Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department - Lakewood Station

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

Facing such a situation, it can be helpful to know the bail amount (if any) associated with the offense if police deny an own recognizance (OR) release.  It is also good to know 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 smart 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, Lakewood station, is located on Clark Avenue.  It has an undisclosed number of sworn police officers and unspecified number of civilian support personnel assigned to it. 

The Lakewood Station is responsible for the City of Artesia, the City of Bellflower, the City of Hawaiian Gardens, the City of Lakewood, the City of Paramount, and unincorporated areas of Cerritos and unincorporated areas Long Beach.

For traffic matters that arise on the freeways in this area, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) generally handles such matters, not the Lakewood Station.

In early 2023, investigators at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department learned that a group of deputies at the Lakewood station shared a common tattoo: a spade, with the number 13.  So, according to a new oversight report, officials decided to do a survey: Were the tattoos the sign of a new deputy gang?  When a few dozen deputies said no, the report said, the department took their word for it and stopped investigating.

The existence of the Lakewood station tattoos and the aborted probe into them did not become public until 2024, when the county watchdog released a 50-page report examining gaps in the department’s efforts to rein in deputy gangs.  The tattooed cliques and their alleged misconduct have plagued the nation’s largest sheriff’s department for decades, leading to repeated oversight investigations, an FBI probe and a steady stream of lawsuits costing the County of Los Angeles millions.

Lakewood is a post-World War II planned community.  World War II veterans could get home loans with no down payment and a 30-year mortgage at only 4 percent interest.  On the first day of sales, March 24, 1950, an estimated 30,000 people lined up to walk through a row of seven model houses.  By the end of April, 1950, more than 200,000 people had flocked to the Lakewood Park sales office and more than 1,000 families had purchased homes (30 per day on average).  On one occasion, 107 homes were sold in just one hour.  The monthly cost was $44 to $56, including principal, interest and insurance.

The building of Lakewood broke records.  Empty fields became 17,500 houses in less than three years.  A new house was completed every seven and a half minutes, 40 to 60 houses per day, with a record 110 completed in a single day.

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

Our office has handled many shoplifting, DUI and domestic violence cases arising out the City of Lakewood and brought in the Bellflower Courthouse.  We have also handled a rare prostitution case arising on Clark Avenue during the Super Bowl with a police sting operation set up at a local motel or hotel there.