The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department must investigate and provide a list of all deputy gangs including the gang names, symbols and identifying icons including tattoos, plus reveal any ongoing investigations of such secret subgroups, according to a motion approved by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
“Today’s goal is about getting answers to unanswered questions; strengthening efforts to eradicate deputy gangs. And what options are available to this board,” said Second District Holly Mitchell, author of the motion. The action was approved by a 5-0 vote.
“It seeks to establish a clearer process for identifying these groups and understanding the county’s options for accountability,” Mitchell added.
Sheriff Robert Luna read a report to the board on his efforts to to address what he calls law enforcement gangs, a problem plaguing the Sheriff’s Department for 50 years. Luna emphasized that he’s already complying with a clause in the motion giving the public an efficient way to report about deputy gangs retaliating against them or harassing them due to the color of their skin, through an online portal, or by calling the department or going to the Office of Inspector General.
Mitchell said her motion is needed to bring transparency by identifying the deputy gangs and what sheriff stations they operate from. She said many residents who call her office are too afraid to report the incident for fear of retaliation from deputies.
“People are still experiencing retaliation and negative consequences from what they believe are deputy gangs engaging in inappropropriate behavior,” Mitchell said. “And when people are afraid, it is not always quite that simple (to file a complaint).”
About 50 people, of whom 99% favored the motion, during public comment told their stories of family members attacked, even fatally, by members of what they say are deputy gangs. Some loved ones died while incarcerated at Men’s Central Jail. There have been 34 deaths inside county jail facilities this year.
The issue of abusive force is tied to deputy gangs, also known as deputy cliques, said Luna. He recently gained acceptance of a new policy prohibiting deputy cliques from existing from “meet and confer” negotiations with deputy unions, namely the Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS) and the Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association (PPOA).
As of the end of September, his department looking into allegations of abuse of force allegedly by a deputy gang member opened 47 supervisor inquiries and 32 have been closed; 20 were referred to the sheriff’s Department of Internal Affairs. Fifteen were still pending, Luna said.
His department has put into place 22 of the 26 recommendations from the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Committee (COC) on eradicating deputy gangs, he said. “My administration has done more on this challenge in the last three years than anyone else in the LASD and in county history,” he said.
That’s a low bar, said some supervisors, who pointed out that his predecessor, Alex Villanueva, denied deputy gangs existed and for months refused to obey subpoenas to appear before the COC to discuss the issue. He recently lost by a wide margin to Luna on Nov. 3 in a failed attempt to regain his old position.
Luna was criticized by some of the public who said he has read the same script many times in his four years on eradicating deputy gangs and that progress is slow. Many speakers said he should focus on prosecuting deputies for deaths of inmates or intimidating residents.
“I’ve learned a lot about the killings inflicted on incarcerated people. The first step on the road to real justice is to establish public accountability,” said Paul Lichterman, professor of sociology and religion at USC who spoke during public comments.
Justice LA Coalition compiled a report released Tuesday that found the county has paid $70 million in payouts of lawsuit settlements involving alleged deputy gang inappropriate activities.
The board motion says over the 50 years since these cliques have been reported by residents in the county, and by deputies who were intimidated or threatened have grown, from six to 27, with names that include: Banditos, Lynwood Vikings, Industry Indians (out of Industry Sheriff’s Station) and the 3000 Boys. Reports come from numerous studies, including one in 2023 named the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission Regarding Deputy Gangs and Deputy Cliques in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The motion says these cliques of deputies have been linked to “excessive force, criminal and administrative misconduct, a code of silence, and a culture of impunity that undermines public trust.”
Reports from independent groups, news agencies, county departments and the courts link deputy gangs to retaliation against whistleblowers and targeting of Black and Latino residents.
Anthony Robles, a resident of La Puente, remembered when two deputies stopped his car on his way home from classes at Rio Hondo College and asked him where he was from and harassed him because he is Latino. He told the board the motion is a first step but not enough to eradicate the problem.
Supervisor Hilda Solis mentioned three aspects of the motion that are most important: having a public reporting system for incidents; asking for investigations of these law enforcement gangs from the county’s Office of Inspector General and even the state attorney general; and simply naming the gangs as a first step.
“The option for investigations form outside the department’s chain of command is important, so the department is not left to police itself,” Solis said.
The issue came before the board on Sept. 15 but was tabled until questions on whether the accounting of such subgroups and prohibition of racist tattoos on deputies within the department would have required the county to “meet and confer” with deputy employees’ unions and possibly affect future bargaining between the two groups.
But Mitchell removed entire sections from the September motion identifying how labor negotiations could inhibit the motion’s directives involving learning and rooting out deputy gangs from being enacted.
A report back from the county’s Chief Executive Officer Joseph Nicchitta since the item as postponed found some of the actions in the motion would have to be brought into the meet and confer bargaining process. One was the removal or prohibition of racist and homophobic symbols, insignia, or iconography from patrol stations, uniforms or other department equipment.
Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn said she was surprised that such an obviously inappropriate label or insignia would have to be negotiated with the deputy unions. Hahn said some of other prohibitions involving alleged deputy gangs have been stuck in meet-and-confer processes for six years, with no progress.
The reason given by county staff is that having such symbols would come with a disciplinary action. Any new action affecting employment must be negotiated by law.
Aside from the transparency aspect, the action requires the Sheriff Department to work with the County Counsel, the Office of Inspector General and the Sheriff’s Department’s independent Citizens Advisory Commission to conduct the wide-ranging probe.
A confidential report, and a public report, would come back to the board in about four months. The motion will identify names of existing deputy gangs, but not the names of members.
Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger called Luna’s actions taken “refreshing” especially after Villanueva’s tenure left the board frustrated. She wanted to see more done, and a speedier way to move permanent job characteristics and prohibitions into deputy contracts.
“The sooner we put this to rest we can allow law enforcement officials to do their jobs without having this dark cloud hanging over them,” Barger said.