The Vikings were seafaring north Germanic people who raided, traded, explored, and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia, and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th centuries. The Vikings employed wooden longships with wide, shallow-draft hulls, allowing navigation in rough seas or in shallow river waters. The ships could be landed on beaches, and their light weight enabled them to be hauled over portages. These versatile ships allowed the Vikings to travel as far east as Constantinople and the Volga River in Russia, as far west as Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland, and as far south as Nekor. This period of Viking expansion, known as the Viking Age, constitutes an important element of the medieval history of Scandinavia, Great Britain, Ireland, Russia, and the rest of Europe.

The Scientific Services Bureau operates one of the largest full-service crime laboratories in the United States. A staff of 198 members provides forensic science support to all Los Angeles County law enforcement agencies, except the Los Angeles Police Department. Approximately one half of the nearly 70,000 cases submitted annually to the Crime Lab is from Sheriff's Department investigators , while the remainder is from local, state, and federal agencies. Since 1989 the Scientific Services Bureau has been an accredited laboratory through the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB).

Los Angeles County Immunization Program efforts are targeted primarily toward pediatric and adolescent immunizations , with some adult immunization activities. Although this Program serves the entire County population, many activities are specifically directed toward communities with children at high risk of under-immunization. The Immunization Program partners with other organizations to provide outreach and immunization services in pockets of need areas , which are defined as those areas with large numbers of un-immunized and under-immunized children.

Six years ago, lawyer-banker-scholar Charles Morris wrote a prophetic book - 'Two-Trillion-Dollar Meltdown: Easy Money, High-Rollers and the Great Credit Crunch' - that foresaw the 2008 Great Recession before it clobbered America and the world. Now Morris has reversed course and sees good times ahead. His forthcoming book, 'Comeback,' predicts that surging U.S. energy independence will bring a buoyant rise in American manufacturing and jobs.

The Criminal Grand Jury of Los Angeles County attends hearings brought by the District Attorney’s Office . The objective of this jury is to determine, on the basis of evidence presented by the District Attorney’s Office, whether certain persons should be charged with crimes an d required to stand trial in Superior Court. The Criminal Grand Jury is an accusatory body and not a trial jury; therefore, the burden of proof is much lower. Specifically, the Criminal Grand Jury must decide if there is a strong suspicion the individual committed the alleged crime.