Los Angeles Daily News
| By Christina Villacorte
Deputies accused of rape, smuggling heroin into a lockup,
stealing money from a narcotics bust, smuggling undocumented immigrants and
even using a Los Angeles Sheriff's Department helicopter for unofficial
business.
This was just some of the misconduct investigated -- and
corroborated -- by the Office of Independent Review in a recently issued
report.
The OIR, a civilian oversight body created by the county
Board of Supervisors, is tasked with making sure the LASD's internal affairs
investigations are thorough and effective, and the recommended discipline is
fair.
The report, posted on the OIR's website, provided summaries
of administrative discipline cases resolved through Sept. 30, 2013.
Because of privacy laws, it does not list the identities of
the deputies involved or the dates of the misconduct, some of which may have
taken place a few years ago.
Assistant Sheriff Todd Rogers expressed concern about the
findings.
"When these matters are brought to our attention, we
make every effort to investigate them as promptly as possible and take the most
appropriate correction action," he said in an email Thursday. "This
can include retraining, written reprimands, suspensions, demotions, and even
discharge."
Rogers added accountability must be ensured "from the
sheriff to the most junior supervisor."
"All of us have an absolute obligation to conduct
ourselves in a manner that is above reproach and demand the same of those who
work within our chains of command," he said. "As supervisors, we must
do everything in our power to ensure that our personnel do not engage in
conduct that violates the public trust, damages the reputation of the
department, or causes irreparable harm to their careers."
Mike Gennaco, who heads the OIR, said recently enacted
reforms at the LASD do not seem to have made a significant dent in the volume
of misconduct, except when it comes to excessive use of force in the jails.
"Unfortunately, the cases are probably the same as far
as level of egregiousness," he said in an interview Thursday.
"With regard to jail cases, I know that force is going
down, at least in the downtown jails," he added. "The fact that there
are cameras make it easier to decide whether the conduct was in or out of
policy."
Among the most serious cases catalogued by the OIR:
--The District Attorney filed 11 felony counts ranging from
bribery to rape against a deputy accused of sexually assaulting a woman during
a traffic stop, in exchange for not arresting her for driving on a suspended
license, and of making similar offers to other women;
--A deputy arrested by Border Patrol was ultimately
convicted of felony alien smuggling. He resigned from the LASD while his
criminal case was still pending;
--An LASD employee pleaded guilty to felony spousal assault
and cruelty to a child after assaulting his live-in girlfriend and her
children;
--A deputy tried to bring heroin into the court lockup and
deliver it to an inmate inside a burrito;
--A deputy left her gun in a backpack in the backseat of her
private vehicle and then offered two youths a ride to their bus stop, one of
whom mistakenly took her backpack to school instead of his own;
--An LASD employee was suspended after being accused of
unauthorized use of helicopter for non-official business flights and
falsification of time records;
--A sergeant and a station clerk pleaded no contest to grand
theft after stealing money from the proceeds of narcotics investigations;
--A deputy was arrested and subsequently convicted of
kidnapping, falsely imprisoning, and assaulting his ex-girlfriend with a
firearm.
--A deputy who utilized the closed circuit monitoring system
to inappropriately view women at the court house was discharged because of
other unrelated misconduct;
--A nursing assistant with a history of performance issues
failed to provide medication to an entire module;
--About a half dozen deputies belonging to a clique -- what
the American Civil Liberties Union calls a gang -- known as the "Jump Out
Boys" were discharged. "Elements of this creed, if followed, do not
reflect the standards expected of members of the Sheriff's Department and
directly contradict our core values," the OIR said.
--A deputy alleged to have had sexual relationships with
inmates and prostitutes resigned in lieu of being discharged.
--A deputy left a male inmate and a female inmate unsecured
in an adjacent courtroom lockup area. They had sex, and the female inmate
became pregnant
