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Department statement regarding the arrest of a Non-Sworn Employee 800 170 SIB Staff

Department statement regarding the arrest of a Non-Sworn Employee

Department statement regarding the arrest of a Non-Sworn Employee

Detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau (ICIB) conducted an investigation into an allegation of a department employee engaging in sexual misconduct with a detainee(s) at the Century Regional Detention Facility between August of 2017 and January of 2018.  The allegations occurred under former Sheriff Jim McDonnell’s tenure as Los Angeles County Sheriff. 

Pursuant to this investigation, 29-year-old Roy’ce Bass surrendered to ICIB investigators on July 7, 2020.  Mr. Bass was assigned to the Century Regional Detention Facility as a custody assistant.  He was charged with four counts of Engaging in Sexual Activity with a Detainee, 289.6(h) PC. He was booked at Marina Del Rey Station by ICIB investigators and released after posting a $100,000 bail. His next court date is November 13, 2020.

The Sheriff’s Department finds these allegations deeply troubling. We are committed to transparency and holding our employees fully accountable.

Alex Villanueva, Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

stock graphic of handcuffs on a wrist
Arrest of suspect and safe recovery of 7 month Old Child 600 338 SIB Staff

Arrest of suspect and safe recovery of 7 month Old Child

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau (MCB) announces the arrest of Gianni Winters, for Home Invasion Robbery, Burglary, Child Abduction and Child Endangerment and the safe recovery of a seven month old child.

On July 1st, 2020, Major Crimes Bureau – Metro Detail detectives were notified by of a home invasion robbery in the city of Paramount, that resulted in the abduction of a seven month old baby.  Upon contacting the mother of the baby, detectives learned that her ex-boyfriend (Suspect Winters) and biological father of the baby, was recently arrested for domestic violence, but had since been released on a Bond.  Suspect Winters came to her residence and forced his way inside by kicking the door open.  Once inside the residence, Suspect Winters forcibly grabbed the baby from a family member who was holding him.   

The suspect then placed the baby in the rear seat of his vehicle unsecured by any type of car seat or restraint device, and sped off away from the residence.  As the family member went back inside the residence, they noticed money and jewelry missing that had been apparently stolen by Suspect Winters during the encounter.

Lakewood station deputies and MCB Metro Detail detectives determined the baby was possibly in serious physical danger based upon the suspects reported violent actions and recent and past criminal history.  Information was developed that led them to an apartment in the 12200 block of Heritage Springs Drive in the city of Santa Fe Springs.  Believing the baby was inside the apartment, detectives forcibly entered the residence where the suspect was found to be hiding.  Suspect Winters was taken into custody and the baby was safely recovered unharmed and reunited with the mother.  

Suspect Winters was arrested for several felony charges, including child abduction, child endangerment, burglary, and home invasion robbery.  He is being held on $150,000 bail and has a next court date of July 6, 2020 at the Compton Superior Court.  

The baby was examined at the scene by Santa Fe Springs Fire Department paramedics and found to be uninjured.      

If convicted of the criminal charges, Suspect Winters would be facing significant time in state prison. 

The MCB Metro Detail works closely in support of all Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Station’s detective bureaus, as well as other Southern California local and federal law enforcement agencies.  
Forwarded by:  

Deputy James Nagao 
Sheriff’s Information Bureau – Newsroom   
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department  
211 West Temple Street,  
Los Angeles California 90012  
   
Website: http://www.lasd.org    
 
*Text & Email, Register for LASD Nixle messages: To receive more detailed, up-to-date information via E-MAIL and/or TEXT directly from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), sign up for “Nixle” alerts at http://www.Nixle.com and register for “LASD – Headquarters Newsroom (SHB), Los Angeles County Sheriff” AND your local LASD station area. Or, to receive URGENT TEXT ALERTS ONLY, text your zip code to 888777. Standard text messaging rates may apply depending on your calling plan.  
 
Alex Villanueva, Sheriff  
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department 

Identity Theft, Fraud & scams.
Elder Abuse Awareness Month – Public Education Video 1024 576 SIB Staff

Elder Abuse Awareness Month – Public Education Video

Elder Abuse Awareness Month – Public Education Video

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors proclaimed June 2020 as “Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse Awareness Month.”

The importance of acknowledging and recognizing Elder and Dependent Adult Abuse cannot be understated. Throughout the County of Los Angeles, thousands of elder and dependent adults are financially victimized by family members, caretakers, scam artists, and strangers every year. These people who are part of the Greatest Generation is among the most deserving of our protection, care and tradition of service.

In ongoing efforts to protect our Greatest Generation, The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau – Elder Fraud Detail personnel put together a short, educational video for elders, their families, friends, and neighbors to learn what to watch out for and what to do if they know someone who may be a victim of elder abuse.

Victims or informants alleging elder fraud should contact their local sheriff’s station or police agency, or adult protective services agency to report the crime.

Along with this news release is a link to a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Public Education video concerning elder abuse.

OTHER PUBLIC REFERENCE MATERIAL:
The Elder Fraud Detail has compiled resources for citizens to reference on this topic:

Project Lifesaver & LA Found
https://lafound.lacounty.gov/
F.A.I.R. Pamphlet (PDF attached)
Adult Protective Services website with online reporting:
https://cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/adult-protective-services
Federal Trade Commission educational material:
http://www.ftc.gov/PassItOn.com
California Department of Business Oversight:
https://dbo.ca.gov/preventing-and-reporting-elder-financial-abuse/
Or http://www.dbo.ca.gov and search keyword “elder” for additional information
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/recognizing-elder-financial-abuse/
http://www.consumerfinance.gov” www.consumerfinance.gov and search keyword “Elder” for additional information

Sheriff’s statement on sb 1421 compliance 680 380 SIB Staff

Sheriff’s statement on sb 1421 compliance

SB 1421 COMPLIANCE

June 16, 2020

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.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva

Sheriff denounces budget cuts – services to be affected 1024 899 SIB Staff

Sheriff denounces budget cuts – services to be affected

Sheriff denounces budget cuts – services to be affected

During a press conference held Monday morning, June 29, 2020, at the Hall of Justice, Sheriff Alex Villanueva discussed a large budget cut proposed by Los Angeles County CEO Sachi Hamai for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) 2020-2021 fiscal year, which was voted on and approved later that day by the Board of Supervisors.  On the cusp of reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an all-around tightening of belts because of tax revenue losses incurred from the closure of businesses.  All 34 Los Angeles County government departments will have their budgets reduced, however, it is LASD which will take the largest cut. 

With around 18,000 employees, LASD staffs 15% of the entire county family.  Sheriff Villanueva pointed out the unbalanced distribution of cuts to be imposed on our agency:  Of the 600 proposed county layoffs, more than half of them will be from the Sheriff’s Department, and of the 3,200 vacant positions to be eliminated county-wide, 1,525 will be from the Sheriff’s Department.  The Sheriff, however, cited there are other, steadier sources of money for government than sales tax, such as property tax, which could be directed toward law enforcement and the other 33 county departments, but for a variety of reasons, is not.  “The Board has the ability to fund all of the county government operations, and they need to prioritize public safety,” said Sheriff Villanueva. 

With the Board of Supervisors voting in favor of the defunding proposal and following CEO Hamai’s recommendations, four important investigative bureaus within LASD will be eliminated:  Special Victims Bureau, which investigates crimes against some of the most vulnerable of our population, children and victims of sexual assault, who are victims of atrocities like physical abuse, sexual abuse and rape; Operation Safe Streets, which investigates gang-related crimes, collects gang intelligence and maintains current information on local street gangs; Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau, which investigates crimes committed online and various forms of fraud, including identity theft, real estate fraud and wire fraud; and Major Crimes Bureau, which specializes in investigating kidnapping for ransom, illegal medical practices, extortion, solicitation for murder, series and pattern robberies, etc.  Scrapping these specialized bureaus will cause investigations to be decentralized and conducted at a station-level by detectives whose caseloads are already heavily burdened. 

“It’s unconscionable,” said Sheriff Villanueva.  “These are the major detective units of the entire department.  They serve the entire county of Los Angeles.  Those four units…are the cream of the crop of investigative units throughout the entire nation, and as the largest county in the nation, I cannot see how we move forward without these four units,” he said.

At the discretion of the CEO and Board of Supervisors, the four detective bureaus will be eliminated, as well as the Mental Evaluation Team, comprised of soft-clothed deputies and mental health clinicians, who respond in teams of two to calls in the field, to conduct mental health evaluations.  They also provide follow up and support services, respond to incidents such as suicides, school shootings, incidents with barricaded persons, and locate persons with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and autism who wandered away.

Custody Operations will also be impacted with $50 million already dedicated to fulfill unfunded mandates.  The Department is legally obligated to provide a certain level of programming to our inmate population, and the positions to be eliminated because of budget issues will cause incompliance with federal consent decrees. 

One might argue that if a position is vacant, it wasn’t needed anyway, and won’t be missed if eliminated.  On the contrary, vacant positions across our agency are compulsory and, because of already-existing staff shortages, are filled by paying them as overtime spots, which only compounds budget issues.  Cutting the 2020-2021 budget by $555 million affects the services we provide and takes away vital law enforcement services from everyone.

DEFUNDING THE LASD BUDGET 145.4M Dollars 680 380 SIB Staff

DEFUNDING THE LASD BUDGET 145.4M Dollars

DEFUNDING THE LASD BUDGET $145.4M

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

Multiagency OIS Taskforce 827 722 SIB Staff

Multiagency OIS Taskforce

A statement from Sheriff Alex Villanueva:

“As a progressive, I am constantly exploring new avenues to move us forward in policing. Recent events have led community based groups to highlight the issue of law enforcement agencies investigating their own shootings. I hear you. Other law enforcement leaders and I met early this week to discuss the creation of a Multiagency Officer Involved Shooting Taskforce. The main goal of this taskforce will be for Los Angeles County agencies to form a joint taskforce of investigators from multiple agencies to conduct investigations for use of force incidents which result in death. I have complete confidence in our homicide detectives, and the other detectives throughout our County, but we want to continue building trust, increasing transparency and making the process more reassuring for our communities. Moving forward, we are forming a steering group with stakeholders from across the county, which also includes the Office of the District Attorney and State Office of the Attorney General. In the coming weeks, we will access the resources needed to develop a definitive plan and make this concept a reality.

The community wants change and we will usher in that change, together.”

    Detectives seek public’s help to locate Nayeli rodriguez-espain 1024 1013 SIB Staff

    Detectives seek public’s help to locate Nayeli rodriguez-espain

    Detectives seek public’s help to locate Nayeli rodriguez-espain

    Homicide Bureau detectives and family members are seeking assistance in locating Nayeli Rodriguez, a 19-year-old missing woman. The plea for information about her current location was made during a press conference held Wednesday, June 24, 2020, at the Homicide Bureau offices in Monterey Park.

    Nayeli Rodriguez, also known as Nayeli Rodriguez-Espain, was last seen at 8:30 A.M. on Thursday, May 21, 2020, in the 1100 block of East Florence Avenue, unincorporated Los Angeles County.  At that time, she wore a blue, short-sleeved t-shirt, black leggings, black tennis shoes, and had a small backpack with green decorations on it.

    Before her disappearance, Nayeli anticipated returning to community college in the upcoming semester. She worked to help support her family by selling various items in shopping center parking lots throughout the South Los Angeles area. Since her disappearance, there has been no activity on her cellphone or social media platforms. Detectives searched far and wide to locate Nayeli and determined that neither her relatives who reside locally, nor relatives in México, have heard from her.

    Some of Nayeli’s favorite activities are going to the beach and spending time with friends and family. Until May 21, Nayeli was in frequent communication with others close to her and was interactive on social media platforms, making her sudden silence unusual; Nayeli never went missing before and only left home for hours at a time, never days.

    “I’m desperate more than ever,” pleaded Nayeli’s mother, Maria Espain, in Spanish during the conference.  “I don’t know the truth.  Help me, please, to find her, or something.  Please.”  “She was a good girl,” said Mrs. Espain.  “I’m asking the public if they have any tips or something to, please, tell us something.  I want my daughter back.”  

    Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Missing Persons Unit at (323) 890-5500. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or by using the website.

    Homicide Bureau detectives and family members are seeking assistance in locating Nayeli Rodriguez, a 19-year-old missing…

    Posted by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Wednesday, June 24, 2020
    Sheriff and Undersheriff standing with boxes of masks and the TCCLA
    Sheriff and Undersheriff receive Face Masks from TCClA 1024 512 SIB Staff

    Sheriff and Undersheriff receive Face Masks from TCClA

    Sheriff Villanueva and Undersheriff Murakami Receive Face Masks from Taiwanese-American Chamber of Commerce, Greater Los Angeles

    The Taiwanese-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles (TACCLA) is a non-profit organization established in 1980 by a group of Taiwanese-American entrepreneurs and professionals, with a mission to provide networking opportunities for current and future generations of the Taiwanese-American community.  Their goal is to foster the professional and entrepreneurial spirit and to create business opportunities in our community.
     
    On Tuesday morning, June 23, 2020, Sheriff Alex Villanueva and Undersheriff Tim Murakami met TACCLA President Kenneth Chen in front of the Hall of Justice, where they were presented with 50,000 face masks, as part of a surplus donation from the Taiwanese government.  In January 2020, the Taiwanese government organized machinery, weaving, and face mask production factories into the “National Face Masks Team” to mass produce medical-grade face masks with a complete chain of production.  After reaching national stockpile thresholds, they made surplus face masks available for international purchase, and donated over five million to the United States and more than 50 million pieces worldwide.
     
    TACCLA, the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of North America (TCCNA), and other Taiwanese-American chambers organized the acquisition of personal protection equipment from Taiwan and, to a lesser extent, Vietnam and the United States.  Together, the Chambers succeeded in acquiring 10 million face masks with TACCLA leading fundraising by raising $800,000 from the contributions of TACCLA members, TACCLA junior chapter members, and local individuals.
     
    The TACCLA “Million Face Masks for Greater Los Angeles” initiative plans to donate the masks to nursing homes through various Los Angeles County and Los Angeles City-based emergency departments, and districts within the county.  This non-profit hopes to join the Taiwanese-American community in contributing to organizations, individuals and businesses by pitching in $3 million to the Los Angeles COVID-19 crisis fund.  They also aim to contribute more broadly by donating medical supplies to local hospitals, distributing groceries to food-insecure households affected by the pandemic, and donating to various crisis funds. 
     
    Especially helpful during a time of budget-consciousness, TACCLA presented the 50,000 face masks to the Sheriff and Undersheriff, with the intent to present 20,000 additional pieces to Temple Sheriff’s Station personnel. “Thank you, President Chen and TACCLA,” said Sheriff Alex Villanueva, “for your contribution to help us protect each other and everyone we encounter in the communities we serve.”
     
    “As the biggest Taiwanese-American Chamber of Commerce in North America and one of the major chambers of commerce in Los Angeles,” said President Chen, “TACCLA is indebted to the local community, and we need to help as much as we can in times of crisis.”
     
    For more information about TACCLA and their mission, visit:  www.taccla.org

    Palmdale Deputies rescuing a baby.
    Palmdale Sheriff’s Station Baby Rescue 1024 571 SIB Staff

    Palmdale Sheriff’s Station Baby Rescue

    Palmdale Station Baby Rescue

    A Palmdale Sheriff’s Station deputy took swift action at a park recently, when he encountered a desperate mother and her son, who was in physical distress.  On Sunday, May 31, 2020, security camera footage captured the intense moment when two women ran frantically across a supermarket parking lot in the 3000 block of Rancho Vista Boulevard; one of them carried a limp, 11-month-old boy and stopped to administer back blows upon him.  Moments earlier, the women were  participating in a protest at the park, when the baby got sick, stopped breathing and lost consciousness.  They ran toward deputies who were across the street, monitoring the protest, to seek assistance.

    Deputy Cameron Kinsey spotted the women coming his way, ran toward them, and met them in the parking lot.  An anxious mother handed her son to the deputy, who immediately recognized something was gravely wrong.  Deputy Kinsey assessed the child, administered a mouth sweep with his finger and dislodged vomit.  Video footage shows clear relief in the posture of everyone encircling when the baby began to breathe again and regained alertness.  Paramedics arrived shortly afterward and transported the toddler to the hospital for treatment.  It was later determined the little one swallowed a coin, which lodged in his throat and blocked the airway.  It was Deputy Kinsey who opened the airway with the mouth sweep procedure and turned the coin sideways, allowing air to pass through.

    “None of that other stuff matters,” said Deputy Kinsey about all the other things going on around him at the time, “Just the baby.”

    A Palmdale Sheriff's Station deputy took swift action at a park recently, when he encountered a desperate mother and her…

    Posted by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Tuesday, June 16, 2020