Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department - Compton Station

If a family member, a loved one or even you have been arrested by or are being investigated by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LAPD), Compton Station, it can cause a lot of anxiety.  One may feel very vulnerable. 

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 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 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, Compton station, is located right next to the Compton Courthouse.  It has an undisclosed number of sworn police officers and an undisclosed number of civilian support personnel assigned to it. 

The Compton Station is responsible for the City of Compton, East Rancho Dominguez, unincorporated areas of Gardena and Rosewood.
For traffic matters that arise on the freeways in this area, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) generally handles such matters, not the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Compton Station.

Most cases arising out of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Compton Station’s areas of responsibility are brought at the Compton 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 Compton Courthouse would be very serious cases needing specialized prosecutors trained in handling such cases.

Over the last twenty-five years, we have handled well over 300 cases arising out of the Compton Courthouse, ranging from serious violent felonies, to felony sex offenses, auto theft, prostitution and of course, DUI, domestic violence and shoplifting. 

Compton has an unfair stereotype of being a gang-infested, largely African American city with high unemployment.  This is not entirely accurate, as the area is not as dominated by criminal street gangs as other areas to the north of Compton and the area is largely Hispanic and not African American.

Nonetheless, Compton does experience gang violence more than other areas.  The South Side Compton Crips, a subset of the Crips, “run Compton.”  They claim responsibility for the murder of Tupac Shakur, a loss that has been mourned famously by many rappers (Tupac himself was affiliated with the Mob Pirus).  As with all Crips, blue is their color of choice.

The Nutty Bloc Compton Crips also claim to have a large influence in Compton, as well as the Nutty Blocc Compton Crips. 

The Crips, as the reader may know quite well, arose well before the Bloods.  The Crips far outnumber the Bloods and one of the original Blood gangs was the Mob Pirus. 

Over the decades, many drive-by-shootings and other violence has characterized the conflict between these two gangs, although this simplistic generalization has many nuances and exceptions.  The evolution of many of the gangs is complex and often subject to multiple explanations.

In the 1950;s, middle-class black families began moving into the area, mostly on the west side. Compton grew quickly throughout the decade.  This is partially due to its proximity to Watts, where there was an established black population.  The eastern side of the city was predominantly white until the 1970’s. 

For many years, Compton was a much sought-after suburb for the black middle class of Los Angeles.  This past affluence is reflected in the area's appearance: Compton's streets are lined with relatively spacious and attractive single family houses.  However, several factors have contributed to Compton's gradual decline.  One of the most significant factors was a steady erosion of its tax base, something that was already sparse due to limited commercial properties. In later years, there were middle-class whites who moved (some may say “fled”) to the newly incorporated cities of Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Paramount and Norwalk in the late 1950’s.  These nearby cities remained largely white early on, despite integration.  This white middle class flight accelerated following the 1965 Watts Riots and the 1992 “Rodney King” riots that have left a scar that is still visible along Compton Boulevard as one drives from the Harbor Freeway to the Compton Courthouse.

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