Alex Villanueva

Getting Body Cams ASAP, Getting ICE Out of Jails—and Other Campaign Promises Made by New LA County Sheriff Villanueva

Alex Villanueva campaigning
Celeste Fremon
Written by Celeste Fremon

“If I’m elected, on day one, we’re going to set an entirely new course for the organization,” Alex Villanueva told WitnessLA in an interview way back in July 2017, before the primary election for Los Angeles County Sheriff began to heat up.

“It’s going to be one that is built on public service, not self-service. The decisions we make are going to be driven by facts, not by agendas. That’s what this department needs.”

So what has new Sheriff Villanueva been doing about keeping that and other campaign promises since he was sworn in on December 3.

Quite a lot, as it turns out. And, although some of his moves have been controversial, other steps—like his meeting with members of the Civilian Oversight Commission last week about pushing ahead almost immediately to get much-delayed body cams for deputies— are heartening.


Bring on the body cams

Not all of the checklist of reforms that Villanueva talked about during his campaign equally appealing to the broad range of voters who put the new sheriff into office.

But one reform that is likely to please the department’s rank and file, and their union, the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS) which backed him with substantial cash, while also pleasing the members of the 36 or more progressive voter clubs that endorsed Villanueva, was the guarantee to break through the perplexing barriers—both fiscal and bureaucratic—that have somehow kept the LASD from acquiring body cameras.

It didn’t seem to matter that most every other major law enforcement agency in the nation—including the Los Angeles Police Department—has managed to get the things.

Last week, however,  the new sheriff met with a cluster of representatives of the department’s Civilian Oversight Commission (COC) and told them that he wanted to move ahead quickly with the much stalled body cams, and was aiming for aiming for the first quarter of 2019—instead of the three or so years that McDonnell was predicting.

Moreover, said Villanueva, he believed he could do the program for many millions less that the original $84 million, which department sources suggested had been “inflated.”

(If you’ll remember, when we last checked in on the body cam issue in August of this year, then Sheriff McDonnell and the board of supervisors were still dithering over whether to implement an October 2017 report from the County CEO and the sheriff which priced getting the body cams for the LASD at $84 million, with the hiring of 304 people, and a jaw-dropping four-year-long phase in—even though the department had already done an extensive and very successful model program at four LASD stations—Carson, Century, Lancaster, and Temple. The program tested four brands and five models of body-cam systems, deploying a total of 96 cameras, from September 2014 to April 2015, and it was a rousing and informative success.

Yet, Sheriff Villanueva says he can break through all of the roadblocks before the first quarter is out.

Of course, getting the cameras will require the approval of the supervisors, who must allocate the necessary money. But if his budget is as lean as dollar amount he quoted to the COC representatives, we presume approval will not be too difficult a hurdle to clear.


ICE out of jails

During his campaign Villanueva told WitnessLA, and such supporters as the Chicano Latino Caucus, which bills itself as the largest Latino Democratic party organization in the nation, that he planned to keep ICE representatives out of the county’s jails.

“There’s so much inaccuracy going around about immigration policy,” Villanueva said at that time. “For instance, people don’t know that SB 54 [known officially as the Values Act] allows for the transfer of dangerous felons to ICE custody, which it does.”

But, while he will follow the law, and transfer inmates to ICE whose convictions qualify, he said, he will remove ICE agents from “all jail facilities,” he said.

On Tuesday, December 18, the sheriff appeared at the LA County Board of Supervisors meeting and reiterated his stands on immigration issues.

“We’re going to physically remove ICE from the county jails,” he told the supervisors and those in the audience.

Neither Lee Baca, nor Jim McDonnell took that step. Under McDonnell, the names and fingerprints of people booked into the county’s jails, plus lists of inmates who were coming up for release, were sent automatically to ICE.

The new LASD will do neither, according to Assistant Sheriff Robert Olmsted, and Commander Elie Morejon, the two members of Villanueva’s command staff who stayed behind after the sheriff left to fill in the details.

Morejon and Olmsted noted that since inmates’ release dates are posted publicly in the Inmate Information section of the LASD’s website, for the use of friends and family who need the information, nothing prevents ICE from finding that same information, and scooping up inmates the minute they step off county property. Consequently, Morejon said, the department was going to “re-valuate” that element of the website to see if its usefulness still outweighs potential harm it could produce for undocumented inmates.

Villanueva and company also plan to reevaluate the 150 misdemeanor charges that are presently on the list for automatic transfers to ICE, and “minimize [the list] to only the most serious misdemeanor charges.”


Constitutional policing—and Constitutional advisors

In November of this year, just before the final vote count arrived, Villanueva announced his intention of getting rid of the two Constitutional Policing Advisors, Diana Teran, and Sergio Perez, who had been hired by Sheriff Jim McDonnell.

In an interview with Frank Stoltze for LAist, the soon to be new sheriff declared the attorney/advisors “a dog and pony show,” that focused too much “on misconduct of deputies,” while ignoring misconduct by command staff, and “systemic issues” including “racial profiling.

“You had a lot of issues of deputies involved in criminal misconduct that was concealed for a long time.”

Villanueva said he planned instead to launch a “truth and reconciliation commission” that would review potential wrongful convictions and possible wrongful terminations of deputies.”

The deputies’ union expressed delight at the new sheriff’s intent to dump the civilian Constitutional advisors.  But reform advocates, like Peter Eliasberg, of the Southern California ACLU, and a long list of others, were alarmed.

Now, however, Sheriff Villanueva has reportedly retooled his position, and says he will hire Constitutional policing advisors of his own, in addition to the truth and reconciliation commission.


Brass and other accessories

Another early move the new sheriff made, that he seems to have retooled slightly afterward, occurred on Tuesday, December 4, the day after his swearing in.  Villanueva spent his first day on the job leading what he would describe in a follow-up email as “a unique training day that involved the entire brass of the Department, from the rank of lieutenant and above.”

At this “training,” Villanueva showed a video by legendary football coach, Lou Holtz, in which Holtz delivers his three rules for reaching “your true potential.”  For the record, they are:

        1. Do the right thing.
        2. Do everything to the best of your ability.
        3. Show other people you care.

      ….Or words to that general effect. (Holtz has several versions of his three rules.)

      The video, which gave undeniably good advice, did not surprise anyone. But when the new sheriff asked every one of the supervisors gathered to take off the rank insignia on their collars, a great many of the brass were startled, especially when the take-off-your-brass command was accompanied by the announcement that each person should fill out resume forms for evaluation, to see if they would remain in their jobs.

      The startled lieutenants, captains, chiefs, et al, were eventually given permission to put the insignia back on a few days later.

      For some, however, uncomfortable feelings remained.

      Still, another look at our July 2017 interview with Villanueva points to at least some of what the new sheriff hoped to accomplish on December 4, even if some of his actions at his first official meeting with the department’s supervisors were jarring.

      In the interview, and in many of his subsequent campaign speeches, Villanueva announced his intention to eliminate the people he perceived as bad apples left over from the toxic culture of the Lee Baca/Paul Tanaka years.

    1. He was, of course, referring to the former longtime sheriff, and his notorious undersheriff, both of whom have been convicted in federal trials and sentenced to three and five years respectively in federal prison.  (Baca is still appealing his conviction.)

      “The very same people that Tanaka identified, groomed, cultivated and basically pulled up through the ranks because of their willingness to look the other way, to accept cronyism and corruption as the status quo,” Villanueva told WLA in 2017, “those people are still in place today in critical executive positions throughout the organization. Those are the very same people who have basically convinced McDonnell that there’s no problem.”

    2. But they are a problem, he said.  “They are a major impediment to reform.”  So, if elected, he would get them out. Villanueva also told WLA that he intended to “recruit the people within the organization that I know are dedicated, educated, extremely bright, and experienced.” This seemed, in part, what he was reaching for with his “training exercise.”

      Most department members, working and retired, agree with the general principles, said a source close to the LASD of that first meeting. “But we want to see fairness.  If he starts being vindictive against the people who did him wrong, we’re going to start to worry.”  Vindictiveness, said the source, would point to the bad old days, rather than forward.


    3. Cards face up

      Justice advocates and other interest parties outside the department have also been juggling worries and hope for the new administration.

      Some of the hopes for the goals of the new sheriff  were expressed when, on December 4, LA County Inspector General Max Huntsman, sent a hand-delivered letter to the new sheriff (which WLA obtained):

      “At your swearing-in ceremony, I was pleased to hear your emphasis on transparency and community policing,” Huntsman wrote. “I agree that the best way to form policy is by engaging the community and the deputies together to see what will benefit both.

      “The status quo has given us a discipline system that often fails due to understaffing, a lack of transparency that leads to distrust between the public and deputies, and a paralysis that has led to 50 years of growing influence by secret societies.

      “It’s time for secrecy to be put it behind us for the good of the police and the policed. Upcoming legal changes will make that a reality and I look forward to working with you and the civilian oversight commission to make the transition a smooth one.”

      About a week later, at a public meeting having to do with probation reform, Huntsman again brought up the benefits of transparency, and cooperative interaction with the communities.

      “Sheriff McDonell made a whole lot of changes in policy and they didn’t tell us. The previous sheriff,” he said, referring to Baca, “was unwilling to share any policy changes in advance.”

      According to Huntsman, this close-to-the-vest attitude repeatedly got in the way of real cooperative problem-solving.

      He hoped, he said, that with the new sheriff, things would be different.

      “I personally believe,” Huntsman concluded, “that, in a democracy, playing with your cards face up” is the best thing to do.

      We do too.  Since transparency is another of Sheriff Villanueva’s main campaign promises, it will be important to see what that looks like in practice.

73 Comments

  • Changes to all that bipartisan non-sense and training officer’s are still sleeping with their female trainee’s, probationary LA deputies will still rape female inmates, “Tanaka Boys” are still spread rampant, ela station is the jr version of the Mexican Mafia…And Celeste will not cover the real.

  • Hey Jefe, when can we roll up our sleeves and cho our ink again. These Mc D long sleeves are hot. Viva our new Jefe Alejandro!!!!!!!

  • Celeste, this blog is getting out of control with the nonsensical posts completely unrelated to the topic. Please remove or deny these posts once screened.

    As always, thank you for the oversight and the fair edits.

  • There are more Tanaka executives and station tattooed executives than ever before. Not to mention several new chiefs never worked the required 2 years of patrol as Alex said he would require. Maybe it doesn’t matter but Alex is making himself out to be a liar. What’s next? Will he start yelling Fake News??

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    “I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better.” —Georg C. Lichtenberg

  • C: Why does Huntsman need to know in advance? Could you update your article? Is it a law or agreement?

    Worry about vengeance? What a bold face LIE! This was a cruel joke played on anyone with common sense. Baca wasn’t vindictive? Stonich wasn’t vindictive? Waldie wasn’t vindictive? Tanaka wasn’t vindictive and worst of all McD wasn’t vindictive? What BS!! Whoever you spoke with was worried about himself and that his welfare promotion train has come to a stop! BTW: Pitchess and Block were also vindictive! Part of the human condition.

    This commission, enacted by the sheriff, to look at past and current cases of vengeance against deputies, reads similarly to what Bishop Tutu and PM Nelson Mandela began in South Africa. I studied this commission by Mandela when I was in school. Of course the goals are different. I have not read any facts or rules concerning how this commission will conduct business. It will be certainly a very different way of handling hard to decide cases.

    Under Baca and McD the punishment structure was aimed like prosecutors, in court against the deputies. Do whatever it takes to inflict as much punishment as possible and get a conviction. This structure is falsely named Discipline. May I add had the deputies acted with self discipline they would not be in trouble and no need for punishment. Discipline was derived from the word disciple and means faithful follower. I still don’t believe that a gang tat makes you a disciple to your Oath of Office.

    This commission by Huntsman is nothing more that a power grab to take control of LASD the same way that special interest groups that currently control LAPD. There’s one HUGE difference that we all need to keep in mind. Sheriff AV was personally selected and voted on by the voters of LA County, where the Chief of LAPD is a total political appointment. Don’t believe me? Go to the next Police Commission meeting and see who runs LAPD! It’s not the chief!

    Last, it was a great move for Sheriff AV to invoke Lou Holtz. Holtz was a great motivator and leader. May I suggest that people read Wooden On Leadership and this may give one a jump on where Sheriff AV is going.

  • The best of intentions by Sheriff Villanueva doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to happeen but it it good to hear them. I do agree with Huntsman who unabashedly keys in on transparency, not so much a power grab previously mentioned as the needs of Los Angeles County is tantamount to any agency that polices it.

  • Careful now burrito #1. Trump may be sending all you anchor babies packing pretty soon.. La Raza that……..

  • Bandwagon seriously gotta laugh at the biggest loser in the lasd. He finally found acceptance after getting a gun and a badge and then getting off of training in east la. He is that loser that needed to be apart of something to avoid killing him self. Its seriously pathetic and hilarious.

  • Editor’s note:

    Dear Adam 12, thank you so much to alerting me to those who were slamming people by name. It’s a great help. And please continue to send up a flag if you notice similar comments. As for off topic nonsense, I recommend ignoring it. I don’t monitor the comments to that degree, as it would be enormously time consuming. So, I count on commenters to behave like adults unless they are doing harm to others, as in the case[s] you pointed out, in which case I will step in. Thanks again.

    Dear “Um,” IG Max Huntsman has no legal control over the sheriff, as he is the first to point out. His position was created and he was appointed by the LA County Board of Supervisors. The Civilian Oversight Commission was not created by Huntsman, but by the board, and includes a former LASD lieutenant, and a wide variety of others. Thus far, according to what I’ve heard and observed, interaction between Sheriff Villanueva, and his command staff, with the IG and the COC, has been genuinely productive. But new relationships take a while to establish. Yet I am hopeful.

    PS: The quotes from Huntsman were from a public meeting last week having to do with the panel [PRIT} tasked with the creation of a new Probation Oversight Commission. The IG was there as a subject matter expert, to answer questions, and to describe his own experience with the oversight function. His comments about Baca and McDonnell, and his hopes for the new sheriff, were made in that context.

    C.

  • C: Thank you. Like many of us we are concerned over the corruption and total lies from the past three sheriffs; Baca, Scott and McD. Scott was not elected and so the BOS has every right to check on their employee. But, not the elected sheriff. Yes, the sheriff should work with those to improve LASD. But, the sheriff must be the sheriff and not a political hack for any one group. If any elected sheriff is not up to the task then we vote him/her out. BTW: Is anyone looking over the shoulder of any members of the BOS?

    Yes, the commission has a retired Lt. I’m sorry but I know the man quite well and is totally unsuited for the job. Perhaps the new sheriff can appoint someone else as Knabe IS NOT THERE ANYMORE!!

    Their goal was transparency? Once again, was Baca transparent? Was Stonich transparent? Was Waldie transparent? was Tanaka transparent? And the worst one was McD. Yes, I know the commission didn’t come into being until 2016. Well, is it working? How does the BOS determine if this commission is doing their work? What benchmarks were set and have they been met? After two years we should know, shouldn’t we?

    Last, is there a pull date on this commission? Even the consent decrees have time limits.

  • Thanks PPOA (DROP CARDS)!!!!!!

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    Thank you
    Adam G.

  • Personally, I think the “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” is so far, the most exciting thing Sheriff V. has proposed with his new agenda for LASD. Unless you have personally been subjected to an egregious, malicious and disgusting lie about your character, you have absolutely no concept of the personal harm it does to one’s career; I do. Unless you have been subjected to discipline that is based on either a faulty Internal Affairs investigation (IAB/ICIB or Unit Level) or discipline that was completely unwarranted (fortunately, I have not), then you cannot appreciate how important and how bold the Sheriff’s proposal really is.

    All IAB cases that are being forwarded to “Case Review” (Two Assistant Sheriffs and the Undersheriff) for consideration of “Significant Discipline” which consists of either Demotion (that includes Bonus positions), 16-30 Day Suspension or Termination, has been reviewed and forwarded to Case Review via Internal Affairs Bureau by the former administration. The imposition of discipline moving forward is up to our current Sheriff and his Executive Command Staff. I have no doubt they will impose discipline in a fair and equitable manner. However, the question remains, what to do about the pending cases moving to the Civil Service Commission or even Superior Court (last stop for an appeal) that has been imposed by the previous Sheriff as well as cases that have already been imposed.

    If I were asked, I would advise the Sheriff to proceed down the following path. Instruct the Sheriff’s Department’s “Advocate Unit” (For lack of a better term, the DA for the Sheriff’s Department in that they represent the Department in Civil Service hearings) to petition the Civil Service Commission to pause all pending cases on the scheduled docket AND cases filed with the Civil Service Commission on behalf of the LASD employee to allow for an Executive Review of those cases. The cases that are obviously appropriate for the discipline “imposed” (unquestionable cases of founded misconduct such as drug usage, theft, criminal convictions, etc) the Advocate can petition for the Civil Service Commission to proceed with the scheduled hearing with the already imposed discipline.

    The non-obvious cases of discipline should be petitioned to “suspend” their Civil Service Commission hearing dates so they may be re-examined by Executive Review to ensure the discipline imposed, is appropriate. Appeals to the Civil Service Commission will generally fall under two categories, 1. Faulty investigation or 2. Excessive discipline. Of particular concern is if the employee is alleging a “Faulty Investigation.” In these cases, the onus is on the employee to establish “why” the investigation is “faulty.” Was there a bias by the employee’s Command Staff? Was there a bias by the IAB Detective? Were witnesses not properly interviewed? Were there witnesses who were not interviewed that should have been. If those or similar allegations have been made in the Civil Service petition, then those cases must be returned to LASD and re-opened for the sake of fairness. Who conducts the follow-up investigation to answer these questions is for the Sheriff to decide. He can direct a “third party” to investigate or, return the case to IAB for a follow-up investigation. It simply depends on his comfort level with IAB/ICIB as it stands today. If the case submitted was considered to be “faulty” then, it is imperative to determine why. Did the IAB/ICIB Detective receive “direction” to exclude exculpatory information or was exculpatory information disregarded out of incompetence. Either scenario is unacceptable and that in itself, should be investigated by a third party.

    Secondary, was the discipline imposed appropriate for the Founded allegation? This is a no-brainer. Since I am retired, I am not privy to what the previous “Constitutional” attorney was recommending for imposition of discipline. But if their recommendation was excessive and went beyond the “What is it worth” doctrine, then the Sheriff has the option to direct the Advocate Unit to pull the case in question from the Civil Service docket and enter into a Settlement Agreement with the employee. This is the most expeditious way to properly “settle” a case. If the employee was terminated, yet the case was truly worth a twenty day suspension, then the latter is what should be imposed and that can be settled, and bring the employee back to work. The “right thing to do” is to make that employee whole, provide back pay to that employee without question.

    There are many more positions to be discussed regarding this endeavor, but it is an exciting concept and I truly hope the Sheriff moves forward aggressively. It is the only way to “right the wrongs.” I wish Sheriff Villanueva the best of luck. A good working relationship with the employee representatives is the key to success with the “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” and Sheriff V. The unions should not expect nor request forgiveness for unforgivable cases. But ANY employee who has been wrongfully disciplined should be reconciled, without exception. This concept put forth by Sheriff V is a trail blazing proposition, but I for one, embrace it. Right the wrong. For the sake of brevity, I have stopped here, but there is more to this equation. Nevertheless, this is exciting territory, I wish all the very best.

  • Sir, this is by far the best post I’ve read on WitnessLA. Thank you for your insight and suggestions. Hopefully Sheriff AV or his command staff will read this and take it to heart and move forward with your suggestions.

  • Thank you, Adam 12. I have more thoughts to the process, but this is a overview. No one deserves to get screwed.

  • @Calling it a Spade
    You may consider contacting AV or his command staff and seeing if you can consult on these matters. Your vision, wisdom and understanding of the process would be an incredible asset to the organization.

    We could only imagine the number of wrongful terminations, days off and ROD’S that the old administration has inflicted on deputy and civilian personnel. The involved parties such as the CPA’S, IA/ICIB and Advocacy should be held administratively, civily and criminally responsible. How some of these people are not in prison baffles me.

    Think about it.

    Best!

  • @Time for a change

    Please don’t use our partners names on a public blog.. Not cool to lay someone out like that. If you have an issue, take it up with them.

    We’re better than that.

    Celeste, please edit the individual’s name off from @Time for a change’s post. Or better yet, delete the post in its entirety.

    Thank you, your commentator watch dog.. 🙂

  • Tell Me, who will right the wrongs of those who have been wrongfully terminated which resulted in tremendous amounts of stress, lost of wages, homes, automobiles, credit scores, lively-hood, stability, wives/husbands and kids. So many things have been lost as these investigators sit at home comfortably awaiting their next promotion. Who will right these wrongs of all the pain and suffering many honest men/women have gone through at the hands of (1st) dirty investigators “Sgt’s/Lt’s”, (2) Captains (3) Chiefs (4) Former Sheriff and (5) Every Other Liar involved in the case. I was always told that we are one big family, the department has got your back. Well its been 2 years and I haven’t received a letter or phone call from any of my so called family members. Where is the help in time of need and despair…..I read an article “Blue Lives Matter” and it made me realize no one gives a damn about someone being wrongfully accused, lied on and discharged. Hell, if a deputy (Any of thee above listed) will be bias and lie on another deputy…he surely will lie on a member of the public.

    AV if your reading this…….hurry up and get the wrongfully terminated back. Then the individuals that presented faulty cases for their own political gain can have their hardware removed for good. Take some stress off and interview the terminated, you’d find out two things. First, the type of person you would be reinstating and secondly, all the parties involved in the case would be immediately exposed. Right now AV you are fishing for bad department members…….pick up a line and cast a few phone calls to those who were thrown off the ship, I guarantee you’ll have several on a hook by the end of the day.

    For the many of you on here that have been wrongfully discharged…stay strong and keep the faith. Its a new day and theirs a new Sheriff In Town. Lets hope and pray he gets s back on the ship ASAP.

  • Effective January 1, SB1421 will go into effect and the discipline records of all these so- called “wrongfully discharged” deputies will become PUBLICLY available. I, for one, am glad for the transparency and eager to learn the details.

  • Bueno! Of “two” stories, the “true” story will be known. May those who are truly innocent be exonerated.

  • Calling it Spade, you are right on the money. I have always found your posts very well articulated and on the right side of justice. You should contact Alex and come back out of retirement to help him being successful.

  • It is unfortunate that these people at IAB/ICIB, Advocacy and the CPA lent themselves to acts of corruption and violation of Deputies’ constitutional rights to advance their career, and political agendas.

    This level of corruption under the previous administration once it is uncovered, will show a greater level of corruption of the type never seen before.

    The best part and what makes it unique is that it will be done internally, and it will pit deputy against deputy.

    The pandora scandal under Baca was nothing compared to the McDonnell corruption.

    Now I understand why McDonnell was not signing off many of the cases recommended for discipline, and let the undersheriff sign to take the fall. It is called plausible deniability.

  • Concerned Citizen:

    Thanks for the reminder!!

    Don’t forget: Calif. SB1421 can be Googled, where multiple news articles on the bill can be read, including the full legislative text.

    So.

    Let’s all go marching over there & see what it says.

  • @Calling It A Spade – Outstanding suggestions. I hope someone that can make them happen has already copied, pasted and started moving forward on them. Astounding what can happen when people feel valued and treated fairly.

  • Calling it a spade, I truly believe your ideas are spot on regarding setting up a program as you described. I really hope you can get people to listen to this great idea. Having gone through a situation which was indeed my responsibility, however the bad outcome was due to actions of others and inaction of peers, I would welcome such a review.

  • The concep of a Truth and Reconciliation Committee is NOT my idea. That comes directly from Sheriff Villanueva himself, that is where the credit goes. My input was simply a suggestion on how to implement his idea and for the sake of brevity, I offered just a conversational overview of the concept. I have thoughts on the “actual” process and that is for another conversation. I think Alex is starting in the right direction with modifying the Bail Schedule and will not be surprised after he Meets and Confirs with the unions, there is a further modification. But the concept of “reconciliation” is to address situations where employees have been overcharged and over disciplined or worse, disciplined behind a bogus investigation (NOTE: I have no personal information the latter has occurred). But I think the Sheriff wants to address any of those situations and my suggestion is just a way of expediting the process. Priority on terminations, followed by suspensions. This does not need to be a bureaucracy, it needs to be a process. But the process will have several moving parts and will be very time consuming. Thus the “committee” concept will be individuals who will have the time and experience to evaluate the petitions, weigh the evidence and listen to the employee and representative as warranted. The committee can then “recommend” further investigation, modification of discipline or no change to the current Case Review executives (two Assistant Sheriff’s and the Undersheriff) for their final decision.

    Regardless of how this is implemented, the Sheriff will do the right thing.

  • Well, I must say that Sheriff Villanueva is already making a positive difference…WOW!!! Mr. Villanueva, I was a staunch critic and a naysayer; I’m sorry for that. Now, I’m a believer. Keep chugging along and doing what is best for LA County residents.

    Thank you Sir!!

  • How does a terminated deputy contact the truth and reconciliation board to have a case reviewed? Are certain cases being chosen specifically by a panel? Any info on this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

  • Info:

    The “Truth and Reconciliation Board” appears to be in the talking stage right now & probably won’t come to fruition for a while.

    The best bet for a “terminated Deputy” is to consult with a Labor Lawyer who specializes in these types of cases–there are a bunch.

    If the termination is wrongful there is a good chance the lawyer will take the case on a “Contingency Basis,” meaning nothing is paid to the Lawyer until the case is won.

    If the termination is not wrongful expect to pay big bucks, and the case may still be lost.

    Good luck!!

  • ALADS has the list of terminated deputies along with funds to assist. All for one and one for all, put your union to work

  • I remember what was done to James Sexton by ALADS–no attorney at a required Federal court appearance–so my preference is for private Labor Lawyers; they are more trustworthy.

    Finding a Labor Lawyer who’ll work on a contingency basis entails nothing more complicated than a simple Google search, and LASPA has an excellent roster of first-rate attorneys.

  • Does anyone know roughly over the last 4 years how many deputies have been terminated. When I’m saying terminated, I’m speaking of have gone to civil service and beyond resulting in no rehire.

  • @ Cognistator, I concur regarding the sham-alam to James Sexton by ALADS. Although the current ALADS Board of Directors were not privy to the inner workings of Pandora’s Box, an open apology won’t change the past but it would show an acknowledgement from an organization that basically destroyed Sexton’s career.
    The deputies that were shit upon by ALADS is legion as Sheriff Alex Villanueva can attest to but moving forward, a earnest and sincere interest by ALADS in bringing back wrongfully terminated deputies is the least that the current Board of Directors can do.
    The ALADS regime of Ex-President Floyd Hayhurst along with ALADS Counsel Richard “DICK” Shinee and company ruined the careers of many deputies. Yes, LASPA does have and always have had first rate Attorneys.

    @ And 1, ALADS and LASD Personnel has the count of terminated deputies beyond the civil service resulting with no rehire.

  • Unfortunately Sheriff Villanueva is catching heat from many for statement of “Physically moving I.C.E ” out of Los Angeles County Jails. Twitter response is fuming.

  • Call and order your PPOA drop card. Here are the numbers below.

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  • Situational awareness is part of the political game. A true warrior keeps his friends close and his enemies closer. It’s never a “so what” if it affects you. Look at the current situation in the Oval Office and the “big chess pieces” who are opting out. Stay awake, stay aware.

  • PPOA (DROP CARDS)
    December 22, 2018 at 7:56 pm
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    Monday through Friday
    8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

  • Sheriff AV’s supporters are not doing him any service with these tactics such as spamming the threads with the drop cards solicitations, or hurling insults, expletives at others. I’m certainly hoping that the Sheriff himself is not encouraging nor condoning this type of behavior. If you want to be respected, be respectful and act respectable. Taking the low road is not helping him gain any support or credibility.

  • Celeste, please delete this post that contains an individual’s name, which is merely posted to defame them. Thank you ma’am and wish you a wonderful holiday season. Thank you for all you do!

  • Hey Adam 12, whatever your role in life is whether it’s mole, teacher’s pet or tattletale, knock it off. Your whining is pathetic. I’m sure that the editor of this blog knows what and when to delete offensive and rule-breaking posts.

  • The Sheriff needs to send somebody (Captain) to East LA that isn’t afraid to break up the Bandido clique. The Cancer the 3 Stooges left behind still controls admin row (Ops Sergeant), dispatch, and the line. A lot of people have brought this to your attention Sheriff, listen to them and don’t be afraid to piss off some people at your home station.

  • @Here’s One

    I’m neither brother. I’m all about addressing an individual in person if I have a problem with them. I’m sure you would never have the decency to do that, but you’d rather defame one of our partners in a public blog. You’re being unfair by doing that.

    So, yes. I do have an issue with anyone laying someone out publicly that wears our same uniform. I’m sure that individual probably has no involvement in this blog, but you choose to do so. I guarantee you, you would not appreciate it if it was done to you. I would do the same for you brother, if someone posted your name. That’s just not a cool thing do to anyone.

  • What’s your beef with J.P.?, considering your thoughts as him being “unsuited” for his position on the commission.

  • Put the beer down dude and stop drunk posting . This is 18 years ago. God Bless Villanueva! Keep on truckin Sir!

  • Truth: How ironic you picked a name that describes the opposite of your character. Sal Alinsky would be proud of your ego. Get over yourself!

  • Who has the Sheriff’s ear? I am so taken back by the Sheriff’s initial promotions from transition team members to Chief. Validated Tanaka coin holders and water boys like Vera did all of the little man’s dirty work. Now this latest list and the lists to follow? And now they are cleansed of their sins and born again Villanueva followers? And the Queen of POE? I can hear Vera now pitching even more Tanaka folks for promotion, “These are solid dudes, I put my name on them.” So much for reform, so much of the same. At my assignment where we are very tenured, there is so much hope on the line but, we have really been disappointed by some of these promotions. What is the Undersheriff doing, pouring tea for the Sheriff and saying, “Let me know if you need anything else?”

  • Don’t like the new Sheriff personally, but I’m willing to let his leadership do the talking. So far, the troops are happy and brass is on notice. 3 outa 5 star rating currently.

  • @Truth, you sound like someone who was passed up for spots you felt like you deserved. I understand your frustration, but the way to deal with it is approach AV and let him know what value you would bring to his administration.

    Sitting back complaining and laying people out and digging up dirt on someone from 20 years ago isn’t going to address your frustration. Additionally, why would you care who got promoted or who was selected on a transition team? Constantly bitching about it deminishes your gripes and makes you sound like a cry baby and no one will take you seriously.

    I bet if you were promoted or selected to a spot, we’d hear crickets from you.

    I understand your frustration and in no way am I coming at you sideways, all I suggest is if you don’t have anything positive to say about your partners, don’t say it at all.

    God Speed brother.

  • You know I have to say I’m shocked, I posted things… information vital to “transparency” and Celeste removed my comments because I was making “personal attacks” on folks. Facts are facts, how funny I make comments about certain Captains and Lieutenants and before McD leaves they run to former Undersheriff and asks how they can go after witness la. These are the people who were promoted and still supposed to be the face of the dept? What a sham!

    These same people hide my comments from LASD Twitter and FB.

  • Change Can Only Come When We Let The Truth Be Told, Known and Addressed. In the meantime “we sit n wait”.

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