The Los Angeles Unified School District Police Department/Los Angeles School Police Department (LAUSDPD/LASPD) the largest independent school police department in the United States. It served 25% of its total 3,389 arrests while issuing 2,724 citations and 1,282 diversions to the LA Unified School district’s Black student population between 2014 and 2017, though black students making up less than 9% of the total student population (Allen et al., 2018). Despite this, the LASPD claims on their website that their goal is to “to address the quality of life issues that impact student safety and the ability of the students and staff to enjoy a safe learning environment.” This photo collection aims to juxtapose the rhetoric and myth-making used by School District Police Departments to inform their actions and interactions towards their district’s student population alongside the statistical impacts of their activities.
This juxtaposition depicts the self-presentation of LASPD school/community engagement alongside the statistical data of their policing within the school district. (left) This found image from LASPD Facebook page depicts police officer community engagement in the classroom. (right) This Infomatic from the Million Dollar Hoods project in conjunction with UCLA’s Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies shows the inequality of how black bodies are policed in the LA Unified School District.
This juxtaposition depicts the self-presentation of LASPD school/community engagement alongside the statistical data of their policing within the school district. (top) This found banner image from LASPD website depicts the ideological rhetoric of the LASPD as a positive force protecting the school district’s children. (bottom)This Infomatic from the Million Dollar Hoods project in conjunction with UCLA ’s Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies shows data depicting the disproportionate policing of young children by the LASPD.
This juxtaposition depicts the self-presentation of LASPD school/community engagement alongside the statistical data of their policing within the school district. (top left) This found image from LASPD website depicts friendly community engagement by LASPD officers. (bottom left) This found image from LASPD Facebook page depicts a community engagement program meant as an intervention for “at risk” students.(right)This infomatic figure taken from the ACLU California “Right to Remain a Student” Report uses statistical data to depict the extent of police powers in school districts across the state of California.
Janelle Levy. 24 November 2018, "Ideology and Impact: Policing Students in the LA Unified School District", Center for Ethnography, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 26 November 2018, accessed 19 April 2024. http://centerforethnography.org/content/ideology-and-impact-policing-students-la-unified-school-district-0