Chief of Police

SALARY DETAILS

$203,400.00 - $254,500.00 Yearly

APPLICATION FILING DATES

November 21, 2024 - December 6, 2024

JOIN OUR TEAM AS LAUSD’S NEXT CHIEF OF POLICE

LAUSD is seeking an inspirational and empathetic leader with extensive experience and an outstanding career in law enforcement and public safety, to lead the LA School Police Department (LASPD).  Our successful candidate will be a visionary who will seek to promote open dialogue and proactive engagement with students, staff and the community, and will inspire confidence and trust in their ability to successfully head the LASPD.

LASPD’s highest priority is to ensure and support LAUSD’s commitment to providing safe learning and community spaces for students, staff and the community.   The role of Chief of Police is critical in shaping the Department's and the District’s strategy in achieving this goal.

The position of Chief of Police is considered part of the District’s senior management team; the incumbent will report directly to the Deputy Superintendent of Business Services and Operations, and will manage all personnel within LASPD. 

THE LA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

LAUSD is the second largest school district in the nation with an enrollment of nearly 575,000 students. We serve an area totaling 710 square miles, with over 1,190 schools and educational centers, and we employ over 74,000 individuals, making us one of the largest employers in our city.

The mission of LAUSD is reflected in continued double-digit growth on the state Academic Performance Index (API); the upward trend in the graduation rate, progress in the pass rate on the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) and other academic indicators. LA schools boast more winners of the United States Academic Decathlon championships than any other District in this country.

Los Angeles Unified is privileged to serve an amazing and vibrant community, and we work together to meet the District’s singular goal of ensuring ALL our students graduate READY FOR THE WORLD – to thrive in college, career, and life. 

ABOUT THE LASPD

The LA School Police Department, which is the fifth largest police department in LA County, is a vital part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. The Department serves as a fully functioning professional law enforcement agency with a staff that includes over 200 sworn officers.  The Department is tasked with improving campus safety and creating safe school passages for students, staff, and the school community.

Unique to the LASPD team is the variety of assignments and services it delivers to its customers.  The Department’s Police Officers are assigned to communities of schools and patrol the surrounding areas, while the School Safety Officers are assigned to support school traffic safety, parking enforcement and facility protection. 

LASPD is also an active partner with the greater LAUSD community of students, parents, educators, staff, neighboring cities and counties.  The LA School Police Department shares jurisdiction and interacts with over 13 municipal and county law enforcement agencies, as well as state and federal law enforcement and emergency services agencies.

The Department is committed to continuous improvement in serving the students, staff and parents of the District, and upholds the values of the law enforcement profession in equal justice for all under the law.  LASPD promotes transparency and accountability, and values strong relationships with all stakeholders. 

THE CHIEF OF POLICE: ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Chief of Police oversees all operations of the Los Angeles School Police Department, guiding a team of sworn officers and civilian staff. Responsibilities of this critical role include:

• Leading the LASPD team in establishing a safe and secure environment at all District schools and offices through development and revision of goals, strategies and procedures for protecting students, staff and property.
• Setting clear goals and expectations for Department personnel, including communicating and embodying the vision, mission, and core values of the Department, motivating staff to work toward them, and serving as a mentor to staff, leading by example and holding staff accountable.
• Representing the Police Department on a local, regional, and national level and developing cooperative relationships with other law enforcement agencies, government officials, community groups, the media and related outside agencies to exchange ideas and information relating to the development of law-enforcement programs and methods.
• Ensuring collaborative problem solving and engagement efforts with community leaders, representatives and stakeholders.
• Performing critical administrative functions including preparing the Department budget; allocating personnel to school, offices and other District locations; recommending and reviewing personnel transactions; and analyzing and compiling reports.

OUR SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE

Our ideal candidate will be a strong leader with extensive law enforcement experience, preferably within agencies that promote collaborative and community-oriented policing.  They will be a compassionate, respectful, honest, and ethical leader with a demonstrated ability to manage a large and geographically diverse law enforcement department and talent in motivating a team of law enforcement professionals, both sworn and non-sworn. 

Most notably, our strongest candidate will be a community-oriented and transparent leader who can build consensus among diverse stakeholder around safety solutions and can provide a vision for the future and reform based upon campus-based, student-centered safety focus and a dedication to moving ideas effectively from conception to action.

Our ideal candidate will also have considerable management experience that includes success in strategic planning, resource allocation, fiscal management, analysis of critical data and labor relations.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION:
Graduation from a recognized college or university with a bachelor’s degree preferably in police administration, public administration, business administration, criminology, or a related field. Additional qualifying experience may be substituted on a year-for-year basis for up to two years of the required education provided that graduation from high school or evidence of equivalent educational proficiency is met.

EXPERIENCE:
Five years of sworn officer experience in a management or executive position in a law enforcement agency.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Possession of a Management California Peace Officer Standards and Training (CA P.O.S.T.) certificate or equivalent coursework.
• Completion of a specialized course of training for school peace officers as prescribed by P.O.S.T. within two years of appointment.
• Qualify biannually with departmentally approved firearms at a designated police range.
• Appointment is subject to fingerprinting, a review of criminal record and a thorough background investigation.

BENEFITS

LAUSD offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes:

• A choice of several medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for you and your family.
• Membership in the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS) Classic 3% at 50 (Employee contributes 9%) or CalPERS PEPRA 2.7% @ 57 (Employee contributes 14.75%) and voluntary participation in the District’s 403 (b) and 457 plans.
• Executive employees enjoy 24 days of paid vacation each year as well as 13 paid holidays.

APPLICATION PROCESS

If you believe that you have what it takes to be successful and thrive in this position, we would like to know more about you. Interested applicants, please apply through our online application system. Once you have logged into our application system, attach and submit your cover letter and resume. Please ensure that both the cover letter and resume indicate the extent of your professional experience and expertise, and clearly state how you meet all requirements of this job as stated above. We ask that you include specific details about all positions that you have held including job title and organization at which you worked, your specific job duties, and also account for any gaps in your employment history.  Additionally, you should indicate how your background and your skill set match that described for our successful candidate, as only those candidates who most closely match our description of a successful candidate, will be invited to move forward in this selection process.

If you have any questions please contact Brittany Goins at brittany.goins@lausd.net.   Please be sure to include correspondence from @lausd.net and @successfactors.com as an approved sender so that messages aren't accidentally placed into your spam/junk e-mail folder.

DO YOU NEED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WITH THE ON-LINE APPLICATION? Please contact us at (213) 241-3455 or email us at helpmeapply@lausd.net for assistance. To find out whether the application deadline has been extended, visit the website at: http://www.lausdjobs.org.

ADDITIONAL POSTING INFORMATION

As this is a Senior Management recruitment, successful candidates are placed on a hiring (eligibility) list in alphabetic name order. Hiring departments may make job offers to anyone on the Eligibility List. Eligibility Lists are typically active for 12 months. The hiring list resulting from this selection process may be used to fill open positions in related job classifications.

The Los Angeles Unified School District intends that all qualified persons shall have equal opportunities for employment and promotion. Reasonable accommodations in completing an application and testing are available to individuals with disabilities. Please call (213) 241-3455 for more information.

The Los Angeles Unified School District is committed to providing a working and learning environment free from discrimination, harassment, intimidation, abusive conduct, or bullying.  To view our non-discrimination policy, choose this link.    

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