The Los Angeles Police Department says its jail at the 77th Street station in South LA can’t accept bookings for people who need a medical checkup, so those in custody who need to see a nurse or a doctor will have to be driven to Downtown or to Van Nuys — a process that can keep officers tied up for hours.
Until now, the LAPD’s three main jail centers, at 77th, the Van Nuys Division and the Metropolitan Detention Center in Downtown, were staffed 24 hours a day with medical personnel who could evaluate arrestees for non-emergency health issues.
The department instructed officers earlier this month that no medical staff would be available at the 77th Station until Jan. 4, 2027, “due to the temporary unavailability of medical personnel.”
“It is estimated that approximately 70 percent of all arrestees need medical treatment due to a variety of issues,” Capt. Silvia Sanchez told the Board of Police Commissioners last year during a discussion about proposed city budget cuts that would reduce or eliminate medical staff at some of the LAPD’s jails.
“The majority of them are homeless, suffer from mental health or substance abuse,” she said.
Multiple law enforcement officials not authorized to speak publicly told NBC4 Investigates the effects of the jail restrictions have already been felt, with some officers dispatched from West Los Angeles, Hollywood and South LA to Van Nuys — in traffic — in order to get an arrestee “cleared” for booking by medical staff.
The LAPD said in a statement Thursday that the 77th station jail is still open for officers with arrestees who do not need a medical clearance and the use of the jails in Van Nuys and Downtown is a temporary solution.
“We continue to work collaboratively with the Personnel Department to facilitate the restoration of medical services at 77th Regional Jail,” the statement said.
Nurses and doctors assigned to jails work for the city’s Personnel Department, and budget cuts over the last few years have eliminated many of their full-time positions.
More recently, the city also reduced the funding for “as needed” nurses and doctors hired to fill empty shifts, according to a February 2026 memo from the city’s Administrative Officer Matt Szabo.
The Personnel Department’s medical services director, Joanne O’Brien, told the Commission that in addition to the city’s budget cuts, the jail positions involve difficult and sometimes unpleasant work, and the city often pays less than other agencies, making recruiting difficult.
“A per-diem doctor can go over to Twin Towers, the county, and make $200 an hour, that same doctor can come to us and make 111, that’s our battle,” she said.
