Captain Craig Heredia

Captain Craig Heredia is a 29-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) who currently serves as the Commanding Officer of Hollywood Area. He promoted to the rank of Captain in 2022 and he served as the Commanding Officer of West Los Angeles Patrol Division and West Los Angeles Area before transferring to Hollywood Area.

Craig began his law enforcement career in 1995 and upon graduating from the Police Academy, he was assigned to Southwest Division where he successfully completed his first patrol assignment. Due to his youthful appearance in 1996, he was selected to work undercover in a local high school in what he describes as his “21 Jump Street” experience.

In 1997, Craig transferred to Rampart Division where he spent nearly ten years of his career working in various uniformed and plainclothes assignments. He worked patrol and gangs while also focusing on special problems within the community. In 2001, he was promoted to Police Officer III to work as a Field Training Officer and two years later he was selected as a Federal Task Force Officer with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. In 2005, he promoted to Detective and maintained his position on the joint LAPD/ATF task force.

In 2006, Craig promoted to Sergeant and transferred to 77th Division. He spent the next eight years working as a supervisor, both as a Sergeant I and Detective II. As a uniformed field supervisor, he worked patrol at 77th Division and Olympic Division, ultimately serving as the Officer-in-Charge of the Special Problems Unit at both divisions. As a detective supervisor, he was assigned to South Bureau to work plainclothes surveillance in support of homicide investigations, gang-related shootings and violent crime, and other high-profile occurrences.

In 2014, Craig promoted to Lieutenant and returned to Rampart Division. He worked as a Watch Commander, Officer-in-Charge of Rampart Area’s Gang Impact Team, and later as the Commanding Officer of Rampart Detective Division.

Craig is proud to have completed his higher education while working full-time as a member of the Los Angeles Police Department. He earned an Associate in Arts Degree from Golden West College (2007), Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Studies – Vocational Arts from California State University, Long Beach (2008), and a Master of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from Chapman University (2010). Craig has also earned Graduate Certificates from Chapman University in the specialized areas of Criminal Justice Policy, and Administration and Leadership of Criminal Justice Organizations (2010). He is a graduate of the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute (2012) and he has completed Conflict Management training at Pepperdine University (2019). Mostly recently, he completed the SCI Public Safety Leadership Program at the University of Southern California (2024).

Craig is passionate about the law enforcement profession, officer wellness, public safety, and community service. He values training, education, and, as a mentor, he understands the benefits of sharing experiences and investing in the next generation of law enforcement leadership.