LASDHQ

CORONER BREAKS PROTOCOL BY RELEASING AUTOPSY RESULTS 680 380 SIB Staff

CORONER BREAKS PROTOCOL BY RELEASING AUTOPSY RESULTS

CORONER BREAKS PROTOCOL BY RELEASING AUTOPSY RESULTS – JEOPARDIZING INVESTIGATION

July 10, 2020

The unprecedented release of the Andres Guardado autopsy report today by the Medical Examiner-Coroner, Dr. Jonathan Lucas, has the potential to jeopardize the investigation, the filing of the case, and any possible future criminal or administrative proceedings. This move will now force the Sheriff’s Department to use court orders to enforce security holds that exist for only one purpose – to prevent tainting witness testimony prior to interviews.  Dr. Lucas has acknowledged succumbing to pressure from the Board of Supervisors and the Office of Inspector General, and has now made the astonishing admission that he sacrificed the integrity of the investigation in a bid to satisfy public curiosity.

In a coordinated release, Supervisor Ridley Thomas lauded the coroner’s efforts, unwittingly demonstrating a poor grasp of both the investigative responsibilities of the Sheriff’s Department and the lack of authority the politically-appointed Inspector General has to interfere with and jeopardize the integrity of criminal investigations.  As Sheriff of Los Angeles County, I find it deeply troubling that an elected supervisor would use the authority of his office to bully the coroner and sow mistrust of law enforcement in the community.  While these apparent goals may satisfy Supervisor Ridley Thomas’ narrow political aspirations, it does nothing to advance the public’s interest.

The Sheriff’s Department will not be providing any commentary on the Andres Guardado case until the investigation has been completed.  To do so prior would establish a poor precedent that can threaten the integrity of all future criminal investigations, including deputy involved shootings.  832.7 PC does provide for public access to officer involved shooting investigations, however the law does not provide for public dissemination prior to the completion of the investigation.  

Sheriff Alex Villanueva

If you have concerns regarding the above, share your voice.  You may contact your Board of Supervisors at the below:
 County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors

Hilda L. Solis
Supervisor, First District
Phone: (213) 974-4111
[email protected]

Mark Ridley-Thomas
Supervisor, Second District
Phone: (213) 974-2222
[email protected]

Sheila Kuehl
Supervisor, Third District
Phone: (213) 974-3333
[email protected]

Janice Hahn
Supervisor, Fourth District
Phone: (213) 974-4444
[email protected]

Kathryn Barger – CHAIR
Supervisor, Fifth District
Phone: (213) 974-5555
[email protected]

Not sure who your Supervisor is?  Click Link to Find Out: http://bos.lacounty.gov/About-Us/Board-of-Supervisors

Death of Palmdale Man Ruled a Suicide 900 510 SIB Staff

Death of Palmdale Man Ruled a Suicide

Death of Palmdale Man Ruled a Suicide

Press Conference: Sheriff Villanueva and Sheriff’s Officials to Discuss Robert Fuller Death Investigation

Sheriff Villanueva and Sheriff’s officials will further discuss the circumstances surrounding the Robert Fuller death investigation.

Posted by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Thursday, July 9, 2020

Sheriff Alex Villanueva called a press conference today, Thursday, July 9, 2020, to announce the latest findings in the circumstances surrounding the death of Robert Fuller, who was found hanging from a tree in Palmdale.  Mr. Fuller’s body was discovered in the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 10, 2020, in the 38300 block of 9th Street East, Palmdale.  He was 24 years old.

From the beginning of the investigation, Sheriff Villanueva assured the decedent’s family and the public a thorough and objective investigation would be conducted, with the cooperation of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice Attorney General’s office. 

Commander Chris Marks, who oversees Detective Division and Homicide Bureau, provided a timeline of events in the investigation, the steps detectives took, the information they gathered, and the factual culmination of their results.  Based upon many components of the investigation including:  Evidence collected at the scene, the calculation of physical logistics at the scene, evidence collected at supplemental locations, scientific results, autopsy results, mental health and medical records, clinically-documented statements of suicidal intent made by the patient, information from the family, and the lack of evidence of involvement by a third party, The Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner determined that Robert Fuller’s death was a suicide by hanging, and published that report.

The Sheriff offered his condolences to the Fuller family for the loss of their son, and called upon the Board of Supervisors for proper funding of mental health treatment centers, which often run overcrowded, underfunded and without enough resources.

Because of the current civic climate and in the wake of civil unrest across the nation, the manner of Robert Fuller’s death raised many questions.  Many demanded answers right away, however, this type of investigation takes time and methodical, documented processing.  “Because the people are demanding answers immediately,” said Sheriff Villanueva, “doesn’t mean we get to skip processes.”  Skipping steps and rushing to judgement to satisfy outside pressure can easily compromise the truth.  “The only pressure we should satisfy is the truth,” said the Sheriff.

To close or not to close; consider the victims & families 1024 732 SIB Staff

To close or not to close; consider the victims & families

To Close or Not to Close?  Consider the Victims and Their Families

Patricia Wenskunas, founder and CEO of Crime Survivors, a non-profit advocacy and resource center for crime victims, made a plea to the Board of Supervisors and the public to consider the impact of reducing the 2020-2021 fiscal budget for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD).  The $545 million budget cut was recently approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, in response to a shrunken purse after COVID-19, despite the availability of alternative sources of money for government than sales tax. 

In addition to more than 300 pending personnel layoffs, Board members also followed CEO Sachi Hamai’s recommendation to eliminate four important investigative bureaus:   Special Victims Bureau, which investigates crimes against some of the most vulnerable of our population, children and victims of sexual assault, who are victims of atrocities like physical abuse, sexual abuse and rape; Operation Safe Streets, which investigates gang-related crimes, collects gang intelligence and maintains current information on local street gangs; Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau, which investigates crimes committed online and various forms of fraud, including identity theft, real estate fraud and wire fraud; and Major Crimes Bureau, which specializes in investigating kidnapping for ransom, illegal medical practices, extortion, solicitation for murder, series and pattern robberies, etc. 

Scrapping these specialized bureaus will cause investigations to be decentralized and conducted at a station-level by detectives whose caseloads are already heavily burdened.  Special Victims Bureau detectives, alone, average 25-30 cases per month, and carry specialized training and valuable experience with them as they leave their positions.

The discussion of these pending losses came during a press conference on Monday, July 6, 2020, at the Sheriff’s Training and Resource Center in Whittier, with Sheriff Alex Villanueva, family members of crime victims, and victim advocates in attendance.  As a victim of attempted murder, Mrs. Wenskunas revealed her very personal encounter with detectives; she spoke in first person of seeing their compassion, dedication and commitment to victims and the community.  She addressed the elimination of the Special Victims Bureau, Major Crimes Bureau, Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau, and Operation Safe Streets, and the proposal to close the Men’s Central Jail.

Mrs. Wenskunas addressed the Board of Supervisors directly and thanked them for watching the press conference.  “We need to make sure that victims are provided justice within our legal system,” she said.  “We cannot let these offenders not serve their time and be released back into our communities.”  And yet, with elimination of the specialized investigative bureaus, the closure of a jail facility and the impending release of inmates, “…victims’ voices are not heard.  Who’s speaking about the victims?” she asked, and read a list of crime classifications and numbers of inmates LASD would be forced to let out: 

Murder                                                       1,199

Attempted Murder                                         762

Manslaughter                                                  65

Rape                                                             105

Sexual Assault/Child Molestation                 391

Robbery                                                     1,196

Attempted Robbery                                       194

Carjacking                                                     142

Domestic Violence                                        743

Human Trafficking                                           85

Kidnapping                                                      64

Assault with a Deadly Weapon                   1,717

Arson                                                             178

“This is why we have to oppose them closing the Men’s Central Jail.  This is dangerous, dangerous offenders that will be released back into our communities,” stressed Mrs. Wenskunas.  “It’s unacceptable.  Again, we have no political agenda, here, whatsoever.  This is about victims, and victims and survivors, and their families, and public safety.  Period.”

Malinda Wheeler, owner and president of Forensic Nurse Specialists, has worked with Special Victims Bureau detectives for more than 25 years.  She made the purpose of her participation in the press conference crystal clear:  “I’m here today to advocate for the full-funding, no-cuts of the Special Victims Bureau.”  Early in her career, Mrs. Wheeler found children needed specialized services to get them to talk about their traumatic incidents, only once, and in a legally defensible manner.  With this, she helped form the Children’s Advocacy Center.  “There is no question that a specially-trained, team approach works best for the investigation and prosecution of child abuse and sex crimes.  Special Victims Bureau investigators are specially-trained and aware of the sensitivity for handling these cases,” she said.

Ana Estevez, the mother of Armazd “Piqui” Andressian, a five-year-old boy who was suffocated to death by his father in 2017, also advocated for saving the detective bureaus.  She recalled the care and dedication the detectives gave to handling the investigation, and how much it meant to her.  Their tenacity led to the location of the little boy’s body and the father’s conviction.  Mrs. Estevez read a text she sent them on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, the anniversary of his body’s discovery, “It has been three years today.  Thank you for bringing my Piqui home,” she said tearily.  She recounted the detectives’ collaboration with other units and agencies who worked tirelessly for 72 days to locate her beloved, lost son. 

Parents of a murdered son, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Walker, recounted the day in 2014 when he was shot to death while waiting for a meal he ordered.  He was 26 years old. 

Mrs. Walker expressed her thanks to detectives who worked on his case and also asked for consideration of the families, as related to the closure of the detective bureaus and jail facility.  “I stand here today to ask that you consider the families of these victims, who are voiceless…” she said.  “Christopher no longer has a voice.  He had a beautiful smile, but you would never see that anymore.”

Mrs. Walker’s voice shook with grief as she addressed those with the power to provide or take away, “I ask you, I pray and I beg of you to consider this father and this mother, this family.  There are many other families like us.  We stand by silently and we don’t really say much ‘cause nobody wants to hear what we have to say.  But, would you, please, consider us as you investigate, as you consider whatever it is that you’re going to do in voting on the reducing of funds for the departments?”

In closing remarks, Sheriff Alex Villanueva recounted the loss of a young girl’s life in a shocking carjacking event, which occurred a day earlier, on Sunday, July 1, 2020, in Pico Rivera.  The suspect, a 26-year-old man on probation, stole a running minivan with four children inside and drove off with the rear sliding door open. Two of the children jumped out and two remained inside the vehicle.  As the vehicle sped, the children were ejected and sustained massive trauma.  The 13-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene and her eight-year-old brother fights for his life in critical condition at a local hospital.  The suspect carjacked two more vehicles before being apprehended by citizens who held him until deputies arrived. 

The suspect was arrested late May, 2020, for felony weapons violation but was released with a citation due to the current zero, emergency bail schedule.  The Sheriff kept in the event’s thread of remembering the victims.  “I heard a lot in the news about ‘Say His Name/Say Her Name,’” he said.  “Well, I will say her name again:  Isabella Cortez.  Let’s not forget her.”

To view the press conference, click: https://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesCountySheriffsDepartment/videos/3371808249497035

THREAT-BASED IMPERSONATION SCAM 468 613 SIB Staff

THREAT-BASED IMPERSONATION SCAM

THREAT-BASED IMPERSONATION SCAM

If you receive a demand for payment by telephone, email, or other means of communication, to be made in any form for any reason, from someone portraying themself as a deputy sheriff or other Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department employee, do not comply.  Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department personnel will never ask for payment over the phone or by email.
  
Here are some tips to identify a potential threat-based impersonation scam and how to prevent yourself from falling prey to this scam or similar scams:
 
TACTICS:

  • Scammers conduct social media and Internet reconnaissance on their potential victims.
  • Scammers call and deceive their victims into thinking the callers are law enforcement officers or from a government agency.
  • Scammers may spoof a law enforcement phone number, falsely showing on the victim’s caller ID.
  • They threaten victims with arrest for outstanding warrants or other legal issues.
  • They instruct the victims to “resolve” the matter by “posting bail” with gift cards or Bitcoin.
  • Once a victim makes the purchase, the scammer instructs them to read the gift card numbers or bitcoin key over the phone.
  • Once the scammer is satisfied they received the necessary information, the line is disconnected.

 
PREVENTION METHODS:

  • If you are unsure if a call or email is real, verify the identity of the contact through an independent source, such as a phone book or online search.  Do not use the contact details provided by the caller or in the message they sent.
  • Do not feel pressured by a threatening caller.  Hang up and verify their story.
  • Never send money, or give bank account, credit card, or personal information to anyone you do not know or trust.
  • Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department personnel or any government agency will never ask for any type of payment over the telephone.  Financial transactions with our agency are handled at patrol stations, courthouses, and custody facilities.

If you believe you were a victim of this type of crime, contact your local law enforcement agency and report the incident. You can find the contact information for your local law enforcement agency at www.sheriff33.lasd.org/stations.

If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google Play or the Apple App Store or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org


LASD Sheriff's Department Logo
Department statement regarding the arrest of a Non-Sworn Employee 800 170 SIB Staff

Department statement regarding the arrest of a Non-Sworn Employee

Department statement regarding the arrest of a Non-Sworn Employee

Detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau (ICIB) conducted an investigation into an allegation of a department employee engaging in sexual misconduct with a detainee(s) at the Century Regional Detention Facility between August of 2017 and January of 2018.  The allegations occurred under former Sheriff Jim McDonnell’s tenure as Los Angeles County Sheriff. 

Pursuant to this investigation, 29-year-old Roy’ce Bass surrendered to ICIB investigators on July 7, 2020.  Mr. Bass was assigned to the Century Regional Detention Facility as a custody assistant.  He was charged with four counts of Engaging in Sexual Activity with a Detainee, 289.6(h) PC. He was booked at Marina Del Rey Station by ICIB investigators and released after posting a $100,000 bail. His next court date is November 13, 2020.

The Sheriff’s Department finds these allegations deeply troubling. We are committed to transparency and holding our employees fully accountable.

Alex Villanueva, Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

stock graphic of handcuffs on a wrist
Arrest of suspect and safe recovery of 7 month Old Child 600 338 SIB Staff

Arrest of suspect and safe recovery of 7 month Old Child

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau (MCB) announces the arrest of Gianni Winters, for Home Invasion Robbery, Burglary, Child Abduction and Child Endangerment and the safe recovery of a seven month old child.

On July 1st, 2020, Major Crimes Bureau – Metro Detail detectives were notified by of a home invasion robbery in the city of Paramount, that resulted in the abduction of a seven month old baby.  Upon contacting the mother of the baby, detectives learned that her ex-boyfriend (Suspect Winters) and biological father of the baby, was recently arrested for domestic violence, but had since been released on a Bond.  Suspect Winters came to her residence and forced his way inside by kicking the door open.  Once inside the residence, Suspect Winters forcibly grabbed the baby from a family member who was holding him.   

The suspect then placed the baby in the rear seat of his vehicle unsecured by any type of car seat or restraint device, and sped off away from the residence.  As the family member went back inside the residence, they noticed money and jewelry missing that had been apparently stolen by Suspect Winters during the encounter.

Lakewood station deputies and MCB Metro Detail detectives determined the baby was possibly in serious physical danger based upon the suspects reported violent actions and recent and past criminal history.  Information was developed that led them to an apartment in the 12200 block of Heritage Springs Drive in the city of Santa Fe Springs.  Believing the baby was inside the apartment, detectives forcibly entered the residence where the suspect was found to be hiding.  Suspect Winters was taken into custody and the baby was safely recovered unharmed and reunited with the mother.  

Suspect Winters was arrested for several felony charges, including child abduction, child endangerment, burglary, and home invasion robbery.  He is being held on $150,000 bail and has a next court date of July 6, 2020 at the Compton Superior Court.  

The baby was examined at the scene by Santa Fe Springs Fire Department paramedics and found to be uninjured.      

If convicted of the criminal charges, Suspect Winters would be facing significant time in state prison. 

The MCB Metro Detail works closely in support of all Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Station’s detective bureaus, as well as other Southern California local and federal law enforcement agencies.  
Forwarded by:  

Deputy James Nagao 
Sheriff’s Information Bureau – Newsroom   
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department  
211 West Temple Street,  
Los Angeles California 90012  
   
Website: http://www.sheriff33.lasd.org    
 
*Text & Email, Register for LASD Nixle messages: To receive more detailed, up-to-date information via E-MAIL and/or TEXT directly from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), sign up for “Nixle” alerts at http://www.Nixle.com and register for “LASD – Headquarters Newsroom (SHB), Los Angeles County Sheriff” AND your local LASD station area. Or, to receive URGENT TEXT ALERTS ONLY, text your zip code to 888777. Standard text messaging rates may apply depending on your calling plan.  
 
Alex Villanueva, Sheriff  
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department 

Identity Theft, Fraud & scams.
Elder Abuse Awareness Month – Public Education Video 1024 576 SIB Staff

Elder Abuse Awareness Month – Public Education Video

Elder Abuse Awareness Month – Public Education Video

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors proclaimed June 2020 as “Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Awareness Month.”

The importance of acknowledging and recognizing Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse cannot be understated. Throughout the County of Los Angeles, thousands of elder and dependent adults are financially victimized by family members, caretakers, scam artists, and strangers every year. These people who are part of the Greatest Generation is among the most deserving of our protection, care and tradition of service.

In ongoing efforts to protect our Greatest Generation, The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau – Elder Fraud Detail personnel put together a short, educational video for elders, their families, friends, and neighbors to learn what to watch out for and what to do if they know someone who may be a victim of elder abuse.

Victims or informants alleging elder fraud should contact their local sheriff’s station or police agency, or adult protective services agency to report the crime.

Along with this news release is a link to a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Public Education video concerning elder abuse.

OTHER PUBLIC REFERENCE MATERIAL:
The Elder Fraud Detail has compiled resources for citizens to reference on this topic:

Project Lifesaver & LA Found
https://lafound.lacounty.gov/
F.A.I.R. Pamphlet (PDF attached)
Adult Protective Services website with online reporting:
https://cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/adult-protective-services
Federal Trade Commission educational material:
http://www.ftc.gov/PassItOn.com
California Department of Business Oversight:
https://dbo.ca.gov/preventing-and-reporting-elder-financial-abuse/
Or http://www.dbo.ca.gov and search keyword “elder” for additional information
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/recognizing-elder-financial-abuse/
http://www.consumerfinance.gov” www.consumerfinance.gov and search keyword “Elder” for additional information

Sheriff’s statement on sb 1421 compliance 680 380 SIB Staff

Sheriff’s statement on sb 1421 compliance

SB 1421 COMPLIANCE

June 16, 2020

Under my leadership, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is more transparent than ever before.  With greater transparency comes greater accountability.  One area this has been demonstrated is our cooperation with the Citizen Oversight Commission (COC) and the Office of Inspector General (OIG). 

In anticipation of the colossal amount of requests for records prior to the bills enactment on January 1, 2019, we requested funding from the Board of Supervisors for additional personnel and computer software to address the added workload created by the SB 1421 mandate.  To date, our requests have been ignored. 

In November 2019, I reorganized the Audit and Accountability Bureau (AAB), on a temporary basis, in order to dedicate resources to the SB 1421 project.  We also implemented a tracking system specifically for COC and OIG requests, to ensure a timely response.  

In the calendar year of 2019, the Department responded to 43 known requests from the COC and OIG.  From January 1, 2020 to May 1, 2020, the Department has responded to 59 of the 62 requests made by the COC and OIG.  

Since November 2019, AAB has received a total of 2,848 requests for review.  As of June 11, 2020, AAB has responded to 75% of the requests.  

The true goals and values of government can be found in how the budget is allocated.  If something is deemed important, the Board of Supervisors has the responsibility and obligation to fully fund it.  Due to our limited staffing and our lack of SB 1421 specified funding, the fulfillment of SB 1421 compliance has been difficult.  We will continue to do the best we can with what we have in place. 

Please visit LASD.org to explore my transparency promise.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva

If you have concerns regarding the above, share your voice.  You may contact your Board of Supervisors at the below:
 County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors

Hilda L. Solis
Supervisor, First District
Phone: (213) 974-4111
[email protected]

Mark Ridley-Thomas
Supervisor, Second District
Phone: (213) 974-2222
[email protected]

Sheila Kuehl
Supervisor, Third District
Phone: (213) 974-3333
[email protected]

Janice Hahn
Supervisor, Fourth District
Phone: (213) 974-4444
[email protected]

Kathryn Barger – CHAIR
Supervisor, Fifth District
Phone: (213) 974-5555
[email protected]

Not sure who your Supervisor is?  Click Link to Find Out: http://bos.lacounty.gov/About-Us/Board-of-Supervisors

Sheriff denounces budget cuts – services to be affected 1024 899 SIB Staff

Sheriff denounces budget cuts – services to be affected

Sheriff denounces budget cuts – services to be affected

During a press conference held Monday morning, June 29, 2020, at the Hall of Justice, Sheriff Alex Villanueva discussed a large budget cut proposed by Los Angeles County CEO Sachi Hamai for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) 2020-2021 fiscal year, which was voted on and approved later that day by the Board of Supervisors.  On the cusp of reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an all-around tightening of belts because of tax revenue losses incurred from the closure of businesses.  All 34 Los Angeles County government departments will have their budgets reduced, however, it is LASD which will take the largest cut. 

With around 18,000 employees, LASD staffs 15% of the entire county family.  Sheriff Villanueva pointed out the unbalanced distribution of cuts to be imposed on our agency:  Of the 600 proposed county layoffs, more than half of them will be from the Sheriff’s Department, and of the 3,200 vacant positions to be eliminated county-wide, 1,525 will be from the Sheriff’s Department.  The Sheriff, however, cited there are other, steadier sources of money for government than sales tax, such as property tax, which could be directed toward law enforcement and the other 33 county departments, but for a variety of reasons, is not.  “The Board has the ability to fund all of the county government operations, and they need to prioritize public safety,” said Sheriff Villanueva. 

With the Board of Supervisors voting in favor of the defunding proposal and following CEO Hamai’s recommendations, four important investigative bureaus within LASD will be eliminated:  Special Victims Bureau, which investigates crimes against some of the most vulnerable of our population, children and victims of sexual assault, who are victims of atrocities like physical abuse, sexual abuse and rape; Operation Safe Streets, which investigates gang-related crimes, collects gang intelligence and maintains current information on local street gangs; Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau, which investigates crimes committed online and various forms of fraud, including identity theft, real estate fraud and wire fraud; and Major Crimes Bureau, which specializes in investigating kidnapping for ransom, illegal medical practices, extortion, solicitation for murder, series and pattern robberies, etc.  Scrapping these specialized bureaus will cause investigations to be decentralized and conducted at a station-level by detectives whose caseloads are already heavily burdened. 

“It’s unconscionable,” said Sheriff Villanueva.  “These are the major detective units of the entire department.  They serve the entire county of Los Angeles.  Those four units…are the cream of the crop of investigative units throughout the entire nation, and as the largest county in the nation, I cannot see how we move forward without these four units,” he said.

At the discretion of the CEO and Board of Supervisors, the four detective bureaus will be eliminated, as well as the Mental Evaluation Team, comprised of soft-clothed deputies and mental health clinicians, who respond in teams of two to calls in the field, to conduct mental health evaluations.  They also provide follow up and support services, respond to incidents such as suicides, school shootings, incidents with barricaded persons, and locate persons with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and autism who wandered away.

Custody Operations will also be impacted with $50 million already dedicated to fulfill unfunded mandates.  The Department is legally obligated to provide a certain level of programming to our inmate population, and the positions to be eliminated because of budget issues will cause incompliance with federal consent decrees. 

One might argue that if a position is vacant, it wasn’t needed anyway, and won’t be missed if eliminated.  On the contrary, vacant positions across our agency are compulsory and, because of already-existing staff shortages, are filled by paying them as overtime spots, which only compounds budget issues.  Cutting the 2020-2021 budget by $555 million affects the services we provide and takes away vital law enforcement services from everyone.

DEFUNDING THE LASD BUDGET 145.4M Dollars 680 380 SIB Staff

DEFUNDING THE LASD BUDGET 145.4M Dollars

DEFUNDING THE LASD BUDGET $145.4M

June 27, 2020

The budget cuts announced by county CEO Sachi Hamai are targeted specifically to hurt public safety in
Los Angeles County, while sparing virtually every other function of county government from any reductions.
The CEO’s recommended budget for the LASD from May was $3.5 billion, a shortfall of $400 million from
the true cost of running the largest sheriff’s department in the nation. As we have been busy reorganizing
around the first massive reduction, the Board of Supervisors are now set to force the community to suffer a
major loss of law enforcement resources with a second round of cuts to the tune of $145.4 million. This is
literally balancing the entire county budget on the back of the LASD.

Half of the LASD’s budget is offset by revenue from contracts that provide law enforcement services to 42
contract cities, the Los Angeles Superior Court system, the Los Angeles Community College District, the
Metropolitan Transit Authority, and other contracts. The other half is what is known as “Net County Cost” or
NCC, and that is the cost of providing patrol to the 131 unincorporated communities throughout the county,
running the nation’s largest jail system, and the specialized detective units who serve the entire county such
as Homicide Bureau, Special Victim’s Bureau, Major Crimes Bureau, Safe Streets Bureau, and Fraud and
Cyber Crimes Bureau.

The CEO’s proposed budget recommends the following LASD units be eliminated:

• Safe Streets Bureau (Gang Enforcement)
• Parks Bureau
• Special Victims Bureau (Sexual/Physical Abuse of Children, Rape, Human Trafficking)
• Community Partnership Bureau (COPS Team)
• Fraud & Cybercrimes Bureau
• Major Crimes Bureau

The CEO also recommends drastically reducing the following units:

• Custody Operations (various units)
• Mental Health Evaluation Teams (MET)

The CEO and the Board have embraced the “Defund the Police” movement and are cynically hiding behind
accounting maneuvers, knowing well that loss of revenue in sales tax can be made up by equitably
distributing more stable revenue streams like property taxes. This is not acceptable and a willful
abandonment of one of the top priorities of all local government: keeping people safe.

These cuts come at a time when jails were de-populated of over five thousand inmates in order to combat
the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that restrictions are lifting, violent crimes, such as murder, are on the rise
across the County and other metropolitan areas such as New York City and Chicago. Now is not the time to
cut vital law enforcement services, that should be the last thing cut. Curiously, the bloated county
bureaucracy remains virtually intact, which should always be the first to suffer reductions. The priorities of
the Board of Supervisors are not the priorities of the good people of Los Angeles County.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva