Mark Guardado

• Rank: Captain I
• Division: Mission Division
• Email: 31222@lapd.online

Bio

Captain Mark Guardado was raised in North Hollywood, in the San Fernando Valley. As a teenager, he already possessed the desire to pursue a career in Law Enforcement. Mark joined the Sheriff Explorer Program with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and later became an advisor.

After graduating from St. Genevieve’s High School Mark attended College of the Canyons to begin his Law Enforcement studies. On October 31, 1994, Mark was hired by the Los Angeles Police Department and upon graduating from the academy, he was assigned to North Hollywood Division where he successfully completed his first patrol assignment. Upon completion of probation he was wheeled to West Los Angeles Division.

In 1997, Mark transferred to Rampart Division where he had the opportunity to work patrol and various assignments in specialized units, such as plain clothes and undercover assignments in the Special Problems Unit. In 1999, Mark was promoted to Police Officer III at West Los Angeles Division where he was assigned as a Field Training Officer (FTO).

Later in 1999, Mark exchanged his FTO stripes for a motorcycle and attended the Los Angeles Police Department Motor School. Upon successfully completing the program, he was assigned to Valley Traffic Division. He spent nearly seven years of his career working various specialized enforcement units such as the Violent Crime Task Force, the Community Safety Traffic Unit and the DUI Task Force, where he was a repeated recipient of the Triple Century Award.

In 2007, Mark was selected to be part of Traffic Coordination Section, Special Enforcement Section, as a motor instructor. For the next two years he instructed new students attending motor school to be the next generation of motor officers. He was the lead firearms instructor in Motor School and a member of the project team that was responsible for the implementation of mounting patrol rifles on motors. Outside of motor school he worked Commercial Enforcement, which included responding to commercial vehicle incidents as a subject matter expert. In 2011, Mark was awarded the Police Unit Citation for accomplishments made in furtherance of the motor program and commercial enforcement.

In 2009, Mark was promoted to Sergeant and completed his first supervisory assignment at West Valley Division, having worked as a patrol supervisor and Captain’s adjutant. In 2010, he was selected as a Motor Sergeant and transferred to South Traffic Division. For the next 11 years, he worked at three of the four traffic bureaus (South, West, and Valley) as a motor supervisor in various specialized units such as the DUI Task Force and the Street Racing Task Force. Also, during this tenure, Mark represented the Los Angeles Police Department at FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness, in Anniston Alabama, training in crime scene response and management relating to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive incidents.

In 2021, Mark was promoted to Lieutenant and transferred to West Valley Division. In 2022, he transferred to Valley Traffic Division as a Watch Commander. Then, in 2023, he was selected for promotion to Lieutenant II and transferred to Audit Division.

In 2024, Mark was selected to be the Officer -in-Charge of the Gang Impact Team at Hollywood Division. In this assignment, he was responsible for managing the Gang Enforcement Detail and Narcotics Enforcement Detail.

In 2025, Mark was promoted to Captain I and assigned to Mission Division where he currently leads the law enforcement team in their exemplary efforts to keep the community safe and build a strong and resilient trust-based relationship with community members.

Mark is proud to have completed his higher education while working full-time as a member of the Los Angeles Police Department. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Management from Union Institute and University and an Associate in Science degree in Administration of Justice from College of the Canyons. He has completed Conflict Management training by Pepperdine University and is a graduate of the Sherman Block Supervisory Institute.