The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has selected Deputy District Attorney Max Huntsman as the much-awaited Inspector General, tasked with forming an office to overseeing the scandal-ridden Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
The selection of Huntsman is expected to be formally announced on Wednesday.
A Yale law school grad who has been with the DA’s office for 22 years, Huntsman is a supervisor in the LA district attorney’s public corruption division, and has also worked in the Public Integrity division of the DA’s office. In both positions, he appeared unafraid of confrontation and controversy. He has had a major roles in prosecuting corruption cases against local officials, such as former Los Angeles City Councilman Martin Ludlow, as well being out front on farther-reaching cases such as the recent L.A. Coliseum corruption scandal and the Bell corruption scandal.
Jack Leonard, who covers courts for the LA Times and knows Huntsman, writes of his work:
In the office’s Public Integrity Division…Huntsman has claimed several high-profile victories. Among them were the convictions of former Los Angeles city commissioner Leland Wong, accused of accepting bribes; former Vernon Mayor Leonis Malburg, who was charged with voter fraud for living outside the city; and Patrick T. Lynch, former general manager of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, one of six men charged in a sweeping corruption scandal.
According to sources at the Board of Supervisors, Huntsman was chosen from a short-list of around ten candidates for the position, which was winnowed down to four finalists by a special selection committee.
The members of the board then interviewed the final four and chose Huntsman.
A VIGILANT AND INDEPENDENT EYE
When the Citizens Commission on Jail Violence handed down its report in Sept 2012, the appointment of an Inspector General was arguably the most important of its list of recommendations.
Here, for example, is what the commission wrote in the report’s introduction about the need for an IG:
...The existing oversight entities — Special Counsel, OIR, and the Ombudsman —
should be absorbed and consolidated into a single Office of Inspector General reporting to the
Board of Supervisors with responsibility for providing independent oversight of the Department,
including its jail operations and and discipline system; conducting its own investigations in a limited number of particularly sensitive cases; monitoring jail conditions and inmate grievances; and
reviewing the Department’s internal audits and inspections.
Miriam Krinsky, the Commission’s Executive Director, put it this way when she heard about Huntsman’s selection:
“The new IG is a critical component of the Commission’s recommendations for enhanced, empowered and coordinated oversight of LASD, It is my hope that the new IG will build a talented and committed office and provide the necessary leadership to ensure that a vigilant and independent eye fulfills this vitally important function.”
YES, BUT CAN AN IG MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Although support for the idea of an Inspector General has been fairly universal among LASD watchers, many are concerned that, with no legal power, an IG is in danger of being one more oversight body—like the Office of Independent Review and Special Counsel Merrick Bobb and the Ombudsman’s Office—that can only tinker around the edges, but cannot prevent the kinds of catastrophes that necessitated the formation of the jails commission and that continue to surface now, a year after the commission made its recommendations.
However, when WLA talked with Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas after we heard an IG had been chosen, he was decidedly upbeat on the matter.
“We took at important step forward today with the selection of Max Huntsman out of a field of impressive candidates.”
About the worry that an IG could make a real difference, Ridley-Thomas had this to say:
“Huntsman is a seasoned prosecutor. He’s an effective troubleshooter. And he isn’t likely to back down in the face of perceived intimidation.”
“It’s very easy to be co-opted or seduced by the culture of law enforcement,” Ridley-Thomas added. But he said he felt confident that Huntsman could avoid that particular kind of quicksand that has, at times, plagued others.
“We queried him pretty strongly about that and we were impressed by his responses. He had a keen sense of what his role as an inspector general would be…and he made it very clear that he wanted to make sure that the sheriff’s department would be abiding by the law, and where they were not, he would seek to correct that behavior. And he hoped for cooperation in so doing.
“But if he found cooperation not to be forthcoming, he would seek other methods to accomplish the goal. But he assured us the goal would be accomplished. In other words, he would be undeterred.”
May it be so.
MRT said, “But if he (the IG) found cooperation not to be forthcoming, he would seek other methods to accomplish the goal. But he assured us the goal would be accomplished. In other words, he would be undeterred.” Gee, the new IG might as well get his big boy panties on right now and go to plan B. LASD ain’t exactly rife with cooperation, and certainly hasn’t been forthcoming. Seems like the real D.A’s (Cooley/Lacey) and the AG should have been busting sod before the Feds started homesteading. This looks more and more like a ploy to confine all the bad behavior (corruption and whatnot) to the Sheriff’s Department before it flows back to the Board. Yeah baby, what’s in your wallet. He can start his interviews at the Hall of Administration. The whole County needs an IG.
Hopefully, the Board of Supervisors are tired of handing out millions of dollars
each year to clean up the Department. Mr. Huntsman will have a direct line to DA Lacey. That may give him the political muscle to get things done where others have failed. I only hope I’m right!
Jack Dawson: You were right again!
What a waste of time. Mr. Huntsman should focus on executive and management ranks, not the rank and file. Problem is, that is where the political power of the organization is exercised, and enables corruption throughout the department.
As soon as this boy scout hits a third rail, he will be stonewalled and ignored because he doesn’t have the power of subpoena and the authorization of the state constitution. Mark my words the sheriff will feed Mr. Huntsman with the proverbial deputy who volunteers to be thrown under the bus, all while the cameras are rolling. The overarching problem with the department is that it was and is being run into the ground by a corrupt sheriff who has crossed the line into criminal misconduct. He surrounded himself with like minded enablers, specifically Paul Tanaka, and they will be indicted as co-conspirators in a massive scheme to defraud the taxpayer, consolidate power, and retaliate against all perceived enemies who threaten their empire.
Mike Carona has nothing on the dynamic duo of Baca and Tanaka. Funny how in this line of work department members deal with investigating crime all the time, but when it happens right under their nose they become blind, deaf, and dumb.
Leroy and Paul, your worst fears will become reality soon…
Former Undersheriff can kick. Max right there
Sheriff Baca you really need to evaluate who you trust. JH and EV just sold you a bag of goods. Another Tanaka supporter promoted to Captain at Century Station. Some day you will figure it out.
Happy Turkey Day!!! Everybody be safe and enjoy your families. We will get back to the infighting tomorrow.
OIR are a bunch of Jokers who drive county owned cars and handle cases outside LA Co while LA Co taxpayers pay for the cars and gas. Do Taxpayers (I am included) pay for their offices in Commerce too? I like all the comments I have read so far tonight and wish Mr. Huntsman would have a Confidential Hot Line for some of us to lead him in the right direction for the corruption/questionable things/cover-ups. Rank and File Dep’s aren’t the problem, we do our jobs daily while the Exec’s enjoy the Perks and forget where they came from. Happy Thanksgiving!
I agree with LATBG — DDA Max Huntsman’s appointment to the new Inspector General’s position will result in the same impact both Merrick Bobb and OIR have had on LASD — little or nothing. With all due respect to Mr. Huntsman, as highly competent and energized as he may be, aside from providing window dressing, as long as Baca and the remaining Tanaka-appointed command staff continue to occupy their positions, nothing will change. The Board has hired someone who is knee-deep in the SoCal criminal justice triumvirate, steep in a longtime interdependent relationship. If Cooley and Lacey and California AG Kamala Harris have stood by for years taking no action, especially considering they’ve been made aware of the corruption within LASD by more than a few credible sources, what makes the Board or any uninformed and/or gullible LA Co citizen think the addition of this new layer of oversight will cause any new revelations and change? It’s distraction and diverts attention and resources from getting people indicted.
C: Before you report on the latest tragedy tomorrow and I want you to think about what’s wrong with this commission.
1. This IG will have the same people in it as before just a different name! What the Hell will that accomplish? Get rid of all the people from OIR and the Judge! I like the Judge but he and OIR are way past their pull date!
2. How far will this commission go back? Will they offer people who have been retaliated against a chance to speak or will this just start from some date picked out of the air?
3. What will be the pull date on this commission? You watch this commission will go on forever far beyond it’s purpose! Just like OIR!
4. What legal authority will the commission have?
5. The DA and State AG won’t do anything. Lacy begged for Baca’s endorsement!
6. Who does the commission report to?
7. How will it function? Year to year? That’s way too late to react to corruption.
8. New people must be selected and people who are suspicious of Baca and LASD in general.
9. How much will this cost?
Unless we get rid of Baca and/or Tanaka this commission will mean nothing!!
The LA Times printed their Thanksgiving “Thanks” list last Thursday. This is an exact quote from that list. For all citizens of LA County and to the employees of LASD, do you really want 4 more years of Baca-Tanaka? Are you not embarrassed enough by the exposure of the corruption within LASD that they created?
“The departure from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department of Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, who’d been accused by the Citizens’ Commission on Jail Violence of trying to undermine the credibility of internal affairs investigations.”
That about says it all, folks.
Interesting you mention doing the right thing BR. We have executives with dark tint on the front door windows of their county issued vehicles. I am not speaking of undercover vehicles, it’s the unmarked vehicles that Captains and above drive. Is doing the right thing stealing from the MTA by falsifying/creating dummy logs at the direction of executives, in an effort to satisfy contract minutes? Oh that’s right, it goes on at almost every station with a contract city. How about the mafia style taxing of the contract tow companies? What about executives drinking alcoholic beverages at department run golf tournaments that are taking place mid week during their work hours? What about the Lieutenant test scratch paper nonsense or the Sergeant’s test being compromised? Why are executives so often protected when they’re caught with a hand in the cookie jar? Do they have enough dirt on those above them that their dirty shirt should be cleaned and reworn as if the dirt never existed?