Posts Tagged :

sheriffs-statement

PEACEFUL PROTESTS OF SOLIDARITY 680 380 SIB Staff

PEACEFUL PROTESTS OF SOLIDARITY

PEACEFUL PROTESTS OF SOLIDARITY

October 16,2020

“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is monitoring the violence unfolding between Azerbaijan and Armenia which, while, 7,200 miles away from Los Angeles, is of extreme and immediate importance to so many within our community. We hear you and we understand.

In fact, Los Angeles County is home to more people of Armenian descent than anywhere in the world outside of Armenia itself.

We witness, denounce and condemn the violence and attacks occurring upon civilians in Artsakh. 

We welcome peaceful protests of solidarity here in Los Angeles and stand with you in our shared demand for peace.

MAX HUNTSMAN OMITS THE FACTS ONCE AGAIN 680 380 SIB Staff

MAX HUNTSMAN OMITS THE FACTS ONCE AGAIN

MAX HUNTSMAN OMITS THE FACTS ONCE AGAIN

October 5, 2020

Today, I learned of the latest Office of Inspector General (OIG) report.  Conspicuously absent from the report is the fact the OIG had multiple opportunities to address the “Banditos” issue during the four years under my predecessor but chose to remain silent.  This is because his job as a political appointee is to do whatever the Board instructs him to do.  Mr. Huntsman now claims the past is the present, while willfully omitting all of the progress which has been made.  His actions are purely politically driven and an attempt to undermine the reputation of the Department.

The report alleges investigators did not conduct a thorough investigation into the Kennedy Hall deputy on deputy fight.  This is false.  Both criminal and administrative investigations were conducted where investigators interviewed over 70 involved parties and witnesses in the case.  In addition, this case was submitted to the District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division (JSID) for their review and their office concluded there was insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The facts are that immediately after taking office, I relieved the East Los Angeles Station captain of his command, overhauled the entire leadership of the station, and transferred 36 personnel.  In February of 2020, I became the first and only sheriff to successfully implement a policy specifically addressing employee groups which violate the rights of other employees or members of the public.

On August 13, 2020, at the conclusion of the Kennedy Hall fight between deputies investigation, I held a press conference to publish the results of the investigation for the public.  Twenty-six deputies involved in that early morning fight were either suspended or terminated.  As has become his pattern, Mr. Huntsman seems to have once again intentionally omitted facts which do not further his political agenda. 

Please view our August 13, 2020, press conference: 

Sheriff Alex Villanueva

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

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

WAS THE CEO GIVEN A $1.5M GOLDEN HANDSHAKE 680 380 SIB Staff

WAS THE CEO GIVEN A $1.5M GOLDEN HANDSHAKE

WAS THE CEO GIVEN A $1.5M GOLDEN HANDSHAKE?
August 27, 2020

On August 26, 2020, I became aware of a demand letter written on behalf of County of Los Angeles CEO, Sachi Hamai, by her attorney Skip Miller (who also represents the Board of Supervisors in multiple ongoing matters). The anonymous letter outlined a proposed settlement in the amount of $1.5 million to be paid to Sachi Hamai upon her departure as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The reason for the settlement was described as “combat pay” resulting from a valid and legitimate policy disagreement during a department head conference call with more than 40 other people listening. As described, this act constituted the appearance of a possible “gift of public funds.” This, compounded with the optics of corruption created from the process allegedly occurring behind closed doors and outside of the public eye, compelled me to immediately forward the information to the appropriate oversight entities.


Every taxpayer in Los Angeles County should be infuriated upon hearing the CEO is getting $1.5M handed to her and demand the following questions be answered:


• How is it not a conflict of interest for County contract attorney Skip Miller to have represented both the CEO and the Board in the same transaction?
•Was an initial complaint ever filed by the CEO putting the Board on notice of this alleged “hostile work environment?” Were the proper channels followed for reporting and investigation? What was the outcome of the investigation?
•Was an actual “Claim for Damages” ever filled by the CEO?
•Was an actual lawsuit ever filed by the CEO?
•Over the last 30 years, how many $1.5M+ settlements were awarded by the Board, based on an unproven allegation and zero litigation or Court action?
•Some would describe this as a backdoor way to give someone a “golden handshake” after they leave their position. Has this ever happened for other similar allegations? What proof exists to justify $1.5M?
•In addition to the $1.5M, the CEO has also demanded to receive full-time security for the next few years; how much will this cost taxpayers and what does that entail?


This news comes during a time when the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and other County Departments are facing major budget cuts that will result in huge layoffs.


I have vocally opposed the CEO’s actions because she has underfunded our budget, defunded our Department, and is presently recommending the layoff of 745 public safety employees. Yet I am rejecting the CEO’s plan, as I know there are other options which do not result in layoffs. As Sheriff, I was elected to fight for what is right, not for what is politically favorable.


Our Department is currently dealing with managing a catastrophic budget reduction and may face future layoffs. This is being done while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, fires throughout LA County, an increased murder rate, and on-going civil unrest.


Settling CEO Hamai’s allegations without a legitimate inquiry, bypassing standard procedure, gives the appearance of an illegal gift of public funds. A possible gift for someone who last year earned $684,704 in salary and benefits. A possible gift for someone whose early retirement is occurring far before the optimal retirement age.


The County should have allowed CEO Hamai’s case to run its course in a court of law, in order for the public to have learned about the facts of the case, just like they have in the past and will continue to do so in the future.


This appears to be a gross mismanagement of tax payer dollars during a pandemic where millions of Southern Californians are struggling to pay their rent, keep their healthcare insurance, maintain a job, and more importantly survive the COVID-19 pandemic. We should be working together to find ways to better serve the citizens of Los Angeles County and not allowing cuts to law enforcement that will damage the service and security to the citizens for years to come.


Sheriff Alex Villanueva


Sheriff Announces Permanent Ban on ICE Transfers 680 380 SIB Staff

Sheriff Announces Permanent Ban on ICE Transfers

Sheriff Announces Permanent Ban on ICE Transfers

There is no greater threat to public safety than a million undocumented immigrants who are afraid to report crime, out of fear of deportation and having their families torn apart. As the Sheriff of Los Angeles County, I am responsible for everyone’s public safety, regardless of immigration status. I will not allow an entire segment of the population to be afraid to report crimes to law enforcement and be forced, again, back into the shadows.

On April 24, 2020, I placed a moratorium on transfers of qualified inmates from the nation’s largest jail system to ICE during the COVID-19 pandemic. After learning of the pending litigation regarding the conditions in the Adelanto/ICE detention facility and allegations of similar conditions at other ICE facilities, the moratorium will now be permanent and we will no longer transfer individuals to the custody of ICE based solely on a civil immigration detainer. In so doing, we have created a bright line between federal immigration enforcement and local law enforcement in the most populous County in the nation.

This permanent ban was preceded by my categorical rejection of the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) grant that essentially sold our undocumented inmate data base information for federal funds. This morally indefensible program netted $122 million dollars for Los Angeles County from 2005 to 2018, at the expense of our immigrant community.

We will encourage ICE to use the constitutionally sound judicial warrant system, used by all other law enforcement agencies in the nation, to effect legal transfers from Los Angeles County to federal custody. The Sheriff’s Department will also continue its work with the District Attorney’s Office by providing the required assurances requested by ICE to ensure that those who have fled to other countries to avoid prosecution will return and stand trial. Violent criminals who prey on our law-abiding communities should be held fully accountable.

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

Graphic of Sheriff Villanueva next to Hall Of Justice
SB 1421 Compliance 1024 249 SIB Staff

SB 1421 Compliance

SB 1421 Compliance

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.

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 addresses Social Media videos 680 380 SIB Staff

Sheriff addresses Social Media videos

SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOS – June 3, 2020

I am aware of two videos circulating on social media involving my deputies. As with all use of force incidents, these cases will be thoroughly investigated, and we will also examine the tactics, policies & procedures.

As I have stated before, this is another example of why we so desperately need the Board of Supervisors to fully fund the LASD body-worn camera project.  The public deserves full transparency.

Graphic of Sheriff Villanueva next to Hall Of Justice
Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s Message to the Troops 1024 249 SIB Staff

Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s Message to the Troops

Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s Message to the Troops

This is Sheriff Villanueva. We have a responsibility to ensure the safety of all residents and businesses in Los Angeles County. As incidents of looting are reported anywhere in our county, we will respond and assist local police departments. We will also take proactive action and deploy anywhere in the county where violence is taking afoot, protect lawfully assembled protesters, and use your discretion in enforcing the law where needed.

Be safe out there, Car-1 signing off.

Sheriff Composing a message to the troops on a computer
Sheriff composing a message to the troops from the ops center.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva behind a microphone
Sheriff Villanueva Addresses the Board of Supervisors 01/28/20 701 303 SIB Staff

Sheriff Villanueva Addresses the Board of Supervisors 01/28/20

SHERIFF VILLANUEVA ADDRESSES THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, JANUARY 28, 2020

On Tuesday, January 28, 2020, Sheriff Alex Villanueva spoke at the Board of Supervisor’s Meeting to inform the Board and attendees about the directive he has given to the Department to continue building trust with the community, a directive on data transparency. Sheriff Villanueva reminded those present that he campaigned on a promise of transparency, and the Department is taking steps to deliver his promise.

Sheriff Villanueva added everything not legally restricted will be made available on the Department’s website, LASD.org, including information regarding deputy-involved shootings, Department reports, videos of incidents, as well as other types of documentation. Information protected by law, which includes personnel records, ongoing criminal and administrative investigations, victims, and witnesses of particular crimes such as sexually related crimes, domestic violence crimes, will remain private and offline.     

Sheriff Villanueva pointed out that although this process will be labor and time-intensive, it has already started, and people can visit LASD.org and begin to see the data being released. He added he looks forward to working the Board of Supervisors to secure funding for the servers and other infrastructure needed to accomplish this step toward transparency.

Sheriff Villanueva further stated he firmly believes transparency will build trust within the communities the Sheriff’s Department serves.

Downloadable Material: Talking Points and Slides

Sheriff Villanueva speaking to a man and woman in an alley
HOMELESS COUNT 2020 1024 576 SIB Staff

HOMELESS COUNT 2020

Homeless Count 2020

Law enforcement personnel are often the first contact with those experiencing homelessness.  For that reason LASD HOST was created to exemplify the county’s efforts to combat homelessness and preserve public safety.  HOST’s mission is to positively impact the homeless crisis in the county while increasing public safety and preserving the rights and dignity of persons experiencing homelessness. 

Sheriff Alex Villanueva said “Over the past three evenings, LASD personnel escorted volunteers throughout the county of for Homeless Count 2020. Homelessness is a complex issue for the County. These residents struggle with poverty, some struggle with mental illness. Unfortunately, our younger adults are more vulnerable. Young People who lack stable housing are at a higher risk of being trafficked and more likely to experience substance use and depression.

By conducting these counts with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and forming collaborations with service providers, LASD’s Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) continues to assist those experiencing homelessness throughout the County. Los Angeles County has established subsidies to support our most vulnerable residents, and it has proven affordable and effective. The County is redoubling efforts to combat this issue, and as part of the county family, the Sheriff’s Department is as well.

 It is my goal to increase the number of Department personnel assigned to the LASD’ HOST three-fold to help people get on their feet and off the streets. By providing compassion and access to services, we can help those in need and keep them out of our jail system.”

Through our contacts with thousands of homeless neighbors, HOST has earned a reputation for being compassionate, accountable, innovative, and bold.  HOST has transcended the role of traditional law enforcement.  For years, HOST has accomplished the mission with zero uses of force.    

Video courtesy of KTLA 5.

Sheriff Villanueva walked with volunteers in the city of East Los Angeles to see the growing homeless crises and in need of shelter.Sheriff Alex Villanueva said "Over the past three evenings Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department personnel escorted volunteers for #HomelessCount2020. By conducting counts with Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, & forming collaborations with service providers, the LASD Homeless Outreach Services Team continues to assist those experiencing homelessness in County of Los Angeles."To read more, please visit: https://sheriff33.lasd.org/homeless-count-2020/ Video courtesy of KTLA 5 News:

Posted by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Thursday, January 23, 2020