Exercising its mandate to improve transparency and accountability in law enforcement, the Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission has created a special committee to investigate how the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department handles complaints made by members of the public against its deputies.

The Commission unanimously approved a motion to create a Complaints Ad Hoc Committee whose primary purpose is to evaluate LASD’s policies, procedures, and practices for handling external complaints about deputy misconduct. The Committee will examine the best practices of other large law enforcement agencies and urge the Sheriff to adopt any necessary reforms to improve LASD’s complaint process.

In addition, the Committee will make recommendations to strengthen the Commission’s own mandate to ensure that complaints made by community members are investigated within a reasonable time frame; that appropriate actions, including discipline, are taken when misconduct is found; and that updates are provided to the complainants.

Currently, the Commission is unable to access information related to the LASD’s handling of complaints by community members. Citing the advice of County Counsel, the LASD refuses to provide confidential information regarding complaints as well as other documents, despite multiple requests by the Commission.

“For too long, we have been told by members of the public that the LASD complaints process is broken; that it is not working. It is time for the Commission to take a hard look at how the Sheriff’s Department handles complaints of misconduct against its deputies. If the LASD is going to investigate its own, it is imperative that there be effective oversight and visibility into the process. That is what this special Committee of the Commission is charged with making happen,” said Robert C. Bonner, the Chair of the Civilian Oversight Commission.

Four members of the Commission will serve on the Complaints Committee, namely: Arthur Calloway II, Dr. Luis Garcia, James P. Harris and Hans Johnson.

“When residents file a complaint, whether to the LASD, to the Commission, or to the Office of Inspector General, it is important that we all, individually and collectively, have a seamless process as this is critical to ensuring a solid foundation for building trust between our communities and law enforcement,” said Commissioner Calloway, who will serve as the Complaints Committee Chair.

The Complaints Committee will convene in January and plans to solicit input from stakeholders, experts, and members of the public. After conducting interviews and studying best practices, the Committee will report its findings and recommendations to the full Commission and to the Sheriff.

Created by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2016, the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission provides ongoing review, analysis and oversight of LASD policies, practices and procedures, and makes recommendations to the Sheriff and to the Board. The Commission gained subpoena powers after county voters approved Measure R in March 2020.

The Commission consists of nine volunteer members appointed by the Board. Five commissioners are selected by the Supervisors representing each of the county’s five districts, while the other four commissioners are at-large appointments.

For more information visit the Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission at https://coc.lacounty.gov/.