DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE L.A. SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT

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Yet again, Los Angeles County has reached a crisis point with its sheriff and the Sheriff’s Department (LASD).

The most recent spate of deputy gang violence has thrown a spotlight on the crisis of gangs within LASD with a pattern of harassing grieving families, fabricating evidence, and murdering community members that has gone unchecked for decades. Deputy gangs and other forms of deputy violence have persisted because one sheriff’s administration after the next has failed to enact and enforce policies that provide meaningful and consistent discipline when deputies harass, abuse, and kill. Among them, Sheriff Baca oversaw rampant and extreme violence in the jails—much of it perpetuated by deputy gangs—and now sits in federal prison for obstructing civil rights intervention; current Sheriff Villanueva has gone from denying the existence of deputy gangs to claiming that they are harmless fraternities, all the while defying subpoenas and violating laws on transparency and oversight.

In fact, Sheriff Villanueva’s disinterest in stemming deputy violence, including deputy gangs, is the most recent illustration of how existing County structures are insufficient to guard against sheriffs who are hostile to civilian oversight, transparency, and accountability.

Over the past few years, the Check the Sheriff coalition, led by Impacted families on the front lines, have been working to end the violence, corruption, and ongoing misconduct of LASD deputies and highlight the devastating impact of deputy gangs in Black and Brown communities.

The Check the Sheriff coalition is demanding the L.A. County Board of Supervisors bring about an L.A. County Charter amendment for sheriff accountability and common sense checks and balances. See Check the Sheriff’s sign-on letter here: https://www.checkthesheriff.com/demandletter

Join us in demanding more accountability and oversight of the sheriff and LASD: https://checkthesheriff.com/action