Los Angeles will require public identification of deputy gangs, their symbols, and measures addressing the financial costs of misconduct.
LOS ANGELES.— On Tuesday, November 10, dozens of community members mobilized for a press conference, rally, and public comment at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting in support of Supervisor Holly Mitchell’s Sheriff Deputy Gang Accountability Motion.
The motion had previously been delayed on September 15 after a 1-4 vote, but on Tuesday it passed unanimously, 5-0.
The measure will identify and ban Sheriff deputy gangs and their iconography, make pending internal investigations into deputy gangs public, identify budget measures to reduce payouts stemming from gang-related misconduct, create a public and independent online reporting system for deputy gang activity, and increase transparency around law enforcement union efforts to obstruct oversight investigations.
For decades, Sheriff deputy gangs have operated inside the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department with impunity, brutalizing communities, covering up misconduct, and costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in settlements.
The motion will not deliver full accountability on its own, but advocates describe it as a necessary first step and a victory for the community. It requires official recognition of the existence of these gangs, how they operate, and the financial cost of their conduct. That public record could play a significant role in future accountability efforts.
Statement from Janet Asante, JusticeLA Coalition Lead:
“Thank you to Supervisor Holly Mitchell for bringing forward this deputy gang transparency motion, and to the four supervisors who joined Mitchell in passing it unanimously. Five people died in LA Sheriff custody between the motion’s introduction on September 15 and today’s vote. Addressing Sheriff deputy gangs is a life-or-death choice this Board has to make, and today they made the right decision.
There is a clear discrepancy between Sheriff Luna’s and County Counsel’s claims and the testimony of those courageous enough to come forward. As today’s discussion highlighted, sheriff police associations are clearly abusing the meet-and-confer process, and I look forward to championing future policies that address these obstructions to accountability and justice.”
