L.A.S.S.O

Sheriff Baca was born in East Los Angeles on May 27, 1942. He graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School in 1960. He worked a variety of jobs to support himself while attending East Los Angeles College, and entered the United States Marine Corps Reserves in 1964. On August 23, 1965, he was sworn into the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department as a Deputy Sheriff Trainee. He worked through the early portion of his career in recruitment, on patrol on the streets of East Los Angeles, and as a staff instructor at the Sheriff's Academy.
He rose through the ranks, and in 1981 was appointed to Captain by then Sheriff Peter Pitchess and put in command of Norwalk Station.

A strong believer in education, Sheriff Baca continued his studies, graduating in 1993 from the University of Southern California with a Doctorate of Public Administration. He is a life member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, USC Chapter. On December 7, 1998, Sheriff Baca was sworn in as Los Angeles County's 30th Sheriff, having been elected by the citizens of Los Angeles County. Sheriff Baca commands the largest Sheriff's Department in the world and supervises more than 16,000 sworn and civilian personnel.
He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Optimist Youth Homes and Ranch, Puente Learning Center, Buena Nueva Foundation, EMEK Hebrew Academy and Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at the University of La Verne and serves on the Board of Governors of the USC Alumni Association.