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Which Jurisdictions In Los Angeles File The Most Criminal Cases?

Posted by Ronald D. Hedding, ESQ. | Oct 10, 2018

Los Angeles is a huge metropolis. It stretches from all the way to Long Beach back across over to Lancaster. You have cases that are part of LA County in Valencia, Pasadena. There used to be Malibu court, LAX court, so you have a huge area where criminal cases are being filed across Los Angeles County. As far as where the most crime is, there's a number of different courthouses.

The DA's office, when they file these cases and the police officers who are arresting people – the statistics go up and down – but I can tell you some of the big courthouses where there's a lot of criminal cases filed – would be no. 1, downtown Los Angeles. That's the main hub courthouse in Los Angeles County.

Thousands of cases are filed there every year. That's where the main DA's office in. Most of the judges are centered around downtown Los Angeles.

Pomona and Norwalk Courthouses

Also, I would say Pomona files a lot of criminal cases. Norwalk files a lot of criminal cases. In the San Fernando Valley, Van Nuys court will file a good amount of criminal cases. It's interesting because certain types of criminal cases are filed and prosecuted more aggressively, depending on where you are. I know in the north end of the Valley, the San Fernando court files a lot of drug cases and they also file a lot of sex crimes.

Downtown Los Angeles seems to file a lot of business ordinance-marijuana type charges where people are not following the rules as far as having marijuana businesses downtown Los Angeles. The City Attorney's office will typically prosecute those type of cases. There are a lot of drug cases also filed in downtown Los Angeles.

Another courthouse that has a lot of action just because there's not much around it – and there is a high density of people – is the Compton courthouse. They don't mess around in that courthouse. They're very harsh on crime. Why? I don't know. It could be for a variety of reasons, but maybe one of the biggest reasons is they've got a lot of crime there – a lot of cases moving through there that they have to contend with.

DUI Cases in Burbank Court

So, depending on where your case is, you're going to want to talk to an attorney that knows that courthouse. I've worked in Burbank for example which files a lot of DUI cases in that courthouse, a lot of theft-related offenses from the various merchants around there. So, you have to know these courthouses.

I worked for a Superior Court Judge in Burbank, so I kind of know how to handle their cases, what type of cases they file there. Obviously, my office is close. One of my Encino offices is close to Van Nuys and San Fernando, so we do a lot of business there. And of course, downtown being such a huge courthouse – I've done thousands of cases there over the last twenty-five years, so I know these various courthouses.

I know how the prosecutors feel about certain types of charges which is important, and as far as knowing the volume of cases like LAX court does a huge volume of cases. The main reason you wouldn't know that other than the fact that it's located right in the middle of a lot of population, but a lot of the courthouses are being closed down, so those cases have gone to LAX court.

For example, Malibu was closed down. Beverly Hills was closed down. Hollywood was closed down, so all these cases are moving into LAX court and that's one of the newer courthouses built within the last decade and it can house a lot of inmates coming in and is really able to take a lot of cases, so that would cause them to be able to file a lot of cases.

Obviously, the crime statistics have to do with how many cases are going to be filed in Los Angeles County. If the courthouse is in a jurisdiction where a lot of crime is committed, and the police are there and available to deal with cases, then you can expect there's going to be a lot of criminal activity.

There are about twenty-five courts in Los Angeles County. Some of them don't handle much action, while others handle a lot of action. It really just depends on how much crime is there, what type of police presence is there and how the prosecutors deal with these cases that are filed in Los Angeles County.

About the Author

Ronald D. Hedding, ESQ.

Ronald D. Hedding, Esq., is the founding member of the Hedding Law Firm. Mr. Hedding has an extensive well-rounded legal background in the area of Criminal Law. He has worked for the District Attorney's Office, a Superior Court Judge, and as the guiding force behind the Hedding Law Firm. His multi-faceted experience sets Mr. Hedding apart and puts him in an elite group of the best Criminal Defense Attorneys in Southern California.

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