The Ties That Bind: Relationships Between Law Enforcement and the Department of Children and Family Services in Los Angeles County

This report was written by Leah Zeidler-Ordaz (with contributions from Jess Johnson) and published by the UCLA School of Law Criminal Justice Program.

The Ties That Bind explores how laws at all levels of governance encourage collaboration between local law enforcement agencies and Los Angeles County’s family policing agency, the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

Federal, state, and local laws create information-sharing schemes that enable law enforcement and DCFS to collect and share vast amounts of data, which can lead to separation of families and criminalization. These partnerships may subject Black and Indigenous families to higher rates of contact with DCFS and the criminal legal system. Furthermore, families involved with both agencies may have more harmful and longer-term system involvement than families that are only involved with DCFS.

The report draws from narratives from individuals who are impacted by the family policing system, data regarding cases referred to both DCFS and law enforcement, and an analysis of federal, state and local laws.