LAPD - North Hollywood 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), North Hollywood 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 North Hollywood Division is staffed with 300 sworn officers and 31 civilian personnel, in addition to 32 reserve officers and 28 citizen volunteers.  This division would constitute one of the largest police departments of a city police department within Los Angeles County.

The areas served by the LAPD North Hollywood Station are North Hollywood, Studio City, Valley Village, Toluca Lake, West Toluca Lake and a portion of Sun Valley.  The officers patrol approximately 25 square miles that contains close to 220,000 residents.

North Hollywood, in the criminal law context, is perhaps best known for a well-publicized bank robbery that took place on February 28, 1997.  As the two heavily armed bank robbers, were leaving the bank, they and the Los Angeles Police Department exchanged some 2,000 rounds in a shootout. 

Both robbers were killed.  Eleven police officers and seven civilians were injured and numerous vehicles and other property was damaged.  This was a crazy event that left many shocked when hearing the news of this and seeing the news about this.

North Hollywood is part of the San Fernando Valley.  It is south of Sun Valley and to the west of Burbank.  It is north of Studio City and Toluca Lake.

Today, it is considered a rather rough area of Los Angeles insofar as its homeless population is well publicized and crime is common near the Metro station there.  Since 2000, the community has been developing and undergoing many changes, thanks in large part to the formation of the 743-acre North Hollywood Development District and the subsequent NoHo Commons projects.

North Hollywood’s racial composition is roughly 60% Hispanic or Latino, 30% non-Hispanic / non-Latino White, 5% Asian and 2% African American. 

Studio City is a 6.2 square mile city west of the Cahuenga (101 Freeway) Pass, in the San Fernando Valley.  Its name goes back to 1927, when Mack Sennett began building a new film studio on 20 acres.  The area around the studio was named Studio City.

In 2000, the median age for Studio City residents, 38, was considered old for city and county neighborhoods; the percent of residents age 19 and older was among the county's highest.[8]

The ethnic breakdown was 78% White, 8.7% Latinos / Hispanics, 5.4% Asian, 3.7% African American and 4.1% others.  Iran (7%) and the United Kingdom (6.7%) were the most common places of birth for the 21.1% of the residents who were born abroad—a low percentage for Los Angeles.

The median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $75,657, considered high for the city.

Valley Village, Toluca Lake, West Toluca Lake and Sun Valley are the other four cities that the LAPD North Hollywood Division patrols.  Each of these cities are predominantly residential with a high percentage of renters and an ethnically diverse population.

There are certainly criminal street gangs in these areas, but none are dominant like in South Central Los Angeles and none are dangerously violent to non-gang members.  Most gang related crimes are vandalism (graffiti) and isolated shootings between gangs fighting over territory.