The LA Times is on a roll with this one. Robert Faturechi and Ari Bloomekatz report.
Here’s a clip:
A Los Angeles County supervisor called on the Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday to be more transparent about how taxpayer dollars are being spent within its volunteer reserves program.
Supervisor Gloria Molina’s comments came after The Times reported this week that at least one reserve deputy — a fundraiser for Sheriff Lee Baca — had been assigned a county car, a perk most full-time deputies are denied. The department’s acknowledgment came after several initial refusals to disclose that information.
A motion introduced by Molina, and approved unanimously, urged the Sheriff’s Department to run its reserves program with “integrity and accountability.”
Last year, the Sheriff’s Department denied an inquiry about cars for reserves by one of its own captains, Phillip Hansen, who heads the reserves division. Hansen said he asked for the information after hearing complaints about deep-pocketed donors in the reserves program getting take-home cars.
Molina said she was disturbed that the department denied information to one of its own managers and said she has been faced with similar stonewalling recently when asking for information about the sheriff’s troubled jails.
“I feel for the captain because I feel like I’m in the same boat,” Molina said.
The Sheriff’s Department also refused to comply with a public records request last year from The Times regarding take-home county car use and gasoline consumption by four reserves who have given Baca political support or gifts
Photo by Irfan Khan for the LA Times
Glad to see the Board of Supervisors getting involved. Great work Ms. Molina! With Leroy’s continued idiotic actions and promoting guys that throw gang signs to the Underseriff and Assistant Sheriff spots, it will take her initiative to get the three stooges out!
Many of us may at time disagree on Mrs. Molina’s politics; however, she has an excellent record of holding the Sheriff’s office accountable.
She should also look into cars given to donors and supporters that are not reserves. There’s quite a few running around. Have someone check with Fleet Management to see where they are.
I have to side with G. Molina on this issue. The Sheriff should be held accountable for this fiasco.
The real question is which administrator offered the greater benefits to his supporters. U/S Tanaka promoted and provided advancement to folks that donated to his campaign, while Sheriff Baca issued county vehicles to his supporters.
The Board of Supervisors needs to understand that this is just a fragment of the corruption that has been widespread in the LASD leadership. Consider it a small piece of the larger culture of corruption and coverup, which is institutionalized within the LASD.
“Why should it be so hard to do the right thing?”
It is commendable that so many department members are coming forward to expose the corruption at every level. The whistleblowers now even include people who hold or have held positions of rank within the department. This is without precedent. With that said, this is nothing new. This has been taking place, over and over, and in plain view of other department members for at least the past eight years. I would therefore pose a question to each of you who stood by over the years, and watched the illegal retaliatory acts purposefully destroy a persons career then destroy that persons life. And while you likely knew that there was no factual basis for such public destructions by the corrupt executives, you should have reasonably known, that retaliation in the workplace is illegal. For the many who just stood by and watched – why did you take no action to address or correct? You merely became part of the corruption in maintaining your silence – you gave your tacit approval for the illegal retaliatory acts – and so they continue. So maybe you stood by and did nothing figuring it was: 1) none of my business; 2) if it didn’t affect me, why should I care; or, 3) the IGM attitude – “I got mine” and I won’t lift a finger and do what I know is right. So you sat by quietly for whatever reason, and now the long lived retaliation machine has perhaps set its sights on you. Feel backed into a corner? Feeling completely isolated because once you become a target, all of your former department “friends” steer clear of you thinking that if the retaliatory executive even “perceives” that you are associated with one of the targets, you will get caught up too? Dont forget that the retaliatory vehicle of the corruption has customarily been the utilization of fabricated Internal Affairs cases.
So, in retrospect, and for the sake of argument, I challenge you to consider those dedicated employees who have been illegally destroyed over say, the past eight years. Are you counting more than a handful? More than a dozen? And, are you speaking up now because the sights of the “long operated retaliation machine” have now focused upon you? So now, thinking back, what is it that you would do differently, if you could relive that period of time? And, lastly – I distinctly remember that retaliation was illegal in 2004 as well as being a violation of the department’s own Policy. This remains illegal, and against policy, to date.
Always remember that the truth will never change. And, to all department members who stood up against this machine, and suffered because of it, you will always have my deepest respect. You exemplify the qualities inherent in the departments highest award – the Medal of Valor – wherein you “demonstrated great courage, placing yourself in a position of immediate, life threatening peril, with full knowledge of the risk involved”.
P.S. Consider that the answer to question #4 (paragraph 2) is – to “Stand up and Lead”
To DOEINC:
Your analysis and comments are spot on. Thank you.
The Department does need to be accountable. But this is just another grenade lobbed by one side of the table to the other. The politics behind this is disgusting. I had great respect for the good Captain.
But he has been at Reserve Forces for two years and before that he was at Emergency Operations as an Operations Lt. He knew those reserves had cars and others. Why did he choose to say something now?
Certainly as the Operations Lt he was in a position to address the issue. And why wait two years to ask about it now? When he tried to address the issue, who was it with and when?
The points raised by this public washing of dirty clothes are valid, but the motivation unfortunately is in question.
As these grenades are dropped, people are plotting their time of power, and please understand if they succeed it won’t be by leading, it will be by back stabbing, manipulation, and grenade tossing.
The Captain spent many a year in SEB, and I truly respect his commitment to the Department for those years. Again I do not question the “revelation” they did have those vehicles’. But Paul has known this for several years. I’m not sure this is the same person and someone should ask what color is the horse?
DOEINC, kudos for a well thought out post. We should create a medal of valor for Moral Courage, as you implied, awarded to those who “demonstrated great courage, placing yourself in a position of immediate, CAREER threatening peril, with full knowledge of the risk involved.
We unfortunately live in times of IGM. This crowd runs around, polishing their fraudulently obtained rank, looking sheepishly the other way when they encounter those who know the real story. When IGM brass cross paths with the many (and growing) numbers of retaliation recipients, one can smell the “it sucks to be you” stench in the air.
There are so many issues that have yet to be revealed, this reserve car crap is just the tip of the iceberg. I think it’s time Celeste and Matt delve more deeply into Baca’s hiring practices in regards to donors. The stories of Steve Whitmore, Michael Leum, and Richard Weintraub should prove to be very interesting, along with the Reverend Bishop Turner and other field deputies.
I recall an analogy a retired sergeant once gave me. In his words, you can chose to be on the train or on the tracks and get run over. The analogy has its limitations, because 1) it assumes the train is on the right track, and 2) it assumes the track never ends.
The train wreck is approaching, so please don’t do anything you will regret later. If you have already compromised your integrity by participating in acts of retaliation, you may want to start thinking of how to make amends with those you harmed along the way.
In the end the truth will prevail.
Celeste what happened? I didn’t think my post was an attack on a person, but the system.
Check the facts, they are not made up and I just question the motive of the act.
Why not make the allegations when he knew about them some 4 plus years ago? Why now?
There is more here, trust me.
He was retiring before he promoted to Captain and the Sheriff promoted and put him in charge of the Reserves, the Sheriff not Tanaka.
He puts in his papers last year to retire and pulls them right after, then he waits to this year, drops the bomb and puts in his papers? Why?
But if you found it an attack ok, pull it. But it wasn’t a personal attack.
Left at the ball, I’ve not deleted any comment such as the one you described. I’ll see if my spam assassin got it.
Yep, spam assassin. It got somebody else’s too, for reasons that I find mysterious.
EVERYONE, if you can’t figure out why some comment of yours hasn’t appeared, feel free to email me (Or post a comment like Left at the ball did). Sometimes my spam bouncer has a psychotic episode and takes hostages.
At my age, I still spend long days making sure folks go to jail that need to go to jail. I love this job and frankly at my level, I don’t concern myself with politics. I’m not a Sgt. and don’t want to be. All of you active folks that cry on here should focus more on what it is we do for a living than venting on this site (hopefully not on County time). As for the retired folks on here, congrats for lasting 25 – 30+ years. Now stop crying and enjoy your retirement. You earned it. As I have said before, I’m leaving this job knowing I didn’t hurt anyone above or below me.
Top of the mountain:
With all due respect, taking people to jail and keeping your head buried in the sand is easy. What is not easy is trying to change this organization into something we can all be proud of. There is more to life than not hurting people above or below you. Stop playing it safe………
I focus on my job, being honest, and my family. Thats all I need. When I am gone, I will remember the good times and definitely forget about the bad times. Fight the political machine if you will and good luck. As for me, I will stay on the fence, stay quiet, and look forward to walking down the mountain.
One speculation about certain Sheriff Reserves who have been assigned a vehicle discounts the rumours that donor status is the dertiminant.
Possibly practical reasons exist to provide the vehicles to certain Reserves – practical, but not correct or polite to mention in mixed company.
That speculation can see the vehicle’s usefullness for assignment to a courier. The official county car driven by a Sheriff Reserve is ideal in case it was pulled over, even if stopped in a highly questionable location.
Once the Reserve Officer and car have been identified and acknowledged – the chance of law enforcement insisting on a search is miniscule.
A fairly ideal status if the vehicle’s true use is as courier for cash and contraband.
Comments on this article posted earlier and removed speculated on s Sheriff’s Dept. Helicopter used for personal commuting by a Sheriff Dept. pilot residing in the SCV.
Those commenters may be making an incorrect assumption that the Helicopter pilot was granted personal use as a result of favoritism.
The purpose could have a practical explanation for parking the chopper at a North County jail site rather the Sheriff Dept. designated aero facility in Long Beach.
The Sheriff may from time to time need a helicopter for special assignments. For these assignments, they can avoid meeting requirements to file or declare a flight plan by avoiding the Long Beach facility.
The Long Beach aerocenter will log the time for all arrivals and departures from its grounds. By parking the chopper on some fenced in dirt in the boonies the recordkeeping becomes lighter – some things the Sheriff might rather folks not raed about.
The mental midgets on this site never seize to amaze me. St. Curious, with your skills you should also be actively looking into who brought down the Towers on 9/11. Vovos has given more money to charity than he ever gave to the Sheriff. (Including to SEB and the families of deputies killed in the line of duty.) Phil Hanson has shown his true colors. He never could get over not getting the captain job at SEB. He never missed an opportunity at a social event to call the Sheriff an idiot, or Capt. Washington just another dumb “n” word. The fact that he is best friends with the Abners is not lost. I guess his pillsbury doughboy nickname is well deserved after all.
Stationing a helicopter in the North County was a benefit to the residents. With the better budgeting and common sense Tanaka brought to the Department, it was made possible.
As for the whole “pay to play” nonsense with the Sheriff and Tanaka… Get a grip. People give to people they like and respect, when they ask for help, whether its work related or not. If you don’t like someone, are you going to give them money? They dog the President every day for the same type of nonsense. So I don’t see the Feds getting involved in that conspiracy theory any time soon either, despite your delusions.
Donkanator says: “People give to people they like and respect, when they ask for help, whether its work related or not.” I take it you have a poor understanding of laws related to conflict of interest, solicitations to government employees, and county ordinances that govern these issues. Beyond that, why would an executive solicit campaign contributions from the very people they have to make employee decisions on?
Reality does not support your head in the sand philosophy.
Top of the Mountain:
We all want to take that same walk down the mountain. Some take different routes. You choose to stay on the fence and out of harms way…..which is your right and I have no issues with. I did take issue with your earlier blog which I thought was disparaging to those that want to make a difference and voice their concerns on this website. Good luck and enjoy your walk down the mountain.
Donkanator, giving is good, giving and recieving selective rewards back is not. Anyone who has worked with Phil Hanson, knows he is an outstanding individual. Ask any North County deputy about air support, bet their answer will be “what air support”. A Helicopter had been stationed at the Mira Loma Jail in AV, for decades. Commuting back and forth between home and work only began when Tanaka brought in his friend Duran, as the Captain at the air unit. When a deputy gets promoted after a donation of a few hundred, up to a thousand dollars to Tanaka (and for his Gardena political goals) it is very questionable, especially when many are just competent level people. It is just the facts sir.
Duran was marginal as a supervisor as Safe Steerts Bureau. He made lieutenant by beefing the testing process and playing the race card……… or so the rumor goes.
Please excuse spelling errors…..typing too quick. Should read Safe Streets Bureau.
Dirty Dealings,
Now you are citing rumors? I thought we lived in the fact world.
If you have something to say about a person speak from knowledge, not rumor.
Fact: Yes Duran is a marginal supervisor. Fact: Several people in Aero will say this.
If there is an air unit “parking on the dirt” up north to avoid flight plans, the flight log should either confirm or disprove this allegation.
If there is a deputy using an aero unit for a “take home car” there should be an in service showing his/her time for the day and compare it with were the bird is at the EOW.
Top of the Mountain: Everyday we complain the citizens in the communities we serve don’t take the initiative to help themselves, they sit on the fence. And now you use this as a reason not to stand for something so important as the Departments reputation? Shame on you. Grow some… and take a stance on something.
Donkanator: It is ok to stand for something, but look at the situation that was created and ask if there is some things that could be done better. Admit to some errors and lets all make the changes that need to happen.
Again Phil Hansen has a career reputation of being a stand up man, and he is extremely intelligent, but his last move was not right. Not right in how he handled it. Everyone put down the rocks, quit breaking glass and fix this .
Dirty Dealings,
You’re all over the place. If Duran is in the car why would he have to beef the test and play the race card? Come on man, choose a theory and stick with it. It’s one or the other. Can’t be both.
You’re not making yourself appear very credible with bullshit like this. Perhaps it would be a good idea to not spread rumors simply because they are unflattering about a person you obviously have a beef with.
In your zest to make Duran look bad, you’re making yourself look bad re: credibility.
I worked AV and am now at PLM. My two cents about aero, the worst thing they ever did was roll up a sergeant with the initials Richard Gurr. I know people think this valley is an vest pool, but someone down there should be investigated for one huge criminal act of illegal dumping.
cest
Left at the Ball:
Although that was the rumor circulating the Bureau at the time, you are right. I do not have any first hand knowledge and should not have spoken out of turn. Thanks for straightening me out. I actually though better of it after I had already posted it. As far as Mr. Contradicting Yourself: I never mentioned Duran “was in the car” Don’t know if he is or even care. Perhaps you should slow down and read the blogs a bit more carefully.
I stand corrected. It was others who suggested Duran was in the car and a close friend of Tanaka. You are right. I was wrong. My apologies.
Althoug I was wrong concerning who it is has suggested Duran is in the car, I stand by my premise. Either the people spreading the “beefed the test played the race card” rumor are wrong or those saying Duran “is in the car” are wrong.
The two just don’t jive.
ALADS and POPA Officers/Directors need to stop fiddling while Rome burns.
It is obvious that the current crony management team “running” the department is incapable putting out the fires (i.e:, Vikings, 3000 Boys “Seasons beatings” Quiet Cannon fight with crony captain present, another crony captain cavorting with criminals under crony management’s noses, drug smuggling deputies, federal investigations, lawsuits galore without legitimate force investigations to refute them, pay to play promotions, campaign donors (even at the deputy level) circumventing the chain of command all the way to the undersheriff, harassment and discrimination of non-campaign donors, reserve forces scandals, etc., etc., etc..
The prevailing sentiment in the department is disbelief, disappointment, anger, and a complete lack of confidence in its crony “leaders.”
Leaders of labor organizations have solemn duty to faithfully represent their membership. Circumstances such as these, which are very rare, require labor leaders to stand up and do the difficult job of empowering their members and challenging inept management.
ALADS and POPA leaders can no longer afford to stand quietly by while crony “managers” are steering theTitanic full-speed into an ice burg.
It is time for ALADS and POPA members to demand a vote of confidence or no confidence in the Sheriff, Undersheriff. Either way, the membership will have a say in the matter.
The Sheriff, Undersheriff, and their crony “managers” hold you accountable, now it is time to hold them accountable. The department is every bit as much yours as it is theirs.
This is an extremely serious, but very necessary thing to do.
Stop the Madness wants ALADS to get involved? God help everyone if we go back to the Block/Graham era the people behind most of the crap here want. We can go back to the mediocre department we were. Where the “who investigates the investigators” articles had too many stories to choose from. And go back to when morale was consistently in the toilet, as opposed to just recently under Baca.
The constant attack here on Baca and Tanaka has become more than a little transparent.
The only ones who ever jumped on the Viking, deputy gang, bandwagon were plaintiffs attorneys, parolees and people of similar mindsets. There isn’t a police department or military unit in the world that doesn’t have groups that get tattoos. And those of us who don’t have other motives don’t need to spin them.
Get POPA involved? It didn’t take the new (old) IAB more than a week to start leaking information from confidential files in the Cooper case. But we won’t hold our breath waiting for the leak about the part where the allegations against him were credibly refuted, but they chose to ignore it.
I’ll give this tired bunch of supervisors who want to whine about who got promoted to what, all the way up through the ranks of so called “Executives”, credit for mounting this concerted attack in a last ditch effort to revive themselves. If deputies fall for it, they have no one to blame but themselves.
Baca has put forth a vision that has propelled this Department to the forefront of departments nationwide. For being steadfastly loyal to him, Tanaka is now under considerable, personal attack that is not worthy of anyone who ever wears, or wore, the badge. What region you work has never actually, ultimately mattered to either one of them. The whole pay to play nonsense doesn’t exist either. Anyone dumb enough to think you could show up at a fundraiser and pay a hundred bucks for a promotion should probably also stop dating their sister. (Oh, but I know some of the bloggers here are really, reeallly smart, so go ahead and give us the erroneous legal advice again on that subject.)
The only “no confidence” vote that needs to be taken is in the EPC. Deputies are too busy working while you idiots are sitting around convincing yourselves that you coulda, shoulda, woulda, been captain, commander, chief…sheriff if it wasn’t for – fill in the self-serving reason here.
Stop the Presses, great post. I have put up a few posts of my own on a couple of these stories, but lately I have not even bothered, as I know it would be drowned out by the disgruntled masses that have made this site their life. After reading what you wrote, however, I have to say that hit it right on the head. It is comical that so many of the regular posters on this site (who generally fall into the category of either retired and bored/disgruntled or active and feeling slighted over their rank and/or assignment) really and truly believe that Baca and Tanaka are so terrified of this website, and that their judgement day is right around the corner. Give me a break. What exactly do you people think is going to happen? If you think the executives will all retire en masse because they are afraid of a website, okay, keep dreaming. If you are pinning your hopes on the FBI coming through for you and somehow connecting the force at MCJ into a criminal case against some high ranking executives, it would appear you are missing some “elements of the crime”. Finally, many of these malcontents keep referencing the next election for sheriff, as if their savior is going to sweep into office and save the day. Really? Most citizens of LA County don’t even know the name of the sheriff, and even fewer will bother to vote. And to top it off, the incumbent is pretty much a lock to win, unless he dies before the election day. When that happens, he still comes close. So no, there is no one coming to “clean up” the department. Not that it needs to be. Crime is down countywide. A lot of it is due to the aggressive and innovative policing tactics now utilized by this department. Facts are facts. In particular, homicides are way down in the sheriffs. And its not because the potential murderers are afraid of the death penalty in California. Most of it is due to the improved technology and proactive policing tactics deputies are now encouraged to employ. A few brave souls have posted on this site that deputies are now not afraid to do their jobs, because they know the executives will back them up, and won’t throw them under the bus if they make a mistake. I can wholeheartedly vouch for that sentiment. I have worked for many of the executives and supervisors that are so maligned on this site, and I can say that almost to a person they are all capable, honest, caring, and hardworking professionals. Its that last adjective that really ticks off a lot of these complainers. They will make personal attacks on people who have been promoted ahead of them, and gripe that there was favoritism at play. Maybe you should consider that they just outworked you, or had something more to offer. Just like in the old days when you tested for FTO. Who usually got the job? Thats right, the guys who worked. The ones that were passed over tended to be the lazy slugs and/or the people who always complained about everything. Neither one of those types would be good in that assignment, and the same concept should apply to the leadership ranks on this department. And with very few exceptions, it does. Get a clue people. Most deputies on this department who signed on to be cops like and respect Tanaka. They are generally not the ones blogging here, because they are too busy making arrests in all the regions the department covers. This department will continue in its mission, with or without the support of all of its members. If some of you don’t want to be part of the team, thats fine. The rest of us will pick up your slack.
Pot calling the kettle black. How about exposing all the “perks” that the stuporvisors enjoy?
779 and Stop the Presses: it’s unhealthy to drink that much Koolaid. The best part of the posts: “Most deputies on this department who signed on to be cops like and respect Tanaka.”
Please entertain us all on how you arrived at that astonishing conclusion. The way I see it, most deputies on this department who signed on to be cops like and respect leaders with honor and integrity.
Somewhere along the way, the dynamic duo have misplaced theirs.
#13 Chan can only occur when you have unity, unfortunately the unions are in the car as well. Everything is politics you have union leaders who only care about them selves. ALADS + POPA = LASD loyal servants.
Yes they play the game but in reality they are all Baca’s butt boys.
It’s hard to read through so much 779 drivel, but this stood out:
“I have worked for many of the executives and supervisors that are so maligned on this site, and I can say that almost to a person they are all capable, honest, caring, and hardworking professionals.”
Another favorite:
“Maybe you should consider that they just outworked you, or had something more to offer.”
779: you apparently are deep in the car, and in the minority here. If you have been “outworking” others, please entertain us how. Otherwise, we will assume that “something more to offer” was a campaign contribution and a willingness to do the corrupt biddings of the dynamic duo.