Installing surveillance cameras, eliminating the use of heavy flashlights as weapons and rotating deputies are just a few of the reforms the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has proposed to Sheriff Lee Baca.
In addition, the Board unanimously voted Tuesday to create a five-member citizens' commission to investigate jail violence amid the recent scrutiny of the system. Each supervisor will nominate a committee member by Nov. 1.
The commission will review the use of force in LA County jails and recommend corrective action if needed, according to the Board.
Supervisor Gloria Molina said the reforms, originally crafted by Special Counsel Merrick Bobb and the Office of Independent Review, were proposed more than a year ago.
"I think it's fair to say accountability at the Sheriff's Department is long overdue," Molina said.
Allegations of inmate abuse and misconduct have been highlighted in a series of reports in the Los Angeles Times. The FBI is currently investigating the alleged brutality.
Although he did not attend Tuesday's meeting, Baca has admitted to being out of touch with the county's jails and has pledged reform.
Some of the proposed reforms now endorsed by the Board include:
- installing surveillance cameras in the jails within 30 days
- eliminating the use of heavy flashlights as batons to subdue inmates, substituting batons, if necessary
- eliminating the use of steel-toed shoes
- forbidding all head strikes, unless the standard for lethal force has been met
- rotating deputies between floors at least every six months
- enforcing an existing anti-retaliation policy against inmates who speak to lawyers or activists about jail conditions
- barring deputies accused of excessive force or supervisors of those deputies from related inmate interviews
- conducting those interviews as quickly as possible and no later than 48 hours following the incident
- ensuring that the most severe use of force investigations are completed within 30 days and that all are completed within 60 to 90 days
- developing a plan for more intense supervision
- mandating that medical personnel report all suspicious inmate injuries to the Internal Affairs Unit or the jail captain
- reporting back to the board on the role of the new jail commanders
Baca is expected to come before the Board to discuss possible fixes within the next two weeks.
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