Less than a week after the county watchdog ordered dozens of deputies to show their gang tattoos and answer questions about violent factions in the department, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna on Thursday sent out an email to its entire staff asking its employees to comply with the inspector general’s order. the request.
“Please note that all Department employees who have received such a request are hereby asked to appear and cooperate in such interviews,” Luna wrote in a strongly worded email. “All statements made by Department employees must be complete, complete, and truthful statements.”
The email goes on to say that any employee who obstructs or delays the investigation may be subject to disciplinary action or dismissal in accordance with applicable county policies.
Luna’s response represents a major shift from the previous administration, which often contradicted supervisory officials and consistently resisted outside investigations. Before his removal last year, former Police Chief Alex Villanueva subpoena for defiance from the Civil Supervision Commission, block independent monitoring Department database and made for Inspector General Max Huntsman crime investigation target.
Hunter – who signed 35 letters sent on Friday to delegates suspected of having Banditos or Executioner tattoos – praising the change of direction Luna’s email represents.
“We appreciate the sheriff’s support and look forward to continuing the investigation,” Huntsman told The Times.
Huntsman said the purpose of that investigation was to make a list of all the people who belong to the police department of the police department. He intends to begin by interviewing 35 suspected Banditos members, who operate outside the East LA station, and the Executioners, who operate outside the Compton station.
inside his office letter sent last week, Huntsman ordered the delegate to show him their tattoos and waive the names of any other delegates with similar ink stains. He also said he would ask delegates to let him know if they’ve ever been invited to a group related to their tattoos, whether they know anyone on the Executioner or the Band of Bandits. whether or not they’ve seen anyone with the signature tattoo of either gang.
The letter gave only one acceptable reason for refusing to answer the questions: the 5th Amendment. Unless the delegates asserted that answering the questions could incriminate them, no. Huntsman’s letter warned that refusing to answer questions could “adversely affect your work with Los Angeles County or your status as a police officer.”
Before Luna sent an email Thursday morning asking its delegates to comply, the unions representing rank and file delegates issued a series of texts and Facebook posts asking members to call the union before responding to the inspector general’s letter.
An alliance – Assn. to the Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff — also sent a message to its members, advising anyone who received a letter from Huntsman’s office to respond just by sending a sample letter ALADS to their supervisor, describing the OIG letter as a “threat” and asking for direction on whether delegates should actually respond to it.
Following Luna’s Thursday morning email, union officials said they were “still concerned” about Huntsman’s approach to the investigation.
“We like to think that the fundamental rights granted to individuals by the Constitution do not differ between occupations,” said Richard Pippin, president of ALADS.
In addition to requesting cooperation, Luna’s letter also acknowledged that some delegates may have additional questions about the nature of the OIG investigation.
“However, this investigation is being conducted by [OIG] and it would be inappropriate for the Department to speculate on matters under the jurisdiction of a separate entity. Labor or legal representatives are better equipped to deal with such specific issues,” he wrote in the email.
Luna’s email continued: “The privilege of serving in the law enforcement community is something we cannot take lightly. “We are all part of a noble profession, and it is our individual and collective duty to seek the truth in all matters. This is especially true for an investigation that seeks to uncover problems within our Department.”
Whether Luna’s order to cooperate really makes a dent in the department’s gang problem remains to be seen. Some – including attorney Vincent Miller – were unclear on Thursday.
He told The Times: “The supervisory board, the Civil Oversight Committee, the inspector general, all say they want reform and an end to criminal gangs, but this has been talked about for four years. . “So we should all be skeptical of how far this OIG effort will go.”
Miller has repeatedly sued the Sheriff’s Department and currently represents eight deputies filed a lawsuit for $80 million alleged that they were attacked and harassed by Bandito’s deputy gang members in connection with a 2018 off-duty incident at the Kennedy Hall event space.
Miller continued: “LASD is going against Sheriff Luna a lot. “And he won’t be able to overcome that to make lasting, meaningful change as long as the county continues to double-talk.”
Stephanie Luna – whose nephew, Anthony Vargas, was killed by deputies in 2018 – offered a similarly skeptical view. She’s not related to the sheriff.
“I am extremely grateful to the OIG that is doing this investigation and I am trying to be optimistic,” she said. “It’s just, what are you here for? What if these deputies show up as attorneys and advocates for the fifth person?”
Unlike his predecessor, Luna has acknowledged the existence of deputy gangs and openly said he wants to end them. And he has now ordered his deputies to cooperate with the OIG investigation.
But several surveillance officials indicated during Thursday’s meeting that he had yet to formally accept any of the 27 recommendations to kill criminal gangs that had been approved by the Civilian Oversight Committee. proposed more than two months ago.
