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Q. How can I research ancestors who were members of the Los Angeles Police Department?
A. According to the LAPD, “limited personnel information may be obtained, with cause,” by contacting the department’s Personnel Records Section: Los Angeles Police Department, Personnel Division, 100 W. First St., Room 208, Los Angeles, CA 90012, (213) 486-4659. On the LAPD website, find a history of the department since its beginnings with the “Los Angeles Rangers” and the “Los Angeles City Guards.”
The City Archives and Records Center has several annual reports that include a roster of police officers, although coverage is spotty. Call (213) 473-8441 or email the center’s archival researcher at michael.holland@lacity.org. The postal address is C. Erwin Piper Technical Center, 555 Ramirez St., Space 320, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
You can also contact the Los Angeles Police Historical Society (LAPHS) museum, located in the Highland Park Police Station, now a registered National Historic Landmark. The society salvaged and restored the building to its original Renaissance Revival style. Contact the museum via mail (6045 York Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90042) or by phone at (323) 344-9445.
From the January/February 2016 Family Tree Magazine
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