The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has launched a criminal investigation into its chief watchdog tied to allegations that the oversight agency unlawfully obtained internal records, according to a letter from Undersheriff Timothy Murakami to the county Board of Supervisors.
Inspector General Max Huntsman told the L.A. Times on Tuesday that his office did not break any laws, noting that county code requires the Sheriff’s Department to promptly comply with the oversight agency’s requests for documents, including confidential personnel records.The move by the Sheriff’s Department drew swift condemnation from county Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, who said the probe “smells a little bogus.
“It is improper for a sheriff to criminally target a public official for formally discharging their duties under a county code,” Huntsman said.The Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to those comments but issued a statement from Murakami. Huntsman told the Board of Supervisors last month that the Sheriff’s Department was exhibiting a “Tanaka-level crisis” in its refusal to comply with requests from his office, referring to the former undersheriff , who is now in prison on the obstruction conviction and on a conviction of conspiracy. Tanaka was said to encourage deputies to work in the “gray area” of policing and dismissed efforts to hold deputies accountable.
Huntsman said his staff requested the files mentioned in Bernstein’s declaration because they had been designated as secret and his office has an interest in monitoring information that the department is trying to keep confidential. Huntsman said he later developed concerns that some personnel records would be altered under Villanueva’s administration and wanted to have a record of the original files.
Why hasn’t Baca started his prison time yet?
So, an investigation into the OIG by the investigated.
At the rate of his overt abuses of power so far, I expect Villanueva to be perp walked to jail himself before his term is up.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: latimes - 🏆 11. / 82 Read more »
Source: latimes - 🏆 11. / 82 Read more »
Source: latimes - 🏆 11. / 82 Read more »
Source: latimes - 🏆 11. / 82 Read more »
Source: NYMag - 🏆 111. / 63 Read more »