexican (41.3%) and German (4.4%) were the most common ancestries of residents in Mission Hills. Mexico (45.7%) and El Salvador (11.5%) were the most common foreign places of birth.

North Hills is a small community in the middle of the San Fernando Valley with Northridge to its west, Panorama City to the east, Van Nuys to the south and Mission Hills to the north.  The ethnic composition of the city is about 65% Hispanic or Latino, followed by an equal percentage of Asians and Whites at about 12% each. 

Panorama City is a city to the east of the northbound 405 and south of the I-118.  It has a generally young age range as well as the highest population density in the Valley.  More than half of the neighborhood's population was born abroad, the majority being from Mexico.  

Known as the Valley's first planned community after a transition from agriculture to a post-World War II housing boom, housing boom, it has been home to several notable residents such as Kirk Cameron (an actor) and David Smith (Olympian volleyball player).  Now it is now a mixture of single-family homes and low-rise apartment buildings.

Sylmar is best known for being the epicenter of the 6.5 magnitude in 1971 “Sylmar Earthquake,” although the name is a bit of a mistake.  Scientists originally believed the epicenter was in Sylmar, when it was later determined that it was really in Reseda instead.  Sylmar is a generally residential neighborhood, but it had a reputation for being a hang out for biker gangs and methamphetamine sales in the 1990’s.  It has since “cleaned up” it image quite a bit.

Throughout all of the San Fernando Vally, and certainly throughout all cities in the Mission District, are Hispanic / Latino gangs, many being Sureños with allegiance to the Mexican mafia.  The gangs are numerous and not nearly as violent as some of the African American gangs located in South Central Los Angeles.