Chief of Police

SALARY DETAILS

APPLICATION FILING DATES

August 26, 2025 - September 26, 2025

INFORMATION ABOUT LAUSD

We are LAUSD. We are at the forefront of innovation in public education, focused on a clear and inspiring vision of the future for all of our students as they venture forward on their journey as lifelong learners. Here, you will have the opportunity to exercise your potential in a role supporting the business of education. Our work directly contributes toward the goal of ensuring that our students graduate ready for the world – ready to thrive in college, career and life. 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.

LAUSD EMPLOYEES: Please be advised that all LAUSD employees must sign in to the GlobalProtect Virtual Private Network (VPN) in order to submit an application from an external network outside of an LAUSD location. For assistance with installing the GlobalProtect Virtual Private Network, please contact Information Technology Services at (213) 443-1300 or (213) 241-5200 or via their page at http://www.lausd.org/helpdesk.

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.

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.

Please Note: This is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities of this position. For a comprehensive list of duties performed, please refer to the class description via our website: https://bit.ly/4lIIH3h

OUR SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE

The District is preparing for the retirement of our current Chief of Police, who has honorably served our community for more than 28 years. To ensure continuity and stability, we hope to onboard the next Chief sometime in October or early November to work alongside the current Chief to support and facilitate a smooth transition.

We are seeking an exceptional leader with extensive law enforcement experience, ideally gained within agencies that emphasize collaboration and community oriented policing. Our ideal candidate will be compassionate, respectful, honest, and ethical, with a proven ability to manage a large and geographically diverse department while motivating both sworn and non-sworn professionals.

Most importantly, the strongest candidate will be a transparent, community focused leader who can build consensus among diverse stakeholders, implement campus based and student centered safety strategies, and provide a forward looking vision for reform and innovation, translating ideas into meaningful action.

The ideal candidate will also bring considerable management expertise, including demonstrated success in strategic planning, resource allocation, fiscal oversight, critical data analysis, and labor relations. This combination of leadership, integrity, and operational excellence will be essential in guiding the Department into its future course, while preserving and building upon the strong foundation established by the retiring Chief.

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) 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 resume.

VERY IMPORTANT:

Your resume is a CRITICAL component in our application process, as it will become part of the next step in our process. Please ensure that your resume clearly indicates the extent of your professional experience and expertise as it relates to this position by describing in detail your experience, education, and training that most closely relate to the Chief of Police. 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. 

Once you submit your application, you should receive an email message confirming that you successfully submitted your application. If you DO NOT receive this message on the same day you apply, it is likely that you did not submit your application. If you have any questions please contact Nga Nguyen at n.nguyen@lausd.net or Omar Ochoa at omar.ochoa1@lausd.net.

DO YOU NEED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WITH THE ON-LINE APPLICATION?

Email us at helpmeapply@lausd.net 

To find out whether the application deadline has been extended, visit the website at: https://careers.lausd.org/pc. 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.

Please be sure to monitor your spam/junk folder so that important information, instructions, and deadlines regarding your application are not missed. Please also be sure to include correspondence from the lausd.net AND successfactors.com domains as approved senders to your email.

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. The District prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, abusive conduct or bullying based on actual or perceived race or ethnicity, gender/sex (including gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding/lactation status and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, religion, color, national origin (including language use restrictions and possession of a driver’s license issued under Vehicle Code), ancestry, immigration status, physical or mental disability (including clinical depression and bipolar disorder, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, epilepsy, seizure disorder, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and heart disease), medical condition (cancer related and genetic characteristics), military and veteran status, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age (40 and above), genetic information, political belief or affiliation (unless union related), a person's association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law, ordinance, or regulation in any program or activity it conducts or to which it provides significant assistance. For inquiries or complaints contact our Equal Opportunity Section, (213) 241-7685. 

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