NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS A ONLY BROAD STROKES PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS. A full set of reports on Friday’s meeting and more on the Jails Commission will appear Monday.
The newsiest, most startling moments during Friday’s jail commission meeting belonged to Captain Michael Bornman, who was the first of the “witnesses” to speak at the day-long hearing. Bornman, a 32-year veteran of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, gave testimony about a period he spent working at Men’s Central Jail beginning in November of 2009.
In his testimony, which the commissioners seemed to find both riveting and disquieting, he described a string of telling incidents involving some CJ supervisors and their bosses.
Bornman’s was also the rawest testimony, given reluctantly and at a visible cost. This had much to do with the fact that, since Bornman is still actively working for the department, every revelation risked alienating colleagues and/or infuriating department executives who could conceivably do him professional harm if any of them took umbrage. The fact that Sheriff Baca reportedly okayed and even encouraged his appearance, only partially mitigated Borman’s risk. (Bornman heads up the Sheriff’s Education-Based Incarceration Bureau.)
After Bornman, the next LASD witness was Captain Pat Maxwell, the commanding officer for the Sheriff’s Department Norwalk station,and another longtime LASD veteran. His testimony was comparatively short, but it contained some startling—and assuredly controversial—elements.
Maxwell was an interesting choice since his testimony had nothing directly to do with the jails. (The operative word here is directly.) But more on Maxwell’s testimony on Monday.
Between Bornman and Maxwell, a former inmate named Gordon Grbavac testified. Grbavac is a businessman and father of four, who said he had no previous arrest record, prior to his stint in CJ, and who told a harrowing tale of getting his head slammed against a partitian by deputies, and other forms of reported abuse.
After lunch, the remaining witnesses mostly talked about solutions, not problems.
The five-person Commander Management Task Force—Commanders Joseph Fennell, Christy Guyovich, James Hellmold, Eric Parra and Paul Pietrantoni—testified in detail about what has been done in the past year to improve the jails.
And then Lt. Brian Moriguchi a 24 year veteran of the department, and also the president of the PPOA—the Professional Peace Officers Association— testified about the proposed plan that PPOA has recently put out regarding how to improve the jails. However, in the course of what was a largely technical exchange with the commission, Moriguchi managed to drop a couple of unexpected depth charges.
A custody assistant who works at the Men’s Central Jail testified for three minutes in the public comment period and then the ACLU’s Peter Eliasberg closed out the day.
Okay, that’s the short form.
Details Monday morning.
Uh-Oh. Hope the Feds weren’t present. If they were there may be indictments coming down before year end. Ouch.
It’s a sad day when a commission established to investigate alleged unnecessary and/or excessive use of force by deputies at CJ is riveted, or even amused, by folks who have manipulated their way to management ranks in spite of their checkered pasts. The reputations of these individuals scream nefarious motivations exist in offering “testimony.”
IP, color it any way you wish. Regardless of any individual motivation, everything Gonzalez, Olmsted, Bornman and Maxwell stated is 100% true. This I know for a fact. If any of it were bullshit, I would be the first to call them out.
If I were Tanaka and Cruz, along with a number of MCJ sergeants and lieutenants, I would be very, very concerned right now. Allowing “Pattern and Practice” to occur is a Federal crime. All those sergeants and lieutenants who gave their “2000 & 3000 Boys” the okie doke with out of bounds force incidents, cover-up investigations and final approval are going to find their ass in a sling. And I’m not talking a civil case where Tanaka will approve a settlement in order to make it go away. Nope, I’m talking a Federal criminal Civil Rights Violation trial. Stand-by to stand-by folks.
And as Olmsted stated to the Commission, “None of this had to happen. None of this would have happened if people (brass) only listened.”
Interested,
You think they should get somebody that’s squeaky clean to testify they had intimate knowledge of dirt? How many squeaky clean people do you think are in the know? Maxwell was Baca’s driver. He was once on the inside. He rocketed up the food chain to Captain, so he was obviously once in the good graces of Baca. Obviously now he has fallen from grace. Has some sour grapes for whatever reason.
Use him. Like the feds used Sammy Gravano and all the other snitches. As far as nefarious motivations is concerned, who gives a shit if what he testifies to is the truth? If it is the truth, and can be proven, I could give a shit less WHY he’s testifying. Maybe it’s strictly payback for real or perceived wrongs. Maybe it’s nothing more than he is in a war of egos with Tanaka or Baca.
Bottom line is this:
If what he testifies to is the verifiable truth, it doesn’t matter what the hell his “nefarious motivation” is.
Because his motivation is nefarious doesn’t make his testimony a lie.
Like in just about every RICO trial that has ever taken place, they don’t get Boy Scouts to testify. They were never on the inside to know.
I think you’re looking at it the wrong way.
Just my opinion.
Evil can only exist, if good people do nothing.
Unknown
In all the many years on the LASD there is not one person who escaped a questionable past. Whose jacket is not without blemish? Of all people who have weaseled their way to the top Baca has the worst background of any Sheriff in the history of the Department! So, what should a deputy do who has faults in his character? Let the crap continue and let the ship into the sea of morass? What good would that do? And isn’t keeping quiet with the code of silence is what brought us to this pit? Interested P: There are times in a life of service that regardless of what has happened you must step forward and tell what you know. Lastly, had Baca listened to Pat Gomez back in 2001 about jail abuses (ask yourself) would we be in this mess now? I admit that Tanaka did not create this criminal environment all by himself. There are other U/S that had their hands in the dirt. Tanaka would be stupid to take the fall by himself!! Take care
Celeste, don’t bother. I just read the LA Times recap of Friday’s testimony and I can’t imagine you have much more to report. Unless of course you are going to try to sensationalize Bornman and Maxwell’s accounts in order to spur more blog hits and comments. You would be better served in researching and writing about the career missteps in both Maxwell and Bornman’s past. Now that would be an interesting story!! Are you up to that challenge??
^^^^^Defense Of Your Client 101^^^^^^^^^^
Whenever the prosecution presents witnesses that provide damaging testimony concerning your client, if you cannot impugn their testimony attack their credibility.
Hey, it worked for OJ.
Relax Truth. These guys will never see a trial. But, perhaps Baca will not run again and Tanaka, who once was the heir to the throne will just retire into the sunset.
I’m still betting that if Baca does run for reelection he will win. The average citizen doesn’t know/give a damn about any of this.
There are three SMALL groups of people who are interested in this.
1. LASD members who want to see the current regime toppled.
2. LASD members who want the current regime stay in place.
3. Social justice do gooder ACLU types who weren’t happy with the former regime, aren’t happy with the current regime, and won’t be happy with a new regime.
lol….I wonder what Leroy’s opinion of his ACLU buddies is now.
Edit my last comment and add a fourth and fifth SMALL group of people interetsed in this.
4. Those who make money off it like the LA Times and this blog.
5. Those who can remain relevant as “Big Shots” by being on the commision.
ATQ, I agree! And I will admit that I am in Group #2. I will also admit that mistakes and lapse of judgements have been made over the years, but heck, show me one organization, private or government, that has a squeaky clean record of perfection. (Add news organizations and bloggers to that request.) Bottom line, the LASD is very large, complex, and deals with the worse that society has to offer. The LASD does a great job in policing the most diverse population on the face of the earth, and will continue to do so. Those good deeds that occur on a daily basis will rarely be cited on this site as those occurrences don’t fit this blog site’s agenda. I understand that, but hate to see the internal bickering and backstabbing being played out in the public like this, especially by those who have far worse misdeeds in their past and have nothing to complain about if they are still actively employed by the LASD. Especially those who have made the rank of lieutenant and above.
God uses the meek to humble the mighty.
Gordon Grbavac
Listen up, Answering the Question, and Don’t believe Baca – each of your points is well-taken and has merit. However, it is nauseating to see these two arrogant chameleons, repeatedly misbehave, maneuver and realign once Baca took office, benefit from it financially (promotions), then turn around and seek further glory (or vengeance) by doing the very thing they used to consistently excoriate others for doing. I don’t question the veracity of their testimony; just appalled they would again, utilizing the commission, realign and adjust with the changing political winds. One wears the FPK Pirate tattoo while the other was involved in an excessive number of deputy-involved shootings. Each has performed less competently and violated Department policy as they progressed up the ranks. The commission has no idea of their notorious backgrounds nor that each is positioning to yet again, benefit from the newest wave of political opportunity. I get that sometimes it is necessary to deal with the unsavory; but I will not exalt those who are not honorable men.
#2. Facts are facts. The CCJV is NOT looking for amusent. It’s pretty obvious the CCJV goal is to diagnose the illness which is infecting our great department. Once the cancer is located the CCJV will complete a report and submit it to the doctor. It will be the doctors (Sheriff/feds) decision on what treatment to use to rid of the cancer.
Interested,
You won’t find me exhalting them either. If you find where I did, please point it out to me and I’ll retract it.
But you also won’t find me saying or insinuating that because they have done what they’ve done, that makes their testimony untrue.
Issues in the Department need to be taken care of. I don’t care who likes or dislikes the people testifying or what they think of the CCJV. At least the issues are now out in the open. 95% of this Department works hard, has integrity, and serves the public at high performance levels. It’s a honor and privilege to be part of this department. Not an entitlement! Look at the former deputies that have been convicted of serious crimes over the last few months. Henry Marin, Rafael Zelaya, Robert McClain, Gilbert Michel, Mark Fitzpatrick. How about those facing future court dates at this time for crimes? This is embarrassing. It’s time to tighten up the hiring process and stop trying to clean up and cover for individuals who have no business working for this department. For the 5% of those complicit in violating the core values, grossly negligent and incompetent in their duties, let the house cleaning begin. Thank You to those who are helping turn this department around. It is appreciated.
Answering the question, I wouldn’t put too much money on betting Baca will win. Not only has he sufferred a terribly long bout of bad PR, voter fatigue has already set in. He will be bounced even if Mickey Mouse were to run against him.
All you have to do is look at what happened to his buddy, Carmen Trutanich. Incumbent city attorney, all the endorsements and three times the money of his rivals COMBINED, and he got dumped by the voters like yesterday’s trash.
Baca will suffer the same fate. Voters are fed up with corruption, and they did not suffer Block a fifth term for the exact same reason they won’t suffer Baca.
time to clean house, you sound like someone who is in band 2 really wanting to get the nod. You obviously haven’t been on long enough to realize any large organization has its misfits. arco narco, temple station, lynwood, ela captains at carson and then you have enron in the private sector.
this is another black eye, not the last one, so don’t try to sound and act like you wear a cape and sit in the cheerleader section. Ass kissers don’t lead or follow, rather they stand on the fence and root for the section that makes them look good.
And answering the truth. You forgot one more group. The one’s who are retired, sit back and laugh at all this, and realize I don’t have to be at work tomm.
I do though pity those that do, cuz if you have the courage to move up the ladder and don’t want to stay a deputy, pray you are one of the protected groups. Just look at the LAFD website. They are testing in the fall and you can fill out an interest e-mail card. the required info is name e-mail and most important to the city race and gender. what a surprise, can’t wait to see how many e-mails i get under an assumed caucasian name and the one’s with all the rest. should be very predictable. Kind of like our new recruiting campaign for new deputies.
Wow! FTF your tirade makes you sound like an angry,racist thug. Exactly why the department is in the mess it’s in. How many force packets did you leave incompleted?
Incomplete
FTF, I got the nod along time ago. I been around long enough to see first hand the damage caused by being complacent. The case of former deputies Dan Garner, Robert Sobel and the other five deputies that went to prison with them, hit the department my first few years with the dept. It disappointing that 20 plus years later we are still dealing with the same old issues. Yes, misfits are part of every large organization, but most are smart enough rid themselves of these cancers. Enron didn’t and where are they today? Like it or not the botton line is our organization and its employees are held to a higher bar.
No Mercy,
“you sound like an angry,racist thug. Exactly why the department is in the mess it’s in.”
Care to explain that to us?
Comment #18 I believe it was has been edited.
No Mercy.
I’m referring to your comment # 19.
I’m wondering how you justify stating that racism is the reason the LASD is a mess.
I’m intrigued as there may be things going on that most of us are unaware of.
If you have knowledge of systematic racism on the LASD, please let us know.
Systemic racism is alive and well in the LASD, just ask retired chief Ronnie Williams. During his reign of terror in FOR II, only blacks were “groomed” for advancement. Now take a look at Cecil Rhambo, Jacques La Berge, Kevin Goran, and their many followers. They will continue the Ronnie tradition. White and Hispanic employees will never enjoy the benefits of that exclusive club where they “celebrate their own.” Is this a reason LASD is a mess? Hardly, just more incompetence of a different nature, mixed in with unethical characters advancing their own interests over those of the organization.
Time to clean house in 2014 – that includes you Cecil!
NO MERCY FOR TYRANTS, YOU MEANT FORCE PACKETS IMCOMPLETE, NOT INCOMPLETED. THIS IS WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE DEPARTMENT. DO THEY EVEN TEST FOR BASIC ENGLISH GRAMMER ANYMORE?
AND YES, I AGREE WITH ANSWERING THE QUESTION. IF THINGS AREN’T IN NO MERCY’S FAVOR WHAT’S THE NEXT BEST OUT? RACIST! YEH THAT’S IT. KIND OF LIKE HOLDING AN ACE IN THE HOLE WHEN YOU HAVE NO OTHER EXCUSE FOR YOUR FAILURES.
@LATBG:”White and Hispanic employees will never enjoy the benefits of that exclusive club where they “celebrate their own.”
If you really believe that,you are a part of the problem. Take your blinders off and get a grip, geez.
Guyovich….Hmmmm, where have I heard that name before. Let’s see, Background’s Lieutenant….rolled-up the most senior and experienced Background’s supervisors because they were rejecting large numbers of unqualified candidates yet she hired them anyways…..not sharing the Sheriff’s dream of hiring 2000 deputies in two years against all recommendations…..no, that doesn’t ring a bell. Hmmmmmm, was given a cake with candles when 2000 deputies were in fact hired, and on the cake were “captain bars.”……. Nope, don’t remember that…….”Personal” connection to Tanaka,,,,nah, just a coincidence…..let’s see, we have fired more deputies with less than five years on the job for serious criminal misconduct than ever before (why do folks keep asking how these gang members and dope dealers got past backgrounds….nah, that doesn’t sound right)……nope, that doesn’t ring a bell…….a captain long enough to drink half a cup of coffee and promoted to Commander…..now on some kind of Custody Division task force………nope, just can’t place the name…..Guyovich essentially calls Bornman and Maxwell liars……what……oh, they need to be cross-examined……..Guyovich……man, I just can’t place that name. Oh, I’m sure it will come to me, if not others first……
ATQ, don’t play stupid. You know exactly what I’m referring to. No need to read into it. Must have struck a nerve? My reference to the state of the department wasn’t exclusive to racism. FTF has issues. That’s why his post was edited.
It’s been said before, but it is worth saying again. There was a 99% white department at one time under Sherman Block.
That didn’t work out well. Blacks and hispanics couldn’t get hired or promoted. If they did get hired they were stuck in Youth Athletic League and other community relations positions. There were no executives of color or women executives.
Women couldn’t get hired or promoted. They were thought of as too weak to work patrol.
They were put in desk jobs and told they would get killed working a patrol assignment. Women were refused promotions. A federal judge had to take over the promotional process because Block and his handpicked white department wouldn’t give women promotions.
You talk about needing to be in the car to get a coveted position these days. Try getting to a coveted position under Block if you weren’t male and white. It didn’t matter whose car you were in, or what campaign you contributed to, you were going no where fast.
And guess what, even with all these handpicked white guys running the department, corruption was far more rampant than today. The biggest arrest of department personnel in the history of the department took place during the arco narco corruption operations. Deputies were stealing, calling in false calls to stations and shooting pregnant women. The use of force was out of control. People were getting beat on a daily basis.
There was far more jail and patrol force then. Booking front at IRC was called beating front back then. No reports were even filled out for use of force. They merely made a note in a book that a prisoner was put in a cell.
Look into the history of department a little before making comments about the current corruption and favoritism. It pales to what went on during the Block era.
If Witness LA didn’t have an agenda against Baca, they would quit cutting and pasting L.A. Times articles and do some actual investigating. Start by posting the amount of force used during the Block era and compare it to the Baca era. Maybe even go back further and post the stats from the Pitchess era. These are all public records and easily accessible for someone with no agenda.
.Balance, the comparison of the Block administration to the current is moot. The CCJV will determine the issues because the department leaders have failed to recognize them and have turned a deaf ear to those that have. The list will be long but the most notable will be the systemic failure of the chain of command.
Guyovich isn’t the only one making comments about Friday’s testimony. Cruz has awakened from his slumber and talked to the Times. I sure the commision would love to hear your rebuttal Dan. You could bring all the rest of your cast of characters that have helped destroy this department.
No Mercy,
No nerves struck here. Sorry.
Playing stupid?
Let me re-phrase the question so there’s no confusion as to what you referenced and what I’m asking.
EXACTLY what demographic do believe suffers from systematic racism in the LASD?
Should have proofed. Insert “you” before believe.
EXACTLY what demographic do you believe suffers from systematic racism in the LASD?
Hurry hurry hurry, step right up. Answer the question correctly and win the big prize. Who’s family member got the contract to install cameras in Century station’s area?
A/S Rhambo?
“Balance please”…better do your homework. Two female African American Division Chiefs under the Block administration. Helena Ashby and Rachel Burgess. In fact Ashby was the first female ever to be promoted to Chief.
You should ask FTF
Joe Friday you stink go back to your blog.
No, u.s. Marshall. Dan and Paul are the real stinkers. Maybe the Feds could someday arrange housing accommodations for them.
ATQ, you are making this too easy. You are aware of the lawsuits against the department by Ray Leyva, Joaquin Herran, and Ralph Webb. I don’t think they sued because of the wholesome, equal opportunity environment they enjoyed after all those years of hard work.
It’s human nature for those in power to want to take care of their own, Baca being the peculiar exception. Since there are no standards to promote to captain or commander and above, what do you think the reasons are the brass bare little resemblance to the worker bees?
Let me help you out here. You have rampant cronyism mixed in with some creative window dressing. There, do you feel better now? Now go read the Year in Review and read the demographics yourself.
Baca is racist against hispanics? Wow. Quite an angle.
Now we can wait for more posts from Balance Please like the #31.
FTF,
No, they don’t test for “grammer” any more. Had they done so, you would have been told that GRAMMAR is the correct spelling.
^^^Now that’s funny!!!!!
EDITOR’S NOTE:
A couple of these threads have devolved to the point that I find myself deleting more comments than I’d like.
So, here, again, are some guidelines:
If you behave like the abusive drunk jerk at the party shouting random insults at the party guests or the host (Top of the Mountain) your comments go straight to the trash.
If you repeatedly post 4 comments for everybody else’s 1 (Further to Follow), I’ve now started deleting without reading.
If you engage in commentary that is little more than vile, opinion-based character assassination (in the commentary world we call that ad hominem attacks. Look it up.) against the witnesses at the commission hearing OR against members of the commander task force OR against people whom you fantasize are WLA’s sources OR against anybody on any side of he fence who happens to say something you don’t like, I’m not letting those puppies through. (I’ve let too many of those kinds of comments through already.)
Most people here are decent and respectful in their arguments, whether you agree with the work we’re doing at WLA or believe we’ve got it wrong. But anonymity can bring out the worst in people. Respectful disagreement is healthy for all concerned. Abuse is not.
Please know that the comments section is here as a service to you. I enjoy it and I believe whole-heartedly in the value of public dialogue. Plus there’ve been some tips offered and points made on many of these threads that are extremely valuable and informative. (And trust me, others are taking note.) However, monitoring the comments is time consuming on a good day. On a bad day, it takes too much time and energy away from reporting, writing and the running of this site.
Thus when the mud is outweighing the thoughtful points and opinion, I become sorely tempted to shut down the comments altogether—or at the very least turn them of for a period until the balance can right itself.
Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
Celeste