J. Michael Bland

• Rank: Captain I
• Division: West Valley Division
• Email: 35922@lapd.online

Bio

Captain Mike Bland (Mike) was born in Montebello, California, in 1977, and was raised in the Monterey Park and Alhambra communities. His family later moved to Moreno Valley, where Mike attended and subsequently graduated from Valley View High School. Following high school, Mike attended the University of California, Los Angeles, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (Class of 2000). Mike continued his education and earned the degree of Master of Public Administration, in 2007, from the California State University, Long Beach.

In 2001, Mike began his policing career with Los Angeles Police Department. He was first assigned as a patrol officer to Southwest Area, and a year later, transferred to Newton Area. At Newton Area, Mike performed patrol-related duties, and was later assigned to specialized duties as a member of the Bicycle and Special Problems units. In 2006, he was promoted to Police Officer-III as a Police Academy Instructor, where he guided and mentored newly hired personnel. In 2007, he was promoted to the Detective rank and investigated a variety of crimes, to include vehicle theft, burglary, robbery, and those crimes with a nexus to criminal street gangs, at the following Area commands: West Los Angeles, Olympic, and Southeast. Also, as a detective, he investigated crimes involving local businesses as a member of the Commission Investigation Division.

In 2012, Mike was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and assigned to 77th Area, where he performed the duties of a patrol supervisor, and was later selected to supervise the 77th Area Vice Unit. While assigned to 77th, he assumed the role of Detective Supervisor (in 2013) and guided investigators as part of the Juvenile Detective and Autos Detective sections. In 2014, he was assigned to Northeast Area, and achieved the rank of Detective-III, where he provided oversight to the Burglary Detective Section.

In 2015, Mike joined the Strategic Planning Unit and participated in the development and implementation of the Department’s first strategic plan, LAPD in 2020. In 2016, as a member of Community Policing and Policy Group, Mike was assigned as the Officer-in-Charge of the Youth Programs Unit, where he managed the day-to-day operations of Department-sponsored youth programs, most notably, the Cadet Leadership Program. Through his work with the City’s youth, he learned that “kindness is not weakness,” which is a perspective that guides his daily actions.

In 2019, Mike was promoted to Lieutenant and served as a patrol watch commander assigned to Southwest Area. In 2020, he was selected to support the establishment of the Community Safety Partnership Bureau and maintained a leadership role in advancing the Community Safety Partnership’s relationship-based policing model, which has proven effective in building public trust and reducing crime.

In September of 2023, Mike was promoted to Captain and assigned to West Valley, where he currently serves as the Patrol Commanding Officer. Mike resides with his wife of 14 years, along with their 13-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son.