The Special Investigation Section (SIS), unofficially nicknamed the "Death Squad", is the tactical detective and surveillance unit of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
A civil lawsuit ordered the detectives and then-Chief Daryl Gates to pay $44,000 to the families of the dead suspects, but the fee was ultimately paid by the city government.
[5] One shooting in 1997, when a bystander mistaken for a robber had his "entire upper leg destroyed" by a shotgun blast from an SIS detective, led to a federal civil rights lawsuit.
[7] In 2010, SIS detectives shot and killed a Los Angeles Unified School District employee who was being surveilled for connections to a series of check-cashing business robberies, after he pointed a handgun at them while surrounded.
[8][9] In 2013, Chief Charlie Beck permitted an FBI investigation into the SIS and SWAT over allegations that members of the units were illegally selling their handguns.
[3] The LAPD states this is effective at stopping "streetwise, career criminals"—as it is easier to prove wrongdoing when a crime is confirmed to have been committed as opposed to charging them with conspiracy or attempt, and intervening could potentially escalate the situation into a standoff—and argues it protects more innocents in the long term.
Most of the SIS's shootings occur while the unit is "jamming", but the LAPD states it allows the detectives to choose when and where suspects are arrested, thus minimizing the risk to bystanders.
The Cobra SIS is designed to provide high mobility, can be worn over plainclothes, and can be hung over a car seat when not in use and "quickly pulled on and snapped into place".
Within the LAPD, the SIS is viewed as "a fearsome and mysterious bunch", with officers said to spread unsubstantiated rumors that the unit conspires to kill suspects or celebrates shootouts with parties.
No similar full-time surveillance-only units are known to exist in other major police departments in the U.S.—most that did were disbanded or modified due to violence or resource use concerns—and existing police surveillance units state they would intervene to prevent surveilled suspects from committing a major crime such as robbery or burglary, even if arresting the suspect then would result in lesser charges or sentences.
[3][4] On March 10, 1980, Detective Curtis C. Hagele was part of an SIS team surveilling a known bank robber at an American Savings and Loan branch in Manhattan Beach, California.
[22][23] The SIS has been depicted in numerous fictional works, including the 2022 film Ambulance and the television series The Closer, Major Crimes, Training Day, Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer.