Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department - Carson Station

If you, a loved one or a family member has been arrested by or are being investigated by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LAPD), Carson Station, it can cause a lot of questions.  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 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 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 crimes 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 Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Carson station, has an undisclosed number of sworn police officers, seven of which are female, and an undisclosed number of civilian support personnel assigned to it. 

The Carson Sheriff’s station is responsible for Carson, the unincorporated area of Rancho Dominguez, the unincorporated areas of Torrance and the unincorporated areas of Harbor City.

Our office has represented many people arrested by the Carson Sheriff’s station in these areas. 

Most cases arising out of the Carson station’s area of responsibility are brought at the Compton, Torrance or Long Beach Courthouses, 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 Compton, Torrance or Long Beach Courthouse would be very serious cases needing specialized prosecutors trained in handling such cases.

Carson is locally known for its plurality of Filipino Americans and immigrants.  As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 95,558.  Much of Carson is related to the oil fields there.  In 2011, Shell was ordered by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board to clean up the Carousel Tract neighborhood after the discovery of benzene and methane gas contamination, as well as soil and groundwater contamination.

In 2021, Carson was subjected to an air pollution event as a result of hydrogen sulfide emanating from the nearby Dominguez Channel.  It was later determined that the strong smell was actually a natural event caused by algae in the channel that had died.

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the racial makeup (including Hispanics in the racial counts) was 11.85% White, 22.76% African American, 26.9% Asian, 23.6% other and 12.19% multiracial.

Carson has the distinction of being the only incorporated city in the United States where the black population has a higher median income than the white population.

The Philippines (43.7%) and Mexico (39.3%) are the most common foreign places of birth in Carson.

Irish, German, English, Nigerian and African are the most common ancestries.  The most common non-English languages spoken in Carson are Spanish and Tagalog.

Nissan previously had its North American headquarters in Carson.  The 42-acre property consisted of thirteen buildings.  One of the buildings, a nine-story tower, had the Nissan logo on it. Vincent Roger of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it "was a familiar sight to drivers passing the intersection of the Harbor and San Diego freeways." Around 2006 the company had 1,500 employees at the headquarters.  In 2005 a leak revealed that Nissan planned to move its offices to Tennessee.  In the summer of 2006, the Nissan headquarters completed the move.  Over half of the employees chose to stay in the Los Angeles area.

Carson, being next to Compton, does experience some criminal gang crime.  Carson 13, a Hispanic gang based in Carson, is perhaps the most well-known gang.  Varrio 13, Catskill Street and Varrio Dominguez are other gangs based in Carson.