Posts Tagged :

sheriffs-statement

Sheriff alex villanueva graphic. portrait of sheriff in tan shirt black tie. Sheriff's uniform, on greeen background with the hall of justice building behind him faded in the back ground.
LASD Undersheriff Robert Allen Edmonds 1024 249 SIB Staff

LASD Undersheriff Robert Allen Edmonds

Today, we were deeply saddened to hear former LASD Undersheriff Robert Allen Edmonds passed away.  He was “recruited” to the Department by a Lennox Station Detective when Edmonds, an Assistant Manager for Safeway at the time, went to report bad checks received.

He became a Deputy after graduating from class #87 in 1961. Throughout his career, Robert steadily rose up through the ranks as a Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Commander, Assistant Sheriff and ultimately, Undersheriff in 1987. Robert Allen Edmonds worked during the Watts Riots, the Cerritos air crash, the 1984 Olympics, and several other large scale incidents.  He was known for bolstering the Sheriff’s Department explorer program, operations planning for large scale disasters and events, as well as overseeing the department’s transition from paper logs to the first digitized computer system.

After 32 years in the Sheriff’s Department, Undersheriff Robert Allen Edmonds retired in 1994. He was a true leader who inspired and motivated others to strive for the best when serving the community. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department has suffered a great loss and he will be greatly missed.

Sheriff alex villanueva graphic. portrait of sheriff in tan shirt black tie. Sheriff's uniform, on greeen background with the hall of justice building behind him faded in the back ground.
Lawsuit claiming Deputy Gangs is thrown out of court 1024 249 SIB Staff

Lawsuit claiming Deputy Gangs is thrown out of court

AUSTREBERTO GONZALEZ’S LAWSUIT CLAIMING “DEPUTY GANGS” AT HIS STATION IS THROWN OUT OF COURT

November 5, 2021

On November 4, 2021, Judge William F. Fahey dismissed with prejudice the case brought against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department by Deputy Austreberto Gonzalez due to lack of evidence and absence of triable facts.  The Court also highlighted Mr. Gonzalez “may not contradict his deposition testimony by proffering different testimony in a later declaration.” 

The unproven allegations in this case alleging “deputy gangs” by Mr. Gonzalez have been used as the primary basis for attacks on the Department by some members of the Board of Supervisors, a former member of the Board of Supervisors (who has been indicted for public corruption), the Office of the Inspector General, the Civilian Oversight Commission, other elected officials, and the media.  Their statements have been presented as “facts” in reports by RAND, the Center for Juvenile Law & Policy, and Knock LA.  The LA Times alone has referenced these unsubstantiated allegations in at least a dozen articles.  These writings have served to attack and undermine the perceived credibility and legitimacy of our organization, even though they were based on what we now know to be an uncredible source.  I predict not one of these entities will amend or correct their work, but as John Adams once stated, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” 

In addition to having his case thrown out of court for lack of evidence, absence of triable facts, and impeaching his own testimony, Mr. Gonzalez and his attorneys were additionally sanctioned monetarily by the Court for their failure to comply with orders of the Court.   

At this time, the Department is unable to provide any further information on Mr. Gonzalez, other than he remains on paid leave.  As Sheriff, I have remained focused on providing our communities with transparent and truthful information.  I am deeply concerned to hear that after all of the facts in this case were uncovered, Mr. Gonzalez, as one of my deputies, may have supplied incomplete or misleading information to the legal system, as noted in the Court’s ruling, and appropriate measures will be taken so that we continue to assure our communities deputy sheriffs can, and must, be trusted. (see full Court Order)

I remain committed to transparency and accountability and almost two-years ago I became the first Los Angeles County Sheriff in history to successfully implement a policy banning “deputy cliques.”  Recently, AB 958 was signed into law, a bill I sponsored based on the current LASD policy, which will now be the model policy for all law enforcement in our state.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva

Sheriff alex villanueva graphic. portrait of sheriff in tan shirt black tie. Sheriff's uniform, on greeen background with the hall of justice building behind him faded in the back ground.
Archice – DEPUTY INVOLVED SHOOTING INVOLVING DAVID ORDAZ JR 1024 249 SIB Staff

Archice – DEPUTY INVOLVED SHOOTING INVOLVING DAVID ORDAZ JR

DEPUTY INVOLVED SHOOTING INVOLVING DAVID ORDAZ JR.

July 30, 2021

On March 14, 2021, deputies responded to a call of a man with a knife who was under the influence of drugs and wanted to commit “suicide by cop.”  Tragically, David Ordaz Jr. died as a result of wounds sustained in a deputy involved shooting.  Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones.  This event was captured on body worn camera video and a critical incident video of the event has been posted at LASD.org under our Transparency Promise webpage.  I want to clearly state I have grave concerns regarding this deputy involved shooting.  One of the deputies has been relieved of duty and their peace officer powers have been suspended, pending the outcome of this investigation. 

Upon completion of the investigation, it will be submitted to the Los Angeles County District Attorney – Justice System Integrity Division, who will determine the legality of the shooting. Additionally, the investigation will be shared with Los Angeles FBI Field Office for their review.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva

STATEMENT REGARDING MEASURE J 680 380 SIB Staff

STATEMENT REGARDING MEASURE J

STATEMENT REGARDING MEASURE J

November 4, 2020

Our Department has successfully persevered for over 170 years.  Throughout our rich history we have faced many challenges and emerged together stronger, because that is what we do. 

Measure J is our latest challenge and it will be implemented over the next three years, beginning on July 1, 2021.  We don’t yet fully understand the depth of real world consequences to the Department, but we do know it will mean additional reductions to our budget.  Over the next few weeks, our budget team will find out what the impact will actually be. 

I am committed to working together with the Board of Supervisors, CEO, and employee unions in order to find budgetary solutions to the many complex issues we now face. 

As an organization we will continue to remain focused on serving the community in our basic public safety mission of protecting life, protecting property, and maintaining order. 

We have faced far worse challenges and this too shall pass.  We will succeed in navigating this newest challenge together as a family, because that is what we do. 

Sheriff Alex Villanueva

Sheriff Villanueva speaking to a man and woman in an alley
HOMELESS COUNT 2020 1024 576 SIB Staff

HOMELESS COUNT 2020

Homeless Count 2020

Law enforcement personnel are often the first contact with those experiencing homelessness.  For that reason LASD HOST was created to exemplify the county’s efforts to combat homelessness and preserve public safety.  HOST’s mission is to positively impact the homeless crisis in the county while increasing public safety and preserving the rights and dignity of persons experiencing homelessness. 

Sheriff Alex Villanueva said “Over the past three evenings, LASD personnel escorted volunteers throughout the county of for Homeless Count 2020. Homelessness is a complex issue for the County. These residents struggle with poverty, some struggle with mental illness. Unfortunately, our younger adults are more vulnerable. Young People who lack stable housing are at a higher risk of being trafficked and more likely to experience substance use and depression.

By conducting these counts with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and forming collaborations with service providers, LASD’s Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) continues to assist those experiencing homelessness throughout the County. Los Angeles County has established subsidies to support our most vulnerable residents, and it has proven affordable and effective. The County is redoubling efforts to combat this issue, and as part of the county family, the Sheriff’s Department is as well.

 It is my goal to increase the number of Department personnel assigned to the LASD’ HOST three-fold to help people get on their feet and off the streets. By providing compassion and access to services, we can help those in need and keep them out of our jail system.”

Through our contacts with thousands of homeless neighbors, HOST has earned a reputation for being compassionate, accountable, innovative, and bold.  HOST has transcended the role of traditional law enforcement.  For years, HOST has accomplished the mission with zero uses of force.    

Video courtesy of KTLA 5.

Sheriff Villanueva walked with volunteers in the city of East Los Angeles to see the growing homeless crises and in need of shelter.Sheriff Alex Villanueva said "Over the past three evenings Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department personnel escorted volunteers for #HomelessCount2020. By conducting counts with Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, & forming collaborations with service providers, the LASD Homeless Outreach Services Team continues to assist those experiencing homelessness in County of Los Angeles."To read more, please visit: https://lasd.org/homeless-count-2020/ Video courtesy of KTLA 5 News:

Posted by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on Thursday, January 23, 2020