LA County settles with DOJ on allegations that deputies harassed, intimidated minorities

LA County settles with DOJ on allegations that deputies harassed, intimidated minorities

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors signed off on the settlement after the Justice Department accused the sheriff's department of sending up to nine deputies with guns drawn on Section 8 housing checks.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has settled with the U.S. Justice Department over findings that its sheriff’s department systematically targeted minorities for harassment, ending a years-long probe into police practices.

The Justice Department issued a report in 2013 that blasted the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office for intimidating low-income minority residents in the Antelope Valley area north of Los Angeles after the DOJ investigated the department for two years, according to media reports.

County sheriff’s deputies are accused of targeting blacks and Hispanics with traffic stops and raids, often conducting surprise inspections against African-Americans in Section 8 housing units. The DOJ found that sometimes as many as nine deputies would conduct a housing check with their guns drawn, although local officials said that the compliance checks were necessary to ensure that they were abiding by the terms of the program.

The DOJ contradicted local officials, arguing that their probe proved wrongdoing and they were ready to take them to court, so the county agreed to negotiate a settlement that was approved by the Board by a vote of 4-1.

Under the terms of the settlement, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will implement requirements to fix policing and training in the department, and they will require deputies to do more community engagement and outreach, and do a better job of informing citizens of their rights.

The settlement will also include some monetary damages, which was not released but could be up to $12.5 million.

It’s the second major scandal for the department since last year, when the last sheriff stepped down when 18 of his subordinates were hit with federal crimes for allegedly beating inmates and even jail visitors.

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