Los Angeles Regional Criminal Information Clearinghouse (LA CLEAR)

In 1992, the narcotic trafficking crime wave in the southern California area demanded a coordinated response from the various law enforcement agencies tasked with investigating these and other major crimes. To combat this, the Los Angeles County Police Chief’s Association along with the California Department of Justice/Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department agreed to a regional solution to provide analytical and case support to Investigators across this geographical area. As a result, the Los Angeles Regional Criminal Information Clearinghouse (LA CLEAR) was established.

In 1994, LA CLEAR was awarded Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) funding to expand its mission to support law enforcement agencies throughout the area of responsibility in the Los Angeles HIDTA (LA-HIDTA), which encompasses Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Over the years LA CLEAR has grown in size and scope and is now nationally recognized as a model HIDTA Investigative Support Center (ISC).

We provide strategic investigative research and post seizure analysis; tactical case support analysis; electronic surveillance and operational support; as well as training and conference opportunities for the LA HIDTA.

Additionally, LA CLEAR provides real-time “officer safety” related event, subject/case deconfliction services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the Los Angeles HIDTA which encompasses 255 law enforcement entities. Collectively, LA CLEAR provides these services to state, local and federal law enforcement agencies & task forces within the four counties that comprise the LA HIDTA. This capability has distinguished LA CLEAR as a premier model for officer-safety investigative support. LA CLEAR continues to be at the leading edge in deploying highly trained analysts that utilize state of the art systems and technologies to meet the growing demand for quality investigative support.

LA CLEAR does not conduct independent investigations, but rather supports the needs of the investigator and their respective law enforcement agency in criminal investigations. This “all crimes” approach has evolved due to the nature of narcotic enforcement involving poly crime criminal activity.

LA CLEAR is managed by law enforcement executives and is staffed by a fully integrated team of crime analysts both from the private sector and the California Department of Justice/Bureau of Investigation. These teams of analysts are assigned to the following Units: The Deconfliction Watch Center; The Analytical Unit; The Mission Support Unit; Los Angeles HIDTA Training Unit, and the Administrative Support Unit. Today, LA CLEAR stands as an all-inclusive, investigative support initiative within the Los Angeles HIDTA, organized and equipped entirely to support law enforcement customer agencies and task forces.

LA CLEAR also works proudly in partnership with the Los Angeles Joint Regional Intelligence Center which is a fusion center (JRIC) and the Inland Narcotics Clearing House (INCH) as one of three Investigative Support Centers for this region. LA CLEAR is designated as the primary HIDTA ISC for Los Angeles.