Meet Chief Thomas M. Laing CSI Council Member

Chief Thomas M. Laing, is  32-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, has oversight of the Department’s Field Operations Region III. He and his staff are responsible for seven Sheriff’s Stations that serve 15 contract cities and a very diverse unincorporated county area.
 
Chief Laing’s career with the Sheriff’s Department began in 1978 when he attended the Department’s Training Academy. After graduating as a Deputy Sheriff in 1979, his initial assignments included Men’s Central Jail, Transportation Bureau and Norwalk Station, where his assignments included serving as a Field Training officer. In 1987, he was promoted to Sergeant and served at Lakewood Station with assignments in Patrol and Detective Bureau, Administrative Division Headquarters and Professional Standards and Training Division Headquarters. Upon being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 1994, he worked assignments at Inmate Reception Center, Norwalk Station, Walnut Station and Risk Management Bureau’s Civil Litigation Unit. In 1999, he was promoted to the rank of Captain and served as the Unit Commander for the Bureau of Compliance, Inmate Reception Center and East Los Angeles Station. In 2005, he was promoted to Commander and assigned to the Office of the Undersheriff until 2007, when he became the Executive Assistant to Sheriff Lee Baca until his promotion to Chief in January 2010.
 
Chief Laing holds an Associate of Arts Degree in Administration of Justice and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. He serves on the Board of Trustees for the Sheriff’s Relief Association, a non-profit benevolent organization, and in his spare time enjoys attending sporting events, water sports, dancing, golf, volunteering at his church, and spending time with his family.
 
Chief Laing resides in the Inland Valley with his wife, Janice. They have two adult children: Marissa, a high school dance teacher, and Gerad, a Deputy Sheriff with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.