LOS ANGELES — The embattled Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is under fire once gain, this time in a scathing 70-page report by a special counsel tasked with investigating secretive groups, or deputy gangs, that have operated within the agency for decades.
The report by the Civilian Oversight Commission condemned the cliques, whose members engage in “egregious misconduct” like using excessive force and threatening colleagues, as a “cancer” that must be banned immediately. It also accused the the union that represents the sheriff’s deputies of failing to stop the gangs and protecting alleged members.
The report said that although the groups may have started decades ago with “benign intentions,” they have evolved into deputy gangs “whose members not only use gang-like symbols but engage in gang-type and criminal behavior directed against the public and other Department members,” the report stated.
“They create rituals that valorize violence, such as recording all deputy-involved shootings in an official book,” the report continued, “celebrating with ‘shooting parties,’ and authorizing deputies who have shot a community member to add embellishments to their common gang tattoos.”
Sheriff Robert Luna said in a statement Friday that he was elected in November to “bring new leadership and accountability to this Department” and thanked the commission for its work but stopped short of committing to immediately ban the cliques.
“The vast majority of the Department personnel are hardworking and dedicated professionals who are committed to humbly serving the community,” Luna said. “We look forward to working with the Civilian Oversight Commission and Inspector General on this in the future.”
Luna announced last month that he was creating an Office of Constitutional Policing to eradicate deputy gangs, comply with consent decrees and ensure the department’s policies and procedures uphold the public’s constitutional rights. The office will be…
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