Los Angeles County Inspector General Max Huntsman has quietly sent out 35 letters to 35 different LA County Sheriff’s deputies.
The letters, which are dated Friday, May 12, direct each of the deputy recipients to schedule an interview with the IG’s office within the next fourteen days. The interview will pertain to one or the other of the LASD’s two most notorious deputy gangs, namely the Executioners and the Banditos.
In the letter, which WitnessLA obtained Tuesday morning, the deputies are each told to bring with them a photograph of any tattoos on their left or right leg “from the area of the ankle to the knee.”
The point of the photos is to see if any of the selected 35 department members have deputy gang-related tattoos, which are generally inked on the outside of one’s lower leg, a bit above the ankle, as in the Executioners’ tattoo in the photo below.
The primary purpose of the interviews, according to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), is to jump start the compilation of an accurate list of the LASD deputies who are members of deputy gangs, in particular some of the best known of the deputy cliques, such as the Banditos and the Executioners, which operate out of the East LA Station, and the Compton station, respectively.
At their interviews, the deputies will also be asked a list of other questions such as:
Who else have you seen the tattoo on?
Who else has told you they are/were in the group?
Have you ever been told about other deputies who might be in or have been in the group? If so, which deputies? Who told you this?•
Do you have any reason to think any other deputies might be or have been in the group? Which deputies and why?
Have you seen any tattoos with symbols or images like those in Exhibit 1 If so, describe the tattoo and circumstances in which you saw it.
Is there anyone who you have heard said to be a member of the Banditos or Executioners who you have reason to think does not have a tattoo depicted in Exhibit 1? If so, please explain.
And there are more questions of that nature.
So why now?
The reason that Huntsman and his office have launched this new initiative now, not earlier, is reportedly due to the fact that, until fairly recently they have not had a clear authority to engage in this kind of investigation.
But on January 1, 2022, things changed because on that date two bills that had passed through the state legislature in 2021, went live.
The bills—SB 2 and AB 958—state that sheriff’s deputies who are found to be part of a law enforcement gang can have their peace officer certification revoked, and they can also be disqualified from future employment as a peace officer.
In addition, law enforcement agencies are required by the new laws to create and maintain a policy that prohibits law enforcement gangs, and which also makes participation in such a deputy gang grounds for termination.
Furthermore, if deputies are terminated on such grounds, in the hope of preventing those deputies from quietly moving on to another police agency, based on the new statutes, an officer or deputy’s original agency is required to disclose the termination of any peace officer for participating in a law enforcement gang to any other agency that is conducting a pre-employment background check of that officer or deputy.
In the past, under various other sheriffs, the LASD did little or nothing to identify which members of the LA County Sheriff’s Department were inked deputy gang members.
The new deputy gang laws, however, has given California’s various inspectors general enhanced authority to collect evidence on such issues.
Now, the LA County OIG is “using that authority to complete the investigations by directing deputies to show their tattoos and tell us who else has them,” said Huntsman in a written statement texted this morning to WitnessLA.
According to Huntsman, the deputies summoned will be permitted to assert their fifth amendment rights if they believe the requested information will incriminate them. When and if deputies do take the fifth, however, the Inspector General will, said Huntsman, “consult with the DA and sheriff before compelling any statements.”
But it is our understanding that, if necessary, the IG may very well be able to compel statements.
And, just in case those receiving the letters are unclear on the laws pertaining to the matters at hand, the letter lays things out:
Pursuant to Penal Code section 13670(b), each law enforcement agency in California must prohibit membership in law enforcement gangs.
Pursuant to Penal Code section 13510.8(b)(7), participation in a law enforcement gang is grounds for decertification of a peace officer.
Pursuant to Penal Code section 13670(b), a law enforcement agency must cooperate in an inspector general’s investigation into law enforcement gang participation.
Pursuant to PenalCode section 13510.8(b)(8), failure to cooperate in an investigation into police misconduct is grounds for decertification of a peace officer.
The Office of Inspector General is investigating law enforcement gang participation and police misconduct at the Sheriff’s Department pursuant to Penal Code section 13670(b). Your cooperation is being sought because we believe you may have information regarding one of two groups that may be law enforcement gangs, commonly referred to as the Banditos and the Executioners….
The explanation goes on from there.
Executioners, Banditos, and County Council lawyers
Interestingly, the jump start of the IG’s new initiative to gather a “complete and accurate list” of the LASD’s deputy gang members comes as several of the whistleblower/retaliation lawsuits that involve deputy gangs are moving toward trial.
First up is a lawsuit brought by Lt. Larry Waldie who, for much of 2018 and 2019, was the acting captain of the Compton Station, which is the home base for the Executioners.
At trial, which began jury selection on Tuesday morning, Waldie and his attorney will tell the jury that, when Waldie was acting captain, he declined to let the Executioners run the LASD’s Compton station, which the group was allegedly attempting to do. In response, the deputy clique’s main shot caller reportedly retaliated by instituting a work slowdown, and other forms of manipulation.
When Waldie continued to resist and eventually became a whistleblower, his lawsuit alleges he was subsequently retaliated against by former Sheriff Alex Villanueva, and Villanueva’s then undersheriff Tim Murakami.
(Waldie was also one of those who testified at the LASD Civilian Oversight Commission’s live hearings on deputy gangs. This, according to his lawsuit, also produced retaliation.)
At the same time, two other well-known civil rights cases, both pertaining to the deputy gang known as the Banditos, are moving toward either settlements or court trials.
The largest of the two lawsuits was filed in 2019 on behalf of eight department members and describes a reign of terror by members of the Banditos, the now-infamous deputy clique based out of the department’s East Los Angeles Station.
According to the lawsuit, the retaliation that resulted for those who ran afoul of the Banditos consisted of escalating harassment, ranging from verbal taunts or keying someone’s car, and the like, to putting deputies in physical danger by failing to provide support on potentially perilous work call outs, several instances of which the complaint details.
One of the worst of these episodes reportedly occurred on September 19, 2018, and resulted in two deputies from the East LA station being shot while on duty (albeit, fortunately, not fatally), “because of the intentional failure of the Banditos to provide back up,” states the complaint.
The lawsuit also describes incidents of physical assault, most dramatically the assaults that occurred in wee hours on September 28, 2018, when a violent brawl broke out at Kennedy Hall, a rentable event venue, where those who worked at the East LA station, were holding an “end-of-training” after-hours party.
(WLA readers are already familiar with many of the lawsuit’s allegations since we broke the story about the Kennedy Hall assaults, and have written additionally about the expanding allegations as the lawsuit was developing.)
Most recently, according to civil rights attorney Vincent Miller, the retaliation continues, but now it is coming from the attorneys hired by Los Angeles County Counsel who, he says, have been intimidating and threatening witnesses. and also making false statements about the plaintiffs as part of a recent attempt to persuade the judge who will preside over the jury trials to drop both cases.
(It didn’t work. The judge declined to drop the cases.)
Part of the problem, said Loyola Law professor Sean Kennedy, who is also the chair of the COC, “is that in these kinds of cases having to do with misconduct by the LASD, the county hires attorneys who are pugilistic and aggressive.”
From their perspective they’re representing their clients, Kennedy told WLA, “but It’s a scorched earth strategy. It doesn’t seem to matter who’s harmed. It’s a strategy of accusing everyone of having corrupt motives.”
It was one thing when Sheriff Alex Villanueva was in office, added Kennedy. “But now that we have Sheriff Luna these actions are hard to explain. This is a different sheriff who has stated that he understands the harm done by deputy gangs, and wants to root them out.”
Attorney Vincent Miller put it another way.
“As long as the county keeps handling the litigation in this dishonest manner, they will keep giving ammunition to inked deputies, and their defenders at LASD, who claim there are only allegations about the deputy gangs, and no evidence.”
All the above brings us back to IG Huntsman’s 35 letters.
Race, gender, and a Brady list
One of the elements covered in the new laws—and in the 35 deputy letters—is the fact the deputy gangs generally exclude Black department members and female department members. And since being a member of a deputy gang is, by definition, related to one’s job, discrimination against other department members because of their race or gender, is yet one more way that being a member of a deputy gang is against the law.
Furthermore, if one lands on the Inspector General’s list of deputy gang members, that same list will reportedly be available as Brady information, and thereby discoverable by prosecutors and defense attorneys.
So, if the Inspector General and his office is able to create a truly comprehensive list of the department’s deputy gang members, is it possible that this 50-year-old tradition of deputy gangs will begin to seem a less-than-desirable tradition to continue to uphold?
We are told that is the hope.
Witness La- keeping records of street gang members ( cal gang database) is racist and unconstitutional. Going after anyone in law enforcement based on similar tattoos, innuendo, hearsay ,and rumor is a civil rights triumph.
Make no mistake, there is no argument to be made here, she’d like to see you in prison but she’ll settle for your unemployment (for now).
“…Is it possible that this 50-year old tradition of deputy gangs….”
2023-50=1973.
In 1968 William Curtis Malone, a Firestone trainee, was driven out of the LASD by “the Fellas” for turning in his training officer for 187pc–Murder. The training officer, Robert E. Shaffer, had & shot & killed a burglar “in fear of his life.” The LASD property clerk doing an inventory of the dead burglar’s property ran the serial number on the burglar’s gun & it came back to Shaffer.
Shaffer shot & killed three burglars “in fear of his life” in the space of one year but was prosecuted for only one killing.
His roommate likewise shot & killed three burglars in one year but with no repercussions. He went into the D.E.A. & led the Donald P. Scott raid.
So, in the space of one year, the two Deputies shot & killed six burglars, but only one murder prosecution.
Details on all of this can be Googled:
1. William Curtis Malone obituary.
2. Robert E. Shaffer, LASD.
3. Donald P. Scott. Be sure to view the You-Tube video, which must be Googled separately. He was a multi-millionaire
who lived out in the Ventura County boondocks near the L.A. County line with no neighbors. A D.E.A. raiding party, composed mostly of LASD Deputies, came pounding on his door in the dead-of-night & his wife answered the door. He was upstairs standing at the top of the stairs with pistol in hand & was shot dead by the raiding party “in fear for their lives.”
A subsequent search of the property yielded no contraband whatsoever.
Donald P. Scott was innocent of any wrongdoing.
Ain’t that a hoot. Probably most of these fools involved in these “gangs” (exactly what is a gang anyway?), were hired while Undersheriff Larry Waldie Sr. had lowered the hiring standards back in the day – one of the many scandals while Baca/Stonich/Waldie/Tanaka were running the LASD on the rocks and is still high and dry today.
@Sad to see how far it has gone
I wouldn’t blame it on low hiring standards many of those fellas are college grads.
Celeste, will you please ask Sheriff Luna to define the difference between a “Station” tattoo and a “Deputy Gang” tattoo? Can you also ask Sheriff Luna if “Station” tattoos are offered to everyone assigned to a station having a “Station” tattoo?
I just hope these Deps have a list of excellent attorneys too be assigned too and not a rookie attorney smh…….don’t get me started.
Banditos tattoos are on their uppers arms, not legs….
Seems to be an over reach to me. By utilizing those sections with the “Banditos” and “Executioners” the IG is essentially labeling them “Deputy Gangs.” So one has to be declared a gang before those laws can be enforced. Last I checked there are only allegations that there are deputy gangs, but no actual legal basis for declaring or legally labeling them a deputy gang. If they are declared a gang then everyone with knowledge should plead the 5th. Literally all your knowledge is incriminating by that standard.
But wait the slope gets slippery. If they deem them as deputy gangs. Then everyone on the Dept who had or reasonably should have had knowledge of those “gangs” is just as guilty for allowing the “misconduct” to continue and failing to report those “gangs.” Those that did not have knowledge probably should have and failed to do their job good enough to see the “gang” and are also guilty. I mean, if there is any gang in the dept then everyone is guilty for allowing it and for their inaction.
I predict a lot of good people losing their jobs. LASD will get worse. Ultimately the public will end up suffering the most. And at some point there will be a massive settlement after a lawsuit moves up the court system from this overreach. Classic 2+2=5. Say something loud and long enough, it becomes the truth no matter what.
The truth is, the biggest problem is incompetence and all the hatred, it’s a cancer. Stupid people do stupid things. The common theme is stupidity not a tattoo or organized criminal behavior. No one will ever address the root cause and nothing will get better. OIG will ruin good peoples lives, Cause some suicides, assist in eroding public trust, and the good people will be victimized at a higher rate.
It’s unfair to judge an extremely difficult profession the way it is judged. So long as LE is done by humans, these problems will never go away. The harder the job is made, the harder it’s going to be to fill with qualified people. It will be eroded because it’s only worth it if you have no other options in making money.
But every side of this is doing the “right thing” from their perspective. And those that can help will stay quiet because there is not trust when things are politically motivated. Max will retire as a hero once he burns some people, but the test of time will not share that same opinion.
Excuse my typos, I know many of you think having typos are the worst possible thing in the world but my editor was tired.
The sad part from all of this is that more negative, undue attention has been shone on L.A.S.D. While also affecting the lives & livelihoods of other Deps who were targeted by these alleged “gang members.” I also believe that the recent additions of SB 2 & AB 958, were the direct result of the aforementioned shenanigans.
I do not condone the activities (if true), of what some of these alleged “gang members” were involved in. If it turns out that these allegations are substantiated, then these Deps should reap what they sowed.
I guess resolving any squabbles “in the back” no longer exist? So much for keeping it “Low Profile.”
Could someone ask Tom West to show his ink??
@Mr. Irrelevant and LA County Voter, well said!
The hypocrisy of all who continue to use the word “gang,” as if it has been proven, is sickening and scary at the same time. After all, isn’t this what the justice warriors all scream about, labels and assumptions.
I don’t live in a bubble and some alleged behavior sounds troubling, but if any of us tried to go down this road with this kind of flimsy finger pointing we’d be laughed out, if not thrown out of court and most likely sued.
I continue to ask a question that gets ignored!
Question: Why should a report put together by Sean Kennedy, who clearly has an agenda, and is based off of regurgitated news stories, hold more weight than a Nationally respected research group like the Rand Corporation.
Answer: Because Sean Kennedy uses the label “gang” and Rand used “cliques and subcultures.”
Experience and reputation be damned!
@90022
Yes they are on their upper arms
How about we settle on “organized criminal enterprise”? That seems like a reasonable compromise.
There is no such thing. If you want to go after a deputy for misconduct, go ahead. But don’t blame the tattoo. Word on the street is Luna has one from his old department. Or it might be gone. OIG and department upper echelon should be more focused on fixing the crime caused by their liberal buddy Gascon instead of worrying about “deputy gangs.” Bunch of clowns.
That’s not the only thing these cops did to get initiated they had to kill somebody of their own race. What about all the raids where the money found was never put into evidence. All the fake cases they put on innocent people because they were in the way.
Gangs = an organized group of criminals.
clique = a small group of people, with shared interests or other features in common, who spend time together and do not readily allow others to join them.
subculture = an ethnic, regional, economic, or social group exhibiting characteristic patterns of behavior sufficient to distinguish it from others within an embracing culture or society
Alex, I will take “cliques & subcultures for $500
While the Rand report and the Loyola Law School report used different nomenclature, both studies reached the same fundamental conclusion: the LASD leadership’s continuous failure to address secretive, exclusive groups that sometimes engage in gang-like behavior has harmed the Department and, more importantly, the communities the Department is supposed to serve. The Loyola Law School report has over 200 footnotes that document the sources that my students and I used, which include prior county commissions, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the U.S. Department of Justice, five years of deputy-involved shooting data for L.A. County, the federal criminal trial of former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, and myriad books and law reviews in addition to press accounts. The footnotes allow the reader to independently evaluate our study of deputy gangs in the LASD.
@Ron Hernandez, Gang is used because it is codified in the LAW. Quit sounding like the former sheriff. Let’s weed out those that meet the legal criteria and clean up the LASD. Legislature created the law. You and ALADS have put your head in the sand for far too long. Glad the obstinate “woke” former sheriff raised the ire of the electorate to aid in the uncovering of this stain on the LASD.
This situation is absolutely ridiculous! It appears that almost everyone in the department knows someone with a tattoo, so does that mean they will all face reprimand as well? What about the department members who are part of this secretive organization but have deliberately chosen not to get tattoos to avoid suspicion? Additionally, what about the department members whose fathers were involved in initiating the gang within the department, particularly in Lennox? Hmmmm These connections raise serious questions.
Furthermore, let’s take a step back and analyze why certain individuals in the department have been able to rapidly advance their careers. There seems to be a hidden system at play here. It appears that those without tattoos will continue to hold their positions and remain part of the entrenched “good old boys club.” This deeply ingrained culture runs much deeper than initially perceived.
This is how you know this is nothing more than a political hit job. COC couldn’t stop the “investigation” into deputy gangs once Luna was elected because then the purpose of COC investigation would be obvious. COC and Mr Kennedy will further demonstrate this is a political hit job by ignoring Ms April Tardy’s gang tattoo. Sheriff Luna won’t compel Ms Tardy to appear, COC and Sean Kennedy won’t push back on why she isn’t appearing. So there’s deputy gangs on the line that need to be disbanded but it’s okay for an alleged deputy gang member to be 2nd in command because she said she isn’t a gang member in spite of her tattoo.
https://capitalandmain.com/los-angeles-sheriffs-second-in-command-has-alleged-gang-tattoo
Line Deputies who are compelled to appear before the COC, recite the verbatim;
“It Just Means Where I Worked and My Dedication to the Department, to the Station Where I Worked and to the Community that I Served.” April Tardy- March 2023
@Sean Kennedy
“the LASD leadership’s continuous failure to address secretive, exclusive groups that sometimes engage in gang-like behavior has harmed the Department and, more importantly, the communities the Department is supposed to serve.”
Can you define “gang-like behavior?” Further, do we have unequivocal, empirical data that substantiates, beyond a reasonable doubt, that there are actually “gang members” in the LASD? Or, does the LASD have individuals who became a member of a subgroup or clique? As defined by the Rand Corp.
How did the term “gang member” come into existence within the LASD? Was it perpetrated by the families who were allegedly victimized by the LASD? Did the CoC & the rest of the people involved in this study “jump on the bandwagon” and go with the same terminology? Or was it the CoC and the OIG that decided to add some flavor to the investigation by making some outlandish, fantastical claims that LASD has “gang members” in its ranks? By employing this strategy/narrative, the uninformed would have their attention heightened. One of the “smoking gun” aspects of evidence which has been brought to the forefront, has been a tattoo of a menacing, looking skull, which has glowing eyes. Well, I presume that all those individuals (male & female), throughout our society, who have had a menacing looking skull tattoo emblazoned on their bodies, would make them suspect as well.
If we really want to delve into this further, would not ALL of law enforcement be considered a gang? They all wear the same clothing (uniforms), they are all involved in the same activities, everything they do is for the benefit, direction and promotion of the organization? I would say that the various branches of the military are also subject to the same criteria. Being a little facetious, but I think you get my point.
Keep in mind, I am neither defending nor condoning the actions of any of these rogue, cliquish individuals. However, when the term (“gang member”),was applied to a select subgroup of individuals, without any real evidence of being a “gang member,” it left an indelible stain on the rest of the organization and those individuals who were not affiliated and or involved in any of the nefarious activities that have been alleged.
How the term “gang member” came to be used as factual when referring to LASD Deputies is an example of opinion laundering commonly used by media and political players. It begins with a story that aligns with their bias, something they know must be true ,e.g. white cops are racist and up to no good ( or white adjacent , doesn’t matter the white thing has morphed into whoever they don’t like at the moment)
The initial reporting of these stories is usually the least biased. The question is presented with some presentation of both sides. After this the allegations are treated as proven fact, and viola! Deputy gangs are just something everyone knows exist.
The media does this all the time once you realize it you’ll see it everywhere.
Since California law explicitly defines “law enforcement gang,” we should use the definition set forth in Penal Code section 13670:
(2) “Law enforcement gang” means a group of peace officers within a law enforcement agency who may identify themselves by a name and may be associated with an identifying symbol, including, but not limited to, matching tattoos, and who engage in a pattern of on-duty behavior that intentionally violates the law or fundamental principles of professional policing, including, but not limited to, excluding, harassing, or discriminating against any individual based on a protected category under federal or state antidiscrimination laws, engaging in or promoting conduct that violates the rights of other employees or members of the public, violating agency policy, the persistent practice of unlawful detention or use of excessive force in circumstances where it is known to be unjustified, falsifying police reports, fabricating or destroying evidence, targeting persons for enforcement based solely on protected characteristics of those persons, theft, unauthorized use of alcohol or drugs on duty, unlawful or unauthorized protection of other members from disciplinary actions, and retaliation against other officers who threaten or interfere with the activities of the group.”
Sean, correlation is not causation. That misconduct occurs at the same station where deputies associate, hang out together, and even get tattoos doesn’t mean that one was caused by the other. I’m sure the vast majority of tattooed deputies are successful law enforcement officers.
However it is a salacious story and a lot of people stand to gain by riding it for all its worth. So I’m sure they’re just getting started with the nonsense.
Gj, If what you are stating is true, then why are “associates” of gang members (seen together hanging out with gang members) charged in most cases. Do you really think Deputies assigned to the East Los Angeles Station (yes, the ones who were very close to former Sheriff Alex Villanueva and his wife) are somehow “successful law enforcement officers. Is their success paired with how often they harassing Black residents or the number of times they boast of hunting Latinos or the one’s who drive around wearing polos with “Fort Apache” insignia or on their personal vehicles depicting the infamous East Los Angeles Fort Apache Station aka East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station.
I do understand why ALADS sued. They did so because once precedent is set ,every Deputy will be held responsible. You know too well these Deputies were not doing as you may like to call it ” Gods Work”.
At the end of the day they are employed by the County of Los Angeles, and their employer expects them to abide by State Law. You believe in the Law right? Oh wait those Laws don’t matter once you have your Peace Officer Certification. Furthermore, these Deputies were not held accountable. On the contrary they were protected by the upper Command personnel at LASD at the behest of the previous Sheriff and his underlings. The Station Captains, and Lieutenants were spineless and were scared of the Sergeants who ran rough shod at the station. If they were leashed the Sheriff’s Department would not have the scrutiny it has today. Quit playing victim and hold yourself accountable. If these Deputies do not like what is expected of them, they are free to quit. California is an ” At Will State”. They will definitely not be missed by the County and its residents. On the contrary the County will save millions of dollars in the years to come because these deputy gang members will screw up and they will be costly. They are rotten apples and are not there to ” Protect and Serve”.
9N i can’t help in sorting out your imagined reality, I’m sure it’s very real to you , perhaps some professional help? Good luck
@ Sean Kennedy post of May 23, 2023.
Thank you for the exhaustive, definition & clarification of the term “law enforcement gang.” The beginning of the definition sounds eerily close to Penal Code section 186.22.
However, I find it rather peculiar that the entire definition of “law enforcement gang” basically, encompasses the entire narrative that is being utilized by yourself, the OIG & CoC against Deputy personnel, who are alleged “gang members.” Hmmm.
My next question. How did this definition come into being? I would presume that the majority, if not all of the input had to have come from yourself, the OIG & CoC? Forgive me if I am being a tad presumptuous, but it just seems a little to coincidental how everything that is being investigated, is succinctly encapsulated within this definition.
Welp, sucks for Edmundo Torrez here at CEN. Seems like his days of being the big homie are over. I know Rita Soto & Oscar Flores will jump for joy when he loses his job for being a bandito. No more flirting with the pretty girls at the station for you!
@ EddieUnit
Captain Torres is on the Brady list
KMA
I’m curious as to why PPOA has taken a backseat to both ALADS and LASPA regarding the fight with OIG and the COC. I realize it’s a conflict having our union President’s husband working as a Commander at PSTD. After all, he weighs in on discipline she should be fighting. Or maybe it has to do with believing she should be a Captain, Is she playing nice with Luna so she’ll catch a promotion?
Looks like is a big shakeup in the works. Ed Torres is probably going to go in some corner. Give it 3 weeks.
What has LASPA done with the COC , CPRA and Deputy gangs ??? Nothing!!!
@ Where’s Bob?
I was unaware that the Union President fights for jobs. Isn’t that the job of a labor rep or attorney? I’ve never seen a Union President
appear at at grievance or IAB interview.
And who cares if she wants to further her career. Why are you hating?
@Seeet.
I applaud persons wanting to further their career. A pay raise and retirement bump is great. We all work to earn a living.
However, association/union leaders should not sacrifice fighting the Department like a honey badger in order to further their career. The best person for that job is someone who is satisfied where they are in their career, and have no promotional aspirations. They have no desire other than making the association/union stronger, while doing their best protecting the employment of every member.
@seet
I care if she’s doing on the back of people she represents. I also care if she leverages her position at ppoa to help an agenda! What has she done that’s so amazing she’s deserving of another promotion or president position. Is she a standout? Applies to her commander husband too. I don’t believe on coincidences
Speaking of PPOA, big news from respected veteran LASD Sgt. Tony Romo. Good for him for blowing the whistle about the corruption at PPOA. How long will it take before someone (union President and public figure Nancy Escobedo or one of her or former PPOA President. Tab Rhodes’ sycophants) cries foul about Romo airing the union’s sordid laundry? Romo should be lauded as a hero for sharing the news with his fellow PPOA members. It took a lot of courage and intestinal fortitude to come forward. Nancy Escobedo is not remotely qualified to be the PPOA president and her only true aspiration is promoting to captain. Additionally, Nancy Escobedo sent an email to PPOA members about Sergeant Romo’s “allegations” but NEVER denied any of them. That’s pretty telling.
How can Nancy Escobedo remain as president of PPOA, while her husband, Commander Sergio Escobedo is in the direct chain of command for IAB. ICIB and Advocacy as the Commander of Professional Standards Div.? Commander Escobedo also sits on the Department’s Executive Review Force Committee (EFRC) and weighs in on discipline for department members represented by PPOA. Isn’t that just a wee bit of a conflict of interest? I say it’s time for Nancy Escobedo to step down as PPOA President.
Maybe Escobedo’s rise to PPOA President and her husbands promotion to commander and subsequent assignment at Professional Standards Div was all part of the plan.
Watch the COC hearings on YouTube what is the name of the other gang at Compton and are there any know members of that gang ? Hhhhmmmmmm
I have a simple suggestion Decertify this union once and for all. Seriously people put your heads together and get it started! It was almost done a few years ago.
Please elaborate on the former traveling hockey dad Romo’s whistleblowing! I hate to see former Pico alumni feuding…
Editor’s note:
Dear “Treadstone” and “Come Out Come Out Wherever You Are,”
Come Out, you are quite right. Such personal attacks are against the rules. I was busy and not reading the comments carefully, thus mistakenly put Treadstone’s comment through. I’ve since deleted both of your comments which featured personal attacks. Thank you for the flag, Come Out.
Treadstone, a gentle, one-time warning, leave personal issues out of future comments or you’ll find yourself blocked.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Have a good weekend.
C.
Risk management is an important position to be held by yet another Brady List’er, Captain Shawnee Hinchman
@Sean Kennedy “While the Rand report and the Loyola Law School report used different nomenclature, both studies reached the same fundamental conclusion: the LASD leadership’s continuous failure to address secretive, exclusive groups that sometimes engage in gang-like behavior.”
Yes, and the nomenclature you’ve chosen, without proof, is very offensive to those who may have a station tatoo. Particularly those who have never been accused of any bad behavior.
You know about me, because I told you and many reporters, but you reported it as if you “discovered” it.
We’ve had no conversations since, because I don’t fit your agenda, and I’m good with that, but don’t act like your report is proof positive.
@John K. I realize the “head in sand comment” is meant to point a finger at ALADS and I and try to lay blame, save for the fact the organizations role is wages, hours and work conditions!
ALADS is not an investigative body, except when providing service to members.
The Associations/Unions role is to protect the rights of it’s members, but I’m sure you know that.
What is most interesting is how you guys want to hang your hat on a new law and apply it to alleged behavior (not yet proven) to tarnish the ENTIRE department for the past 50 years.
You guys would be in big trouble if they ever make embellishment illegal!
What you are trying to do is the equivalent of finding some bad apples, put them in a basket with thousands of good apples and declare the whole basket spoiled.
SEAN KENNEDY what is the names of both gangs at Compton and which one of your witnesses were members of either gang.
@ Ron
Factually spoiled fruit ruins the bunch and those spoiled apples are already in the bunch…
First & foremost, there are no gangs per se, just factions, cliques and clowns mirroring gangsters within LASD.
The conversations concerning this issue is very broad but relevant.
Former ALADS Presidents have no dogs in this fight nor a fight, period. So let’s not get started with ALADS blinders or PPOA’s latest exposure.
Also interesting that Alex Villanueva wanted to curry favor with the East Los Bandito’s and did nothing to properly handle that scandal.
So much for Police Unions…https://thecurrentreport.com/elected-police-union-rep-resigns-exposing-potential-corruption-and-list-of-questionable-acts-and-protocols/
Ron Hernandez, Per your statement “What you are trying to do is the equivalent of finding some bad apples, put them in a basket with thousands of good apples and declare the whole basket spoiled”.
So why are the thousands of good apples not calling out the rotten apples. Why do they sit silent and defend the rotten apples. Let me go go far and say the former Sheriff Alex Villanueva put the rotten apples on a pedestal and wanted to be one of them. You know it. You used to sit at BOS meetings gleefully listening to your el jefe.
This keeps getting funny. Wonder who will be in Court next showing their tatoo.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/deputy-accused-being-executioners-gang-120050654.html
9N, you are assuming a lot when you say the good guys don’t call out the bad guys.
Don’t put the blame on good deputies. All they can do is recommend that a trainee not be allowed to get off training or pass through the academy. It’s up to administrators to make the final decision.
Don’t mistake supporting due process for supporting bad behavior.
I encouraged the last three Sheriff’s to get deputies opinions all things related to their job, including their partners and co-workers. It fell on deaf ears, because what do deputies no about running a department! Right?
Fyi: When I sat in the audience it was rarely with the failed AV in attendance, but always to support the deputies and address the BOS who would take shots at AV, and hit deputies in the process.
If you do some research you’ll learn that my fighting the vindictiveness of the BOS wasn’t to support AV. It was to try and fend off long term damage to our department.
Gladiator crying about executioners being mean to him oh and I deserve another promotion hypocrisy at its finest
So sad that Police (any law enforcement agency) have to be policed. Much respect to every Police Chief or Sheriff who has a pair to expose and get rid of dirty personnel.
Note to LASD, the County of Los Angeles is bigger and has more power than the Sheriff’s Department.
That was proven in real time beginning in 2013 when Agent Leah Marx and the FBI had the last & loudest laugh sending LASD Deputies to prison