Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association

What Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association does

Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association (PPOA) is a not-for-profit professional association and labor union founded in 1951 that represents specific peace-officer classifications within three Los Angeles County agencies: the Sheriff's Department (LASD), the District Attorney's Office (LADA), and the Department of Medical Examiner (DME). The organization is the recognized bargaining representative for multiple units - including Unit 612 (LASD & LADA Sergeants and Lieutenants), Unit 614 (Criminalists), Unit 621 (which covers Custody Assistants and Security Officers), Units 631/632 (DME Investigators), and Unit 995 (LASD & LADA Captains and Commanders) - and is the only entity with standing to negotiate labor contracts with the Coalition of County Unions and to appear before the Employee Relations Commission on discipline matters for those classifications.

PPOA's core product is its membership, which provides labor representation, discipline defense, contract negotiation, and advocacy, with all full and reserve members covered under the FOP Legal Defense Plan. Revenue is generated almost exclusively through recurring monthly membership dues collected via Los Angeles County payroll deduction, with tiered pricing for Full, Reserve (USD 25/month), Service, Retired, and Limited Access classifications. Beyond core representation, PPOA operates an ensemble of member-benefit products including an online Uniform Store offering discounts of up to 35% on LASD apparel and equipment, the bimonthly Star & Shield magazine, a video podcast series, a mobile application for iOS and Android, a college scholarship program, an annual awards ceremony, and a retirement-planning workshop series.

Operationally, PPOA is a small organization with 1-10 employees headquartered in San Dimas, California (188 E. Arrow Highway), governed by an elected Board of Directors. Its charitable arm, the Star & Shield Foundation (established 2001), is a separate 501(c)(3) entity that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for members in need and families of fallen officers, including joint fundraising with the ALADS C.A.R.E.S. Foundation. The association engages members through a multi-channel mix comprising its website, Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, email newsletter, the Star & Shield publication, and recurring community events such as Labor Day BBQs, retiree luncheons, a fishing trip, and an annual golf tournament.

Name

Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association

Legal name

Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association

Website

https://ppoa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association is a not-for-profit union and professional association representing specific LASD, LADA, and DME peace-officer classifications via payroll-deducted membership dues, providing labor representation, legal defense, and member benefits since 1951.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Dimas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: PPOA generates revenue through monthly membership dues collected via Los Angeles County payroll deduction. Various membership tiers exist including Full, Reserve, Service, Retired, and Limited Access memberships, each with specific dues structures.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PPOA is a not-for-profit labor union and professional association that provides labor representation, legal defense (via the FOP Legal Defense Plan), collective bargaining, contract negotiations, and advocacy for Los Angeles County peace officers across LASD, LADA, and DME units. It supplements this core representation with member benefits including an online uniform store (up to 35% off retail), Star & Shield magazine, podcast series, college scholarships, awards programs, and the charitable Star & Shield Foundation.

Product overview

Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association operates as a membership-based professional association offering a unified suite of services to law enforcement personnel. The core offering is PPOA Membership, which provides labor representation, legal counsel, and contract negotiations across multiple bargaining units (Units 612, 614, 621, 631, 632, 995). Supporting this core membership are add-on services including the Uniform Store (offering up to 35% discounts on LASD uniforms and equipment), the Star & Shield Magazine (bimonthly publication), the PPOA Podcast (video discussions with leadership), PPOA College Scholarships, and the PPOA Awards Program recognizing member valor and service. The Star & Shield Foundation operates as a separate 501(c)(3) charitable entity supporting fallen officer families. All members are covered by the FOP Legal Defense Plan. The association also provides a mobile application for iOS and Android for on-the-go access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Star & Shield: The official magazine of PPOA published regularly, covering topics relevant to law enforcement professionals, member stories, and association news.
• Star & Shield Foundation

Products and services

• PPOA Membership Membership in the Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association, providing labor representation, legal counsel via FOP Legal Defense Plan, contract negotiations, and advocacy for active and retired law enforcement personnel across multiple LASD, LADA, and DME units.
• PPOA Uniform Store Member-exclusive online retail store offering LASD uniforms, clothing, and equipment with discounts of up to 35 percent off retail prices.
• PPOA Mobile Application Mobile application for iOS and Android enabling PPOA members to stay informed and connected with association news, updates, and member resources on mobile devices.
• Star & Shield Foundation Charitable 501(c)(3) foundation established in 2001 that raises funds to support worthy organizations, causes, PPOA members in need, and families of fallen officers.
• Legal Counsel Services (FOP Legal Defense Plan) Legal representation and defense services provided to all full and reserve PPOA members through the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Legal Defense Plan.
• PPOA College Scholarships Financial scholarship assistance for higher education available to PPOA members and their families.

Quantifiable outcome

• Uniform discounts up to 35% off retail prices through online uniform store
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• California Office of Traffic SafetyminorOthers · 17 December 2025The California Office of Traffic Safety awarded a $134,000 grant to LASD Crime Lab through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to fund equipment and testing for DUI cases. While this grant relates to member agency support rather than direct PPOA partnership, it benefits PPOA-represented criminalists and LASD personnel.
• Star & Shield FoundationcoreOthersThe Star & Shield Foundation is the charitable arm of PPOA, established in 2001. It has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support worthy organizations and causes, members in need, and most importantly, the families of fallen officers. The Foundation is funded through voluntary member contributions and donations.
• ALADS C.A.R.E.S. FoundationmajorOthersALADS C.A.R.E.S. (Community Assistance and Resourceful Endeavors Support) Foundation partners with PPOA for fundraising campaigns to support families of fallen officers. 100% of proceeds go directly to assisting families in need. ALADS C.A.R.E.S. Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.
• FOP Legal Defense PlancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll full and reserve PPOA members are covered by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Legal Defense Plan, providing legal representation services for members.
• Coalition of County Unions (CCU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPPOA participates in benefits negotiations with the Coalition of County Unions, representing member interests in collective bargaining for benefits packages.
• California Peace Officers' Memorial FoundationminorOthersPPOA maintains a Fallen Officers Tribute page linking to the California Peace Officers' Memorial Foundation's honor roll, honoring officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL): LAPPL is the labor union representing rank-and-file LAPD officers in the City of Los Angeles. While PPOA represents LA County peace officers (LASD/LADA/DME), both organizations operate in the same metro area, advocate for law enforcement labor interests, and offer comparable benefit programs to their respective memberships.

Broad incumbents

• International Union of Police Associations (IUPA): IUPA is an AFL-CIO-affiliated national union representing police officers across many jurisdictions. It is comparable to PPOA in labor representation and member advocacy function and serves as a broader-incumbent reference point for what scaled police union infrastructure looks like.
• Fraternal Order of Police (FOP): FOP is the largest national law enforcement labor organization in the U.S. and is already a PPOA partner (providing the FOP Legal Defense Plan to PPOA members). As a national broad incumbent operating lodges across many jurisdictions, FOP is a natural comparable for PPOA's labor representation and member services model.
• National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO): NAPO is a national coalition of police unions and associations that lobbies on federal legislation affecting law enforcement labor. As a national broad incumbent aggregating many local unions, NAPO is comparable to PPOA in core advocacy function but operates at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth.

Direct peers

• California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA): CCPOA is the labor union representing California state correctional officers, with a comparable mix of labor representation, benefits administration, legal defense, and political advocacy. It is one of the largest public-sector law enforcement unions in California and a natural peer to PPOA's structure and value proposition.
• California Peace Officers' Association (CPOA): CPOA is a statewide California professional association for peace officers that, like PPOA, delivers training, advocacy, publications, and member benefits. It operates across the same state geography and serves overlapping personnel classifications, making it a strong functional and regional comparable.
• Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC): PORAC is a statewide California law enforcement association that provides legal defense, training, and legislative advocacy to its members. PPOA's FOP Legal Defense Plan partnership and broader advocacy work closely parallel PORAC's offering to California peace officers, making it a strong functional and geographic comparable.
• Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS): ALADS is the labor union representing LA County Deputy Sheriffs and District Attorney Investigators in Unit 611, directly competing with PPOA for LA County peace officer membership. Both organizations negotiate with LA County and the Coalition of County Unions, making them the closest comparable peers in the same territory and employee base.

Emerging players

• California Police Chiefs Association (Cal Chiefs): Cal Chiefs is a California statewide association of police chiefs and command-level law enforcement executives. While its membership ranks differ from PPOA's, it operates in the same policy, advocacy, and training ecosystem serving LA-area law enforcement leaders and is comparable to PPOA's command-staff representation in Unit 995.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lappoa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ppoagreg
• Facebookfacebook.com/lappoa
• Instagraminstagram.com/lacounty_ppoa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/los-angeles-county-professional-peace-officers-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association