FIELD SUPPORT DIVISION
Field Support is the largest and most diverse division in the Patrol Bureau, consisting of over 200 sworn and civilian personnel. The Division is organized into the Traffic Section, the Event Planning and Management Section, and the Special Enforcement Section. The Special Enforcement Section also includes several specialized tactical support teams.
Traffic Section
Collision Investigations Detail
The Collision Investigations Detail investigates driving under the influence (DUI) cases, hit and runs, traffic fatalities and other traffic related crimes.
DUI Team
DUI Team and Task Force officers concentrate on apprehending impaired drivers during the nighttime hours. The team combines this enforcement effort with a number of educational programs which focus on reducing the number of impaired drivers on the streets.
Motorcycle Detail
This detail enforces general traffic laws throughout Long Beach. The detail is affiliated with the Long Beach Motor Patrol Association, which supports the Detail's mission and charitable activities in the community, with special attention to organize a holiday toy drive each year.
Commercial Enforcement Detail
The Commercial Enforcement Detail is tasked with enforcing federal, state, and local commercial vehicle code violations within the city and throughout the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The detail's main goal is to increase the safety of all commercial traffic in the enforcement area with emphasis on overweight vehicles and the dangers associated with grossly overweight vehicles driving in and around the City of Long Beach.
The detail assists the City Traffic Engineer's Office with updating the overweight vehicle permits. Additionally, officers assist with educating trucking companies regarding compliance with commercial enforcement laws.
Event Planning & Management Section
Event Planning Section
The Event Planning Section is charged with all events that are outside the normal course and scope of police department business. The Event Planning Section also houses the planning, training, and support of the department's response to natural and man-made disasters.
The section handles between 65-80 events per month. Events include high school football games, movies, commercials, parades, the Grand Prix of Long Beach, the Long Beach Marathon, bike events, and athletic competitions. Staff works closely with the Long Beach Special Events Office as well as several city, county, state, and federal partners to plan each event.
Each event and venue has its own specific nuances and policing needs. Staff takes all factors relating to an event into consideration to make the best possible plan for each event. The section draws from their backgrounds in emergency preparedness, traffic, SWAT, investigations, patrol, and field command post operations while performing their assignment.
The Event Planning Section staff continues on an almost daily basis to instruct or attend training in the area of disaster management, response, and recovery. They work closely with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Emergency Operation Bureau, Long Beach Fire Department, California State Office of Emergency Services, local hospitals, and many other non-government organizations on the topic of disaster mitigation, response, and recovery. The section's level of preparedness and experience bolsters the department's preparedness for any large-scale unforeseen event.
Mental Evaluation Team (MET)
Originally formed in 1996, the Long Beach Police Department Mental Evaluation Team was one of the first law enforcement entities to partner with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health to provide a sworn officer and a mental health clinician in the same police car to respond to calls for service.
The Mental Evaluation Team consists of sworn officers who are partnered with clinicians from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH). MET provides additional resources to patrol by responding to and handling calls involving the mentally ill and homeless. MET also provides functionality during SWAT responses. Some of MET's sworn officers are trained crisis negotiators and serve on the SWAT Team. The partnership with the Department of Mental Health affords the Police Department the ability to offer increased service to those individuals who need access to mental health services in an efficient manner.
The Long Beach Police Department Mental Evaluation Team is a "best practice" unit. MET officers and supervisors are frequently contacted by other local, state, and some out-of-state agencies interested in creating their own programs.
Quality of Life Team (QOL)
Originally formed in 2007, The Quality of Life (QOL) team is comprised of Long Beach Police Officers who assist in facilitating services, resources, and protection for those experiencing homelessness in Long Beach. The QOL team works to impact vagrancy-related crimes, reduce the number of calls for service related to the homeless population, identify long-term solutions for these issues, and cultivate trusting relationships with persons experiencing homelessness in Long Beach.
QOL officers work to connect persons experiencing homelessness to supportive services such as community support groups, housing resources, transportation, and mental health services. The QOL team also provides police officers and outside agencies with alternative methods for addressing homeless-related issues.
In 2022, the Quality of Life and Mental Evaluation teams made over 9,100 contacts to offer services to persons experiencing homelessness. This led to nearly 400 people receiving temporary housing and permanent housing for almost 40 people. The Quality of Life team participated in over 1,200 clean-ups throughout the city.
In 2023, the QOL team expanded with the addition of four new QOL officers. In addition to the expansion of the QOL team, the LBPD has also received funding to provide for overtime to support outreach and clean-up efforts along the riverbeds over a two-year period.
Special Enforcement Section
Air Support Unit
The Long Beach Police Air Support Unit was formed in 1968 to assist with an increase of crime in the city. Study's have found law enforcement helicopters to be a "force multiplier" and can help reduce crime. Over the years, Long Beach has operated several different helicopters: the Hughes 300, Bell 47, MD500E, and Eurocopter EC130. Long Beach currently operates two Eurocopter AS350B2 helicopters which supports ground based units engaged in all facets of law enforcement and specialized public safety activities. This support includes patrol operations, search and rescue, surveillance, tactical operations, transportation, aerial photography, training, fire suppression aid, disaster response, and all other flight at the direction of the Chief of Police or their designee.
Police Service Dog (K-9) Unit
The Police Service Dog Unit supports all police field operations. This team of specially trained officers works with their canine partners to search dangerous or inaccessible locations and apprehend hidden suspects. The detail is comprised of dogs that have different capabilities. Some dogs are trained to deploy with the SWAT team for high-risk searches, others are cross-trained to search for narcotics, and some are trained to search for narcotics and guns in local schools. There are also dogs which are trained to search specifically for the odor of explosives.
Special Weapons and Tactics Team
SWAT is a specialized unit of officers that is comprised of tactical teams, a negotiation team, police service dog teams, a technical team, and paramedics. Officers are trained and equipped to respond to situations that exceed the capability of detectives and patrol officers. SWAT team members are officers from various details in the department. The team trains together on a regular basis to maintain the highest level of tactics and physical fitness to stay proficient in this demanding function. The team responds to incidents such as: hostage situations, sniper incidents, barricaded suspects, skyjacking, terrorism, active shooter incidents, search warrants, and dignitary security.
Patrol Bureau
