Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Khajana Jones was one of six people arrested in connection with a string of burglaries in upscale neighborhoods stretching from Ventura County to Orange and Los Angeles Counties and possibly as far away as Las Vegas.
Deputy Jones is not accused of participating in the burglaries, however she was living with Dennis Coleman, who is allegedly part of a burglary ring believed to have robbed 15 homes since December 1, 2011. Investigators believe that Jones had to have known her boyfriend was engaged in extra legal activity since large amounts of cash and other likely stolen items were found in the house they shared.
Moreover, although Coleman was without a job, he and another unemployed member of the alleged burglary ring reportedly “owned or rented BMW’s, Mercedes, and Jaguars,” went on “…extravagant shopping sprees and spent thousands of dollars at high-end nightclubs,” according to a statement from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
Based on what investigators know right now, the group was responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stolen jewelry, cash and the like —perhaps more.
[The Ventura Star has more on the burglary ring’s thieving methodology.]THE DEPUTY AND THE BURGLAR
Jones, who has been with the department six years, according to LASD spokesman Steve Whitmore, was assigned as a custody deputy to the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood.
She has been relieved of duty pending further investigation.
RECRUITING STANDARDS
Upon hearing the news of Jones’ arrest in connection to the alleged burglary ring, some LASD insiders pointed out that, given her time in the department, Jones would have likely been part of the 2005-2008 classes of recruits that came out of a massive LASD hiring push in which the department was trying raise its ranks of sworn deputies from 8,500 to 10,000—which meant putting 2500 recruits through the academy training in a short order.
The result, say some critics, was a lowering of recruiting standards, and in the taking of shortcuts in the 18-month academy training.
LASD officials have repeatedly disputed the idea of lowered standards, but in the summer of 2007, the state Commission on Peace Officers Standards & Training—POST—which certifies law enforcement academies, issued a report that found among other things, that some instructors gave cadets answers to test questions and allowed others to retake driving tests multiple times in order to pass. [More here.]
Some of the Deputies who have been arrested or relieved of duty because of pending cases—like Deputy Henry Marin, who is charged with smuggling a heroin-crammed burrito into a courthouse jail—were found to come from that same recruiting period.
We deal with the recent poor hiring standards all the time now. We have fully “sleeved” deputies working patrol who look more like parolees than law enforcement officers. We have deputies who have trouble with the English language, which creates an obvious officer safety problem. We have deputies who can’t write a complete sentence. Unfortunately, LASD has become the old computer saying, “Garbage in, garbage out.”
Gee, what a shocker. That’s what happens when you hire people who became cops because they couldn’t think of anything better to do with there lives as opposed to that’s all they ever wanted to do.
Folks, it’s a numbers game. If and until we can hire perfect people, and last time I checked Jesus Christ isn’t on the payroll, we will hire imperfect people. If 99% of our employees are dialed in and only 1% are problematic, guess what… In a department of nearly 10,000 sworn, we’re going to have about 100 seriously flawed cops. We’ll deal with it appropriately, and without the oversight of the media or any other social justice entities. Don’t give up hope. LASD is a great law enforcement agency.
About 1% of gang members have ever actually committed murder, too. So going by that logic….
Also keep in mind, all that’s required to be a cop is a GED. Bottom of the barrel I tell ya. When you can’t find a job anywhere else, why not go make 80k/yr at the LASD? They’ll let you slide if you’ve snorted coke a few times. Used to sell weed in high school? Yep, LASD will take you. Get fired from another department for excessive force? As long as you’ve been good in other areas, why not apply to LASD? How about someone who has warrants making it through backgrounds only to be told “we will hire you as long as you clear up those warrants by the time you graduate the academy” (And YES, this ACTUAlLY HAPPENED!). What about gang members who have slipped through the cracks and been hired? YEP, LASD has done it! Tell me how someone gets through background with obvious gang TATTOOS on their body? I could go on and on. I sure hope that things have changed that now it is harder than ever to get on the LASD. I’d rather work with a good solid dude than some wishy washy dope dealer (but that was 10 yrs ago man!) turned deputy.
Too bad that 1% makes the news and ruins it for the other 99%.
Look at our written test. We use the same test for security officer, custody assistant, and deputy sheriff trainee. Compared to other agencies and other departments within the county itself, it is considered one of the easiest civil service test around. At times we get what other departments don’t want. However, Class 385 which graduated this past Dec. and 386 which will graduate in a few weeks, we seem to have a number of individuals that are college grads and mature. Those that were inappropriate seem to have been separated. Let hope that we push away from GED hires and inappropriate hires we take a chance on. We can build a strong department were that 1% of bad personnel will know that the 99% of us that care about the public and the department will no longer accept their problematic behavior.
College Degrees are useless in Law Enforcement. Military experience is what we should be focusing on now.
What Top of the Mountain said…x1000!
Military service did provide many departments with strong candidates at one time, but some of those candidates now have to be looked at closely too. Due to longer wars over the past decade,the military found it harder it’s proving to fill its ranks and lowered its rcecruiting standards. The Army admitted to accepting a growing number of new recruits with from health and weight issues to lower academic test scores to criminal records. A report also found a number of incoming soldiers with prior felony arrests or convictions has more than tripled in the past five years. The recruits that have made or will make LASD academy classes so far this year and late last year are a good mixture of college educated and military veterans.
Let’s get back to the feature article. What about “she” did you not get? Had this been a male deputy, it would have been dealt with much differently. And, You all know I’m right!!!
[EDITOR’S NOTE: The comment that was originally in this space slipped through, and has now been removed. It was racist and, as the commenter’s name implies, generally hateful. Sentiments like this one have no place in the discussion and offer nothing of value. Thank you to the other commenters who, by their responses to, “Just another hater,” drew the comment to my attention.
Yes there are bad apples all around, no area, no service has the corner. But military experience does also provide life experience, and the Marine Corps does not take GED’s. I am glad the Sheriff’s took GED’s when I started in 1973. But I got my degree after I started. Recycles in a class where the guy fell asleep during orientation, he got through the second time to become a drug smuggler. They have to take a look at the total package of those that were fired to see if anything is there. I am not talking about psyches either, they all slipped through those discerning fingers.
Just a hater your post makes you sound like an ignorant individual. I assume you work for the department even though I pray you don’t.
In response to “Just another hater” – Your name says it all. The billboards are exactly in the right place if they are in South Central Los Angeles. There are many good people living there and they will be the best at policing their own neighborhood. Go back to Simi Valley or Chino Hills and don’t worry about Los Angeles. We don’t need racist and sexist officers in our city.
Public, I agree with you on this point.
alads will probably get her job back for her.
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