FBI and the L.A. County Sheriffs

De Nile is not just a river in Egypt. Sheriff Lee Baca seems very confused. He insists that there is no problem in his department. Lets see, one former Sheriff is suing because he was fired for investigating the death of a fellow officer and he was told not to. The following article from the L.A. Daily News explains, "Attorney: Antelope Valley corruption prompted firing of deputy, who should get $8.5 million". Now, even the defense is saying that he was told not to investigate and did anyways. Why would you tell him not to investigate? Read the article and ask yourself the same question.

At the same time that the lawsuit is going on, the Sheriff's Department is being investigated for discrimination and is also investigating the Mayor's of Lancaster and Palmdale for the same thing. Here is an article from NetNewsPublisher, "Justice Department Opens Investigation Into the Antelope Valley Stations of the LA County Sheriff’s Department".

So while this is going on the L.A. County Sheriff's Department is also in trouble with the FBI for abuse of prisoners at the central jail. An FBI informant was in the jail compiling information regarding abuse of prisoners and the FBI wanted him to use a cell phone and apparently the inmate said he knew which Sheriff he could bribe to get a phone and got the phone. He had to pay the officer $1,500. I thought giving a cell phone to a prisoner was a crime; but, Sheriff Baca when asked if it would be pursued as a crime said, "No, I don't think so. It's not worthy of pursuing, in view of the greater good". Which greater good would that be? Sheriff Baca also is miffed at the FBI and doesn't like the investigation. He said more altercations were caused by the prisoners than by the sheriffs. Is that an admittance of guilt, admitting that the Sheriffs actually cause some of these fights? Here is the article from the L.A. Times, "L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca gives details of FBI sting".

I have always sort of liked the F.B.I. and have a friend who was rather highly placed in it. As for the Sheriff's Department, I am not as impressed. The Department has not improved over the last couple of decades. Most police forces have not improved because the criteria were lowered. There are still many dedicated and good police officers out there; but, the police themselves have had too many cases of being out of control with no or little discipline being taken.

What happens when you allow corruption within your police departments, you see a rise in indiscriminate violence by the police, police vendettas and an increase in the use of deadly force by the police. We are seeing those things. Sheriff Baca apparently feels things are just fine the way they are. Many former officers are rolling over in their graves. In the early days the police in Los Angeles were notoriously corrupt and it took Chief William H. Parker and some dedicated police to clean it up. Chief Parker found that the politicians of the time were working with those involved in street crime and that the police were too involved with both. We are of course back to the same situation today, consider the prior post on politicians and gang members in Los Angeles.

It is a shame that Sheriff Baca believes things are fine in his force, the FBI doesn't think so. Sheriff Baca and others should probably consider fixing Los Angeles before more of our civic leaders end up in federal prison. Multiple investigations into the police in the area, investigations into multiple departments within the City. Hey, remember a long time ago when I wrote that the FBI and the Federal Prosecutors had set up special sections just for political corruption, I said, they wouldn't have done that if they were not already convinced. In the end, things get better or "Everyone goes to jail".