LAPD - South Traffic 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), South Traffic Division, it can cause a lot of anxiety.  Facing such a situation, one may want to know the bail amount (if any) associated with the offense if police deny an own recognizance (OR) release.  It is also not uncommon 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 good to know a few more things before interacting with any branch of law enforcement.  It can be valuable 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 South Traffic Division is responsible for enforcement of traffic laws, investigation of traffic accidents and preventing traffic-related crimes in the area south of Santa Monica freeway to San Pedro and between Central Avenue and La Brea Avenue.  The communities of San Pedro and Harbor City are also served.to ensure the smooth flow of traffic there.  These areas are composed of over 1,000 street miles.

The LAPD South Traffic Division typically defers to the California Highway Patrol for traffic enforcement duties along the freeway in its area, as well as in certain surface streets close to the freeway.  There is some overlap in traffic enforcement along such surface streets.

Such crimes can include DUI, hit and run, reckless driving and speeding, as well as such infractions as driving while using a cell phone and driving without the use of a seat belt.  The traffic divisions of the LAPD (there are four for the County of Los Angeles) also often operate DUI check point stops.

What many have found, and we certainly have, is that a police officer may initiate a traffic stop for what is initially believed to be a simple traffic ticket, for example for an inoperable taillight or expired registration.  However, the officer develops a reasonable suspicion that the driver may have violated other laws or is involved in something far more serious than an infraction and so the officer requests additional officers to help him and / or prevent a problem.  The seemingly low-level, routine traffic stop can then progress and change into an arrest for something very serious.

San Pedro has a large Hispanic and Latino community, although it is also known for being the home of many longshoremen who work the nearby docks in the Port of Los Angeles, often with generations of families being longshoreman.  These jobs often pay well and while dangerous, often allow work only four days per week. 

San Pedro is also home to a large Croatian community. 

A total of 80,065 people lived in San Pedro's 12.06 square miles, according to the 2000 U.S. census—averaging 6,640 people per square mile, near Los Angeles' total population density.  In 2000, Whites made up 44.2% of the population, Latinos were at 40.8%, African Americans at 6.1%, Asians at 4.8% and others at 4.1%.

Harbor City is also home to many longshoremen, but it also contains more of a mix of recent immigrants, often from Mexico and other areas of Central and South America.  Harbor City  includes two high schools and seven other schools, as well as the Ken Malloy Harbor Regional and two other parks.  There is a Kaiser Permanente hospital as well, across the street from the Ken Malloy Harbor Regional park.

Harbor City’s western border is Western Avenue, Anaheim Street and Palos Verdes Drive North to the south up to the intersection with Western.  The norther border is Sepulveda Boulevard from Western to Normandie.  Its eastern border is Harbor (I-110) Freeway.  Harbor College is within Harbor City.

The LAPD South Traffic station has 115 sworn police officers and an undisclosed number of civilian support personnel assigned to it.  Most cases arising in the South Traffic Division area are brought at the Airport, Torrance, Metropolitan or Long Beach Courthouse, but some are also brought at the Clara Shortridge Foltz criminal courts building (CCB) at 210 West Temple Street in downtown Los Angeles.  Cases that may be filed at CCB instead of at the other courthouses mentioned above would be cases such as felony hit and run, vehicular manslaughter (for example, of a pedestrian) and felony DUI.

Our office has handled over 250 DUI cases, dozens of hit and run cases, as well as many other traffic-related offenses in our 25 plus years of practice.

For more information about being arrested and possibly facing a criminal case, please click on the following articles: