LAPD - Topanga 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), Topanga Station, it can cause a lot of anxiety.  Facing such a situation, one often wants to know the bail amount (if any) associated with the offense(s) if police deny an own recognizance (OR) release.  It is also normal to ask what evidence is needed to convict one for the crime(s) that allegedly took place, the defenses possible and the sentence a judge can impose if one is convicted of the crime or crimes. 

We at Greg Hill & Associates believe it is valuable to know a few more things before interacting with any branch of law enforcement.  It can be good 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 interaction with police than if one lacks such insight.

This article is presented with this goal in mind.

The LAPD Topanga Station is responsible for the areas of Canoga Park, West Hills, Winnetka and Woodland Hills.

The demographics of Canoga Park, a city of just 4.35 square miles, is considered "highly diverse" ethnically within Los Angeles.  The breakdown, as of 2010, was 50.9% Latino, 30.7% White, 11.1% Asian, 4.3% Black and 3.1% other.  Mexico (45.8%) and El Salvador (11.6%) were the most common places of birth for the 42.8% of the residents who were born abroad—which was about an average percentage for Los Angeles as a whole.  The Topanga station for the LAPD is located in Canoga Park.

West Hills, a city in the western edge of the San Fernando Valley, below Chatsworth and west of Canoga Park, is about 8.53 square miles in size.  It is a mostly residential area.  As of 2010, the ethnic-racial medley of the neighborhood was 78.89% White, 11.97% Asian,  2.11% African American, and 2.8% from other races.  3.82% was from two or more races.  9.26% of the population were Hispanic.  The median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $103,008, considered high for the city and county.  The percentage of households that earned $125,000 and up was high for Los Angeles County.  Renters occupied 12.6% of the housing stock, and house and condominium-owners occupied 87.4%.

Winnetka, at a size of 4.78 square miles, is the third western San Fernando Valley city the LAPD Topanga Station patrols.  The ethnic composition of the area, as of 2000, was 40.6% Latino, 36.1% White, 15.5% Asian, 4.3% African American and 3.5% others.  Mexico (34.5%) and the Philippines (10.9%) were the most common places of birth for the 41.4% of the residents who were born abroad—an average percentage for Los Angeles. 

The median yearly household income in Winnetka for 2010 was $62,748, which was about the same as the average California amount.  About 40% of the population fell under the $50,000 mark and 14.7% of the population fell under the poverty line.  Renters made of 42% of the house or apartment stock while owners make up 58%.

Woodland Hills, the final city the LAPD Topanga station patrols, is the largest of the four cities that is within the Topanga station jurisdiction.  It had a 2010 population of close to 70,000 residents.  Woodland Hills is located in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley. Situated to the north is West Hills, Canoga Park and Winnetka, to the east is Tarzana, to the south are the Santa Monica Mountains and to the west is Calabasas.

Running east–west through the community of Woodland Hills is U.S. Route 101 (the “Ventura Freeway”) and also Ventura Boulevard, the San Fernando Valley's main thoroughfare, whose western terminus is at Valley Circle Boulevard in Woodland Hills.

Woodland Hills can experience some of the more extreme temperature changes from season to season than other regions of the San Fernando Valley.  During summer days, temperatures in Woodland Hills are often very high, and overnight winter temperatures can be among the lowest of the Valley.  On September 5, 2020, for example, Woodland Hills recorded the highest temperature ever in Los Angeles County, hitting 121 °F (49 °C) at Pierce College, tying with Chino’s reading as the highest temperature on record in Southern California’s coastal basin. 

The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 79.90% White, 6.97% Asian, 3.34% African American, and 4.80%from two or more races.  11.94% of the population were Hispanic.

In population, Woodland Hills has one of the least dense neighborhoods in Los Angeles, and the percentage of white people is high for the county.  The percentage of residents 25 and older with four-year college degrees is 47.0%, which was high for both the city and the county.  The percentage of veterans, 10.7% of the population, was high for the city of Los Angeles and high for the county overall.  The percentage of veterans who served during World War II or Korea was among the county's highest.

The LAPD Topanga station has 231 sworn personnel and an undisclosed number of associated staff support personnel. 

 
Our office has represented a surprising number of clients with arrests from this area of the Valley, mostly for DUI, domestic violence and shoplifting.  Such cases are prosecuted at the Van Nuys courthouse.

Below is the Google Map to the Topanga Station.