The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Junior Police Academy Magnet Schools and 2-year College Program was developed in 1989, with the support of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), with the focus on developing high school students for careers with LAPD. Over the years, LAPD realized it needed to reach students much earlier, and they affiliated with a number of middle school programs.


Historically, LAPD assigns a full-time paid police officer to serve as the coordinator of the program. Beginning August 18, 2015, LASPD became involved in the program deploying full-time paid police officers, to serve as career instructors as well as coordinate their respective school program, development, and enrichment of students.


Since this program evolved it has become affiliated with the California Partnership Academy (CPA) program, and also receives financial grants from the California Department of Education. In 2009, LAPD expanded the program to incorporate a community college component. Thus, this was the birth of the POPP program, which stands for Police Orientation Preparation Program, which can funnel graduating high school students from their respective magnet school programs into a 2-year college degree program.


This program is affiliated with West Los Angeles Community College and students can earn an Associate of Arts Degree (AA) in Administration of Justice working through the LAPD Ahmanson Recruit and In-Service Training Center. West Los Angeles Community College has assigned an on-site Administration of Justice degree program coordinator to the academy, who oversees the delivery of the college curriculum for the POPP program.