Global Courant 2023-05-17 18:00:17
Nearly three dozen deputies have been ordered to come in for questioning, display their tattoos and provide the names of any other deputies linking them to two of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s most notorious deputy gangs.
The question came Sent in a letter on Friday by Provincial Inspector General Max Huntsman to 35 deputies suspected of being members of either the Executioners, which operates out of Compton station, or the Banditos, which operates out of East LA station.
The names of the deputies have not been made public, but Huntsman said they were a subset of the 41 deputies he identified as suspected gang members last year.
“The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department conducted incomplete internal investigations into the Banditos and hangmen, without identifying all members,” Huntsman told The Times this week. “California new gang law tackles discrimination based on race and gender and gives inspectors general greater powers to collect evidence. We are using that authority to complete the investigation by ordering deputies to show their tattoos and tell us who else has them.”
It’s unclear what the consequences would be if deputies don’t show up, though letters Huntsman sent last week warned that refusing to answer questions “could adversely affect your employment with Los Angeles County or your status as a peace officer.” “.
In a mass text sent to members this week, a union representing deputies, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Professional Assn., advised members to call the union immediately if they received a letter. In a Facebook post, another union, the Assn. for the Los Angeles deputy sheriffs, members recommended not responding to the letters and instead “call ALADS right now.”
Richard Pippin, chairman of ALADS, said the union believes that some aspects of the inspector general’s investigation “infringe the fundamental constitutional rights of individuals” and that there are important parts of the letter that need clarification.
“Deputies will no doubt look to Sheriff (Robert) Luna, their employer, for that clarification,” he said.
In a statement late Tuesday, department officials said they were aware of the letters, but did not clarify whether deputies would be instructed to respond or if there would be consequences for ignoring them.
“The department supports any investigation that seeks to uncover wrongdoing, as all members of the sheriff’s department are expected to adhere to the highest ethical and professional standards,” officials wrote in an unsigned statement sent by email. sent. “Department members who engage in misconduct or criminal activity will not be tolerated and will be held accountable.”
The five-page letter from the Inspector General, the county’s watchdog, begins by explaining that the recipient “has been directed to appear in person to participate in an interview that will be conducted by the Office of the Inspector General about the presence of law enforcement gangs in Los Angeles.” the Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.”
It lays down the legal basis for such an investigation, citing a 2021 state law that gave Inspectors General the authority to investigate law enforcement gangs by specifying that agencies “will cooperate” with Inspectors General investigations.
While the law doesn’t specify what happens if an individual deputy sheriff fails to cooperate, Huntsman’s letter references another section of the state’s criminal code that states that failure to cooperate with an investigation of police misconduct may be grounds for for the withdrawal of a peace declaration. officer.
The letter then explains the reason for the investigation: Although the sheriff’s department has evidence of secret and exclusive vicarious gangs, commonly known as the Banditos and the Executioners, the department has never been able to provide investigators with a full list of the members. in any group.
“The Office of the Inspector General is conducting a series of witness interviews to establish membership in the Banditos and Executioners,” the letter continues.
The letter contains more than a dozen questions interviewers plan to ask, including: Do you have a tattoo related to the Banditos or the Executioners anywhere on your body? Who was present when you got tattooed? Who knows your tattoo? Who else’s tattoo have you seen?
The letter also included a request to see each deputy’s legs, which are a common site for suspected gang tattoos.
The letter ends by instructing recipients to contact the Inspector General’s office within two weeks to schedule an interview.
While the letter says that delegates “must” appear and answer questions, it spells out one possible exception: the 5th Amendment. If delegates assert their 5th Amendment right to refuse to answer questions that could incriminate them, Huntsman’s office won’t legally force them to answer — or at least not yet.
“Should the Office of the Inspector General elect to enforce a statement on a Fifth Amendment allegation, you will be recalled at a later date,” the letter reads. “If you do not affirm your Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, the failure to respond could adversely affect your employment with Los Angeles County or your status as a certified peace officer.”
The deputies who received the letter — under a delivery process that Huntsman said was only possible thanks to the cooperation of the sheriff’s department — were all among those referenced in a longer letter Huntsman sent to then-Sheriff Alex Villanueva in early 2022.
The purpose of that earlier letter was to ask the department for a series of materials needed for the investigation. But it also contained some of the information Huntsman already had about their existence.
While the letter did not name any gang members, it did say the agency had identified 11 suspected Banditos and 30 suspected executioners.
The Sheriff’s Department has long faced allegations of secret aid groups running amok in certain stations and jails, monitoring command personnel and promoting a culture of violence. A Loyola Marymount University report released in 2021 identified 18 such groups that have existed over the past five decades, including the Executioners and the Banditos.
Members of the former are said to have tattoos of a Nazi-depicted skull and an AK-47, while members of the latter are reportedly known for their matching tattoos of a skeleton equipped with a sombrero, bandoleer, and pistol.
The current round of letters comes on the heels of a series of attempts to curb gang activity within the Sheriff’s Department.
Shortly after taking office, Luna announced the creation of a Constitutional Police Bureau with the aim of rooting out vicarious gangs.
And in a comprehensive report released a few weeks later, the Civilian Oversight Commission’s special counsel made more than two dozen recommendations to eliminate gangs, including firing captains who do not support anti-gang policies, with deputies are required to hide any gang. related tattoos at work, notifying prosecutors when a deputy sheriff involved with a gang will testify in court as a witness, and holding community rallies.
Unlike his predecessor, Luna has acknowledged the existence of vicarious gangs and said publicly that he wants to end them. However, he has not yet formally accepted the report’s recommendations.
