Craig Heredia

• Rank: Captain III
• Division: Major Crimes Division
• Email: 31900@lapd.online

Bio

Captain Craig Heredia was raised in Orange County, California. He attended Westminster High School and during his high school years he began to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a police officer. Craig joined the Police Explorer Program with the Westminster Police Department and he was later hired to serve as a Police Intern in the Department’s Traffic Division.

On July 10, 1995, Craig was hired by the Los Angeles Police Department 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, Craig was selected to work as an undercover officer in a local high school in what he describes as his “21 Jump Street” experience.

In 1997, Craig resumed traditional police work in Rampart Division, and he spent nearly ten years of his career working in various uniformed and plainclothes assignments. He had the opportunity to work patrol and gangs before being promoted to Police Officer III – Field Training Officer in 2001. He was subsequently chosen to work as a member of the Major Offenders Unit in 2003 and was tasked with reducing firearm related crime and removing guns from those who could not lawfully possess them. During this assignment, Craig was sworn-in by the United States Marshall’s Office as a Federal Task Force Officer with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and he was subsequently appointed to a Violent Crime Impact Team. In 2005, Craig received a promotion to Detective I and he continued with his commitment to the ATF as the lead investigating officer on several firearm and narcotic trafficking cases.

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 and 77th Division and Olympic Division, ultimately serving as the Officer-in-Charge of the Special Problems Unit at both divisions. As a detective supervisor, Craig was assigned to South Bureau Homicide where he worked plainclothes surveillance in support of homicide investigations, gang related shootings and violent crime, and other high-profile occurrences.

In 2014, Craig was promoted to Lieutenant I and he returned to Rampart Division as the Watch-3 Watch Commander. He was later selected for promotion to Lieutenant II in 2016 as the Officer-in-Charge of the Gang Impact Team. In that assignment, he was responsible for managing the Gang Enforcement Detail, Narcotics Enforcement Detail, and Gang Detectives. In 2019, Craig applied for and was selected to serve as the Detective Commanding Officer, and he became responsible for overseeing criminal investigations and detective operations.

In February 2022, Craig promoted to Captain I and he was assigned to West Los Angeles Patrol Division. Later that same year, he became the Commanding Officer of West Los Angeles Area and was ultimately promoted to Captain III. Craig transferred to Hollywood Area in July 2023 where he currently leads the law enforcement team in their efforts to reduce crime and build trust via relationship-based community policing.

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, Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Studies – Vocational Arts from California State University, Long Beach, and a Master of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from Chapman University. He has also earned Graduate Certificates from Chapman University in the specialized areas of Criminal Justice Policy, and Administration and Leadership of Criminal Justice Organizations.

He is a graduate of the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute and he completed Conflict Management training at Pepperdine University. Most recently, he completed the SCI Public Safety Leadership Program at the University of Southern California and he also received the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Law Enforcement Executive Development Association (LEEDA) Trilogy Award.

Craig is passionate about the law enforcement profession, employee wellness, public safety, and community service. He considers it an honor and a privilege to serve the City of Los Angeles and the people within its diverse communities.