A Tradition of Service 

Since it was founded in 1850, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) has had a long history here in Southern California, being instrumental in bringing law and order to the Los Angeles basin during the Gold Rush era.  As the largest Sheriff's Department in the world and the seventh-largest law enforcement agency in the United States (behind such agencies as the NYPD, California Department of Corrections, Chicago PD, and the FBI), the LASD patrols areas from the beaches of Malibu to the west and the deserts of the Antelope Valley to the north, to the mountains of San Dimas to the east and the flat urban areas of Compton to the south.  The nation's first female deputy and the nation's first full-time female law enforcement pilot were both part of the LASD.

Forty-two cities in the County, including both Lancaster and Palmdale, contract with the LASD for law enforcement services.  In addition all unincorporated areas of the County are patrolled by the LASD.

For forty years after the founding of the LASD, "local law enforcement" didn't really exist in the Antelope Valley due to a lack of population.  That all changed in 1890 with the election of Lancaster's first Constable, Mace Mays.  From that time on until the Antelope Valley's first official Sheriff's station was constructed, Sheriff's offices were generally located in the back of other businesses such as bars and car dealerships.  The first local jail house was constructed around 1900 along Lancaster Boulevard.

Lancaster Station was opened in 1937 at the southwest corner of Avenue J and 10th Street West, the same year that two-way radio service was first instituted by the Department.  In 1961 the station's name changed to Antelope Valley Station, and remained that until 1996 when it was moved to its current location at Lancaster Boulevard and Sierra Highway and renamed Lancaster Station, four years after Palmdale Station was dedicated.

Lancaster Sheriff's Station is one of the largest in the County.  The station has the largest patrol area at over 600 square miles, covering the entire northeast portion of the County; deputies patrol from Neenach to the west (meeting up with Santa Clarita Station's patrol area), up to County line to the north and east (meeting up with Kern County at Avenue A and San Bernadino County out past Lake Los Angeles, respectively), and down to Palmdale Station's patrol area to the south.  The communities of Antelope Acres, Hi Vista, Roosevelt, and most of Quartz Hill are included in this patrol area.

Many opportunities for community involvement exist at the Station.  Citizens who wish to know more about the Sheriff's Department and would like to get a taste of what day-to-day operations are like may sign up for a ride-along, while those who would like to give back to their community by supporting their local law enforcement may apply to become volunteers.

The Deputy Explorer Program has created a volunteer partnership between youths in our community and law enforcement. The explorers, between 16 and 20 years of age, receive extensive training in an academy setting. They then participate in community affairs and non-hazardous law enforcement activities. Additionally, the LASD Community Academy is a free 12-week course designed to give everyday citizens an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the operations of the Sheriff's Department. Lastly, the Antelope Valley Sheriff's Boosters help raise money to provide much needed equipment and financial support to the Lancaster and Palmdale Stations, such as GPS units, extra radios, and specialized vehicles.

Do you own a business or a vacant property (whether a building, home, or lot)?  A Letter of Agency allows you, as the owner or agent for the owner of such a property, to give permission to the Sheriff's Department to check your business or property for trespassers and other individuals who don't belong, and arrest them as necessary.

Letter of Agency

The Letter of Agency form can be downloaded using the link above, or you may pick one up from the Lancaster Sheriff's Station lobby.  Fill out the form completely, including your home address and 24-hour contact phone number as well as the type and address of the property.  Instructions are provided with the form.

Remember, the Letter of Agency gives authority to the Sheriff's Department to detain anyone found on your property when you're not there to determine if they are allowed to be there.  However, under California law an arrest of such a person can ONLY be made if "NO TRESPASSING" or "NO LOITERING" signs are clearly posted, along with the applicable penal code section.  You may make these signs yourself, or you may purchase them from any of a number of commercial purveyors.  Business Watch members may obtain these signs from the Public Safety Office.

The downloadable form above may be filled out on your computer, then printed and signed.  Older versions of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader may need to be updated to use this feature (use the link below to update your software).  Alternatively, you may print it out and fill in the entire form by hand.  Once you have completed your Letter of Agency form, take it into the Lancaster Sheriff's Station lobby to turn it in.

Under California law the Letter of Agency is only valid for six months from the date on the form, so make sure to mark your calendars to renew it before that date (simply fill out a new form and turn it in to renew).

If you have any questions, or if you need assistance filling out the form, contact the Lancaster Sheriff's Station either in-person or by calling (661) 948-8466, or contact the Public Safety Office.

By Sergeant Mike Handley

In 1850, the County of Los Angeles became responsible for law enforcement in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. This included the Antelope Valley, but in those days, it did not mean much because not too much was here. The occasional deputy probably traveled through the area looking for bandits, but the area was mostly sagebrush, Joshua trees, coyotes, and rabbits. I’m not sure when the Native Americans disappeared, nor can I tell you when the antelope left the Antelope Valley, but Lancaster was born in 1876 due to the Southern Pacific Railroad. They were building a rail line through the Antelope Valley and built a station near what was to become the main crossroads of Lancaster Boulevard and Sierra Highway. The resulting influx of people allowed Lancaster to become a township in 1884. This is important because when you became a township, you are allocated a judge. At first, if the judge needed law enforcement assistance, he had to request a deputy from Los Angeles. As the population increased, the need for local law enforcement became apparent. Sometime in 1890, permanently assigned law enforcement began in Lancaster with the election of Constable Mace Mays. Other Constables that followed between 1892 and 1910 were Joseph Johnson, John Little, Frank Dawler, Marcus Andradi, Harry Butterworth, Oliver Litchey, and Gar Carter. Times were plenty tough during those days and the only thing a Deputy/Constable could do when confronted by the “bad guys” was to stand his ground or cut and run. The only help available was in far away Los Angeles or the local citizens, if they wanted to get involved. Fortunately, folks in those days were as tough as the times and made pretty good backup. When a bad guy was apprehended, he spent some time in the local jail house which was constructed about 1900. Rumor has it, that early on, there was as many as three Sheriff’s offices in Lancaster. These “offices” were located in the back of a bar, a barber shop, and an early car dealership.

The pace of life in the Antelope Valley in the early 1900's had picked up considerably with the help of the railroad, farming, ranching, and continued land speculation. Although the population was increasing, Lancaster was still pretty much a quiet community. Herbert E. Glidden became Constable in 1910 when Constable Carter resigned from office. Constable Glidden was a respected and well liked member of the community. I could not find any record of Constable Glidden’s career as a Law Enforcement official until 10 years after he took office. The tragic events of November 12, 1920, were to change all of that.

Constable Glidden was on duty and saw a car parked in front of the post office on Lancaster Boulevard that attracted his attention, due to it having a fresh paint job. Two men having breakfast in a restaurant across the street, entered the car and attempted to drive away. Constable Glidden jumped on the passenger side running board and ordered the driver to stop. One of the occupants of the vehicle shot Constable Glidden, and he fell to the ground mortally wounded, as the vehicle sped away. The good citizens of Lancaster and Palmdale heard about the incident, formed a posse, and launched an area wide search for the suspects. One of the bad guys was found west of Palmdale and was fatally shot. The other suspect was located at a railroad water stop south of Palmdale and was arrested. Constable Glidden was buried with due honors at Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles. He was 45 years old at the time of his death.

So now you have a thumbnail of what the first 70 years of law enforcement in Antelope Valley was all about. I would like to thank the Antelope Valley Press, Archaeologist Rick Riley, and The Antelope Valley Historical Society who knowingly or unknowingly helped in the preparation of this document.

The saga continues....

The Lancaster Sheriff's Station has several "special teams," groups of dedicated deputies who specialize in a particular type of crime or focus on a certain area.  Many criminals work in localized areas and commit only a certain type of crime, honing their skills to become a master of their craft rather than a jack of all trades.

In much the same manner, the levels of training and experience gained by these deputies helps them to notice details and track patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed, and ultimately solve crimes in a timely manner so that those responsible can be arrested and charged before victimizing other residents.

Many special details exist at Lancaster Station: including Narcotics, Schools, and Operation Safe Streets (OSS) details.  Use the link at left to learn more about the Lancaster Community Appreciation Project (LAN-CAP).

Narcotics
The Narcotics detail is much like it sounds: a group of deputies whose expertise lies in the identification of illegal drugs and the apprehension of drug dealers.  Three deputies and a sergeant comprise the Lancaster Station contingent of this County-wide team.  The detail conducts numerous undercover operations in and around the City each year to help take illegal drugs off our streets.

Schools
These deputies focus on the public schools in the City of Lancaster, acting as a liaison between the students, the parents, the schools, and the Sheriff's Department.  School deputies are assigned to a specific school or schools, and often develop a rapport with the student body.  As a result, not only are these deputies able to respond to school-related incidents much more quickly than regular patrol deputies, but they can tell when tensions are high between various groups within the student body and often find out about planned incidents (such as fights) before they occur, thus being able to help prevent violence before it starts.  The School deputies work with a dedicated sergeant.

Operation Safe Streets (Gangs)
Operation Safe Streets (OSS) is a County-wide detail with satellite teams at each Sheriff's Station.  The Lancaster detail is comprised of several deputies, a dedicated detective, and a sergeant.  OSS units focus solely on gangs, their social systems, their activities, and anything else that is related.  These deputies frequently work undercover, and with the valuable information received from citizen informants are often successful in identifying individual gang members and bringing them to jail on criminal charges.  At times, entire gangs can be virtually eliminated from the area as key players and gang leaders are arrested, thus eliminating the chain-of-command in the gang, while other gangs simply choose to pack up and move out of the City to another area.