At the Civilian Oversight Commission’s monthly meeting last Thursday, LA County Inspector General Max Huntsman expressed concern that the LA County Sheriff’s Department is still failing to publish data on citizen complaints and other important information in a timely fashion. The sheriff’s department launched an online data sharing project in 2015 after a 2014 report by Inspector General Max Huntsman pointed to other law enforcement agencies’ comprehensive public data sharing practices and recommended that the LASD follow suit by including data on officer-involved shootings, use-of-force, complaints, and discipline.
Huntsman told the LA Times’ Maya Lau that he has been urging department leaders to increase accountability and transparency by regularly posting updated data on all uses of force, as well as complaints and discipline data. Huntsman told Lau he believes he’s being “slow-walked” by LASD officials.
In response, an LASD statement released Friday said the department’s plans to increase the data shared publicly have been stymied by shortages of staff and outdated technology, but the department is “committed” to doing better.
Huntsman requested that the oversight commission put pressure on the LASD to implement all of the recommendations from his 2014 report, including listing information on non-lethal uses of force—like kicks, canine bites, and head strikes with weapons, as well as the resulting injuries. The report also recommended the public release of data on complaints against sheriff’s department members, including the type of employee, type of complaint, information on the investigation and its findings, and any “corrective actions.”
On the same day that Huntsman was calling out the sheriff’s department for its data sharing efforts, the inmate advocacy group Dignity and Power Now held a press conference announcing an attempted suicide at LA’s Twin Towers jail. An inmate was reportedly found Wednesday with clothing wrapped around his neck. The man was treated at a hospital and survived. The group slammed the department for allegedly failing to notify inmates’ families and the public about critical incidents. In March, Dignity and Power Now started a protest after four LA County inmates died during a nine-day period. In total, seven inmates have died in LA County custody this year. Dignity and Power Now is calling for the Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Commission to be given the power to subpoena documents as part of its oversight of the LASD.
Photo: First meeting of the Civilian Oversight Commission for The LA County Sheriff’s Department.
This just shows that Huntsman and OIG, along with this farce of an oversight commission filled with political appointees who will grandstand against the department, have no idea what a force investigation or the Police Officer Bill of Rights entails. When all you get paid to do is to find faults and problems, do you ever stop finding them? When was the last time OIG identified something stellar about the department? Perhaps the budget of the commission and OIG would be better spent on hiring deputy sheriffs to help that understaffing problem. Then again, the budget for brass buttons could have been better spent as well. Carry on with the clown show.
Hey Charles Martel, when was the last time the Dept.did something stellar ? Aero Bureau investigations, beatings, threatening FBI agents………Etc. the comments sure have declined since some of the boys were sent if to Fed prison
Charles Martel, here is something stellar Fresh Eyes McDonnell has decided to endorse:
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-sheriff-promotions-discipline-20170430-story.html
I think I’m going to give McDonnell’s management style a name – management by train wreck. We have management by walking around (MBWA), micro-management, performance-based management, strategic human resource management, I think coining management by train wreck (MBTW) fits Fresh Eyes to a “T.” Perhaps the illustrious sheriff can explain how promoting train wrecks to positions of authority in any organization improves the performance of the organization? Talk about a slap in the face of the honest, hard-working line swine who do not engage in unethical behavior and misconduct.
Anyone want to venture a guess what would happen if you were NOT the president of the BPOA and got into a pursuit and foot pursuit that went unreported? Utterly amazing, but on the bright side both McDonnell and La Berge have volunteered to show to the world their utter incompetence and lack of integrity.
I hope in the spirit of “transparency” this data also reflects the actions by the individuals that precipitate the reactions of the staff. It is only fair that all the facts, including assaults on staff, increased crime rates and the like are put out for public consumption.
However, I’m sure this data wil be skewed and biased if the OIG, Citizens Commission and BOS have their way. Much like this site and the LA Times which never have anything positive to report about LASD except in the case of a Department member’s death (for example, Sergent Steve Owen).
Rosey is not alone. Actually he IS IN THE minority of a large class consisting of numbing and jaw dropping promotions. At least the new administration is colorblind, but so was Baca and Tanaka.
Get your scar from the man with the star
It is seriously troubling that sheriff buckles has his brass followers firing sergeants and deputies for conduct that seems to get higher ranking people promoted. As with most of the upper brass on the department, they promoted several ranks above their ability. No future changes for the sinking department, just new snaps and buckles. What next as the incompetent brass who try to tell deputies what policy is when they clearly don’t know it. As with crooks on the street, they only got caught for their current crime. How many things happened with these new brass followers that were never discovered. This is not their first rodeo as they say. All I can assume, no qualified others to assume those ranks. Wow had to take misconduct supervisors to promote. Great move. Sets a standard.
Oh, come on LATBG, Sheriff McDonnell said these “promotions have been completely vetted. A tremendous amount of thought went into each selection. I stand behind every single one of them.” There’s nothing to see here, just move along.
This shit ALL started under Baca/Tanaka. It isn’t like McD is promoting DSG’s to Captains. These incompetent guys and gals were promoted right on up the chain during the previous regime. McD is a train wreck, no doubt about it. But let’s be honest here folks and have at least a modicum of objectivity.
Tanaka controlled promotions with an iron fist. Therefore the candidates in the upper management pool that McD has to promote from is extremely polluted.
If we’re honest with ourselves, or at least somewhat realistic, there’s not a lot Fresh Eyes can do about being given a polluted pool. If he were to decide that everyone promoted under Baca (Meaning that person was at least “Ok” with Tanaka) wouldn’t receive any further promotion, how do you think that play out in court?
McD is just another dem politician in the LA Dem Machine who landed a sweet gig thru default. He IS a train wreck and in way over his head. That being said, if any one of the others who ran, even your boy Olmstead, would have been elected sheriff, they would have no choice but to promote some of the Tanaka bootlickers. The pool isn’t clean enough to keep from it. You can’t make chicken salad from a pool of chicken shit.
Valid point.
I agree with you in part, McDonnell was definitely handed a shit sandwich. He knew that walking in, however. He elected to munch on it and declare it the best he’s ever had – his mistake. I think Brizz gave us the best legal analysis I’ve read so far, in that people who cheated to obtain a rank do not have a property interest in that rank or subsequent ranks, and in fact are depriving the taxpayer of honest services.
McDonnell’s failure was in not establishing what when wrong, who was involved, and how to prevent it from happening again. He made the worst choice possible, which was to give unethical individuals free reign to continue their unethical conduct at higher ranks. That served to send a message loud and clear throughout the organization: cheating pays off as long as the sheriff condones it. McDonnell could have fired all the executives at the rank of division chief and higher without batting an eye, and he could have recruited outside the department for experienced law enforcement leaders to infuse the dysfunctional organization with new blood and higher ethical standards. Fresh eyes thought that was not important.
There is a boatload of honest, experienced, and squared-away department members that are underemployed, working in positions far beneath their ability level, that could stabilize the ship and get the organization moving forward. McDonnell refused to form a “truth and reconciliation” commission at the onset of his administration, and that was a key failure on his part. He failed to recognize the damage the previous administrations had done to the organization, and failed to provide a pathway to correct past unethical practices that continue to this day. As the saying goes, those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.
Fresh Eyes McDonnell made his bed, now he must lie in it. Looks like ol’ fresh eyes got wool pulled over his eyes. There is a belief among department executives that ethical decision making is just a matter of perspective. La Berge not ordering a full investigation of his buddy, the president of the BPOA, is an obvious conflict of interest and evidence that corruption continues unabated within the LASD, all with the blessing of the Sheriff.
We’re coming for you McDonnell. You had your “opportunity” and you blew it. Have the decency to step aside.
Surely you must have more examples other than La Berge and Rosey.
You hit the nail on the head, but it takes more than one nail for framing.
A major “conflict of interest” the on Civilian Oversight Committee would be J.P. Harris who is a former ALADS President. Harris already is huffy with Huntsman’s suggestions. Unfortunately some still want to continue the legacy of Tanaka and Baca. J.P. Harris sitting on that board is equivalent to “old wine in new skins”. Not a good fit.
S.O.S., rest assured I have many more, and they all point to a morally bankrupt system with two distinct classes of employees. There are privileged employees, who can do no wrong, and non-privileged employees, who can never do right in the eyes of those in charge. Roosevelt, Tatreau, Valdez, Fennell, Helmold, and their brethren are prime examples of privileged employees. Their presence in the organization imperils the safety of Los Angeles County residents, exposes the county to liability for their conduct and decisions, and undermines the ability of the sheriff to impose discipline impartially in accordance with civil service rules.
S.O.S. Fresh in from the LASD Home Depot booth.
One box of nails, AKA City of Gardena Paul Tanaka donors lists, alphabetized by all the cities the donors live in, and none of them starts with a G.
Actually, probably more like a full couple of cases of multiple boxes of nails.
Lets start framing…..
S.O.S,
I’m with you in spirit. That would make a whole lot of COMMON SENSE….but our judicial system is not based on common sense. When those folks sued, and their Outstanding evaluations were presented as EV/1 in court, now we’ve got a problem. Those ass-kissing bootlickers would now claim that the LASD is persecuting them for their political beliefs and violating their 1st Amendment rights. It would be a lawyers dream to take those cases. McD and the LASD (and the taxpayers) would take it in the ass in court. As far as the cheating allegations, that would only have merit and legal standing if it could be proven in court who cheated.
Sheriff Buckles and the rest of us just have to bite the bullet and get over it. It’s fucked from every angle, but we’ve got to live with it.
It’s like when we KNEW a crook was guilty but didn’t have enough to arrest him, much less convict in court. We’re left with no choice but to cuss and bitch a little, then get over it.
Otherwise, we might be tempted to start “Working in the gray”. And we know what that works out.
Ironic that many independents, per this thread are aware of the battle. What baffles me is why are the essential unions ignoring the elephant in the room. Not being there, I can’t knock them but unions wield much power, be it right or wrong. The capacity of influence is also there. If half of comments mentioned are true, then the unions have to start flexing.
Allow Max Huntsman to do his job.