The latest federal trial involving members of the Los Angeles Sheriff Department accused of brutalizing jail inmates has been unfolding since Tuesday (with one day off due to an attorney’s sudden illness), and is expected to wrap up closing arguments on Monday.
As you may remember, the defendants in this newest courtroom drama are two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies, Bryan Brunsting and Jason Branum, who are charged with beating, kicking, and pepper spraying a reportedly non-resistant, mentally ill inmate named Phillip Jones in order to ‘teach” Jones “a lesson” after the inmate mouthed off to a female custody assistant in the county’s Twin Towers jail facility.
The government’s star witness is a third deputy named Joshua Sather who had been out of the sheriff’s academy and on the job at the jail for only a week, with Brunting was his training officer. According to Sather, he was told by Brunting to participate in the beating, and then directed afterward to write a false report blaming the inmate as the out-of-control aggressor.
But then the night after the beating, according to prosecutors Brandon Fox and Lindsey Greer Dotson, Sather “developed a conscience.”
According to the defense, it wasn’t a conscience that Sather developed, but “a fabrication,” for self-serving reasons of his own.
Another crucial witness is Porscha Singh, the custody assistant who was the object of the inmate’s insult. Singh was compelled to testify by U.S. District Court Judge George Wu, and given immunity by the feds, as long as she testified truthfully. When on the stand, she told the jury the did not want to be in court. “I was subpoenaed and I didn’t want a bench warrant to be issued.”
She said she had also been given immunity, meaning that nothing that she said would be used to bring charges against her, “…as long as my testimony is truthful.”
Defense attorneys Richard Hirsch and Donald Re maintained that Singh was telling any “truth” the government wanted to hear in order to get the desired immunity.
Witness testimony continues on Friday, and we’ll have a full report for you on Monday, so….stay tuned.
With the war cry of “Training Training Training” by ALADS V.P. What is being done to train custody deputies. How about dipping into ALADS war chest of millions and implementing training to avoid prison sentences for the largest division of deputies… which is Custody. Many of you at ALADS look down at deputies assigned to custody division.In reality you would not exist without them.
Wow. Bitter much? As a 20yr patrol dog, my reply will be simple.
ALADS is not a surrogate for department training. Be thankful they provide a supplement to the training the department refuses to provide, yet holds you accountable for. If you see gaps in mandated training, POST would like to hear from you.
I won’t address the personal attack as it is obvious there are axes to grind.
If you are a young buck, cool your jets and learn the ways of the department. Become a student of the profession and you will eventually see, and maybe even guide great things. If you are a patrol burnout, patrol hider, or patrol coward slinging “gas” from the top tier, I have no time for your games. Tip-of-the-spear doesn’t get real training but once every few years. Yet we still “handle it.” Go enjoy your ODR food. We will continue to haul the mail.
Easy there 1035…if by carrying the mail you mean teaching the new deps to call a sergeant for everything, call air support for 415f’s, talk so much on the radio that everyone is stepping on each other, put out broadcasts with no workable info or call K9 every time a bad guy runs well then I’d say you’ve been delivering nothing but junk
20 years in patrol. Cool! You’re either a urban legend or ALADS former V.P. from Norwalk Station who didnt get reelected to the board. Training should not come packaged as Raging Waters or the annual River Trip. Simple lectures on what and what not to do, can be starters. The Billy Bad Ass image/actions of those to receive prison sentences more than likely began in custody. Facts no axe.
@MCJ, I actually think you have a valid suggestion for ALADS and PPOA, training classes. Although I’m retired, I don’t think much as changed in the last few years, but LASD has been seriously lacking in meaningful training for decades and there are a few reasons. 1. The amount of “mandated training” is staggering. Much of it is bullshit, feel good, PC topics, all rolled into one. It’s mandated by brass, it’s mandated by the State, most “without overtime,” requirements. It’s nearly impossible to do. 2. A large percentage of “Training Sergeants” are clueless, no training background and we’re just looking for an A+ schedule. Additionally, they are saddled with Scheduling as well, a thankless job. So 90% of their time is dealing with scheduling issues and at the same time, scheduling mandated training, which is back to #1. That leaves, appropriately so, training left up to shift sergeants. Well, there is another problem, it’s a mixed bag. There are a percentage of sergeants that have zero experience, zero credibility and zero motivation; they are lost sheep and scared, so they read a briefing board and kick folks loose. Some sergeants are just the opposite, so they squeeze in as much info they can in a short period of time, do the best they can and are probably more frustrated than the troops.
ALADS and PPOA have the resources to but on wonderful training seminars that include legal updates, officer survival, tactical options, etc. They can hire or find quality volunteer speakers from a variety of sources and put on quality training. No “pretty boys and pretty girls” who have minimal experience found in some training units, no wing nuts that will tell you assassins are in every tree, but rather mature and experienced speakers who are knowledgeable and motivational. LASD can’t or won’t do this because their decision makers are clueless. Something to think about.
Twoscore & five years of the S.O.S @ ALADS.
The recently filed lawsuit against Green & Shinee has taken away the money grubbing grin from Dick. Ask Ron.
I’m sure Dick will pass the bill to ALADS. The elephant shitting in the room is never addressed.
I don’t care about patrol. I don’t care about custody. I don’t care about courts. I care about how I look to the public. I am going to show Lapd why they should have picked me as top dog. I am going to fire deputies because that’s what makes sense. I am going to hire anyone who says yes to me. I am superior.
@MCJ NEWS You sound like a guy that has committed to stay in custody, hence why you all need all this training. Funny thing is there is plenty of training out there, you just have to seek it. It may be on your own dime and time, but is your career not important. I agree CUSTODY is a joke and I only go back for easy OT, but that sad part is a lot of those young or not so young deps have become so complacent. Ive seen it with my own eyes. Work smart in there bud and you are that passionate about training, then look for it on your own. On a side note there was a time where someone that had 20 years on and in patrol just naturally got respected @1035. Humble yourself you haven’t done anything yet.