Sheriff Robert Luna sued the county’s civilian oversight committee this week, asking the court to decide whether the department should comply with the commission’s subpoena, asking for information on misconduct and use of force on the subcommittee.
The lawsuit was filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, and the Oversight Committee issued a subpoena asking for records related to three controversial cases, which represented as assaulting or shooting young people. Some of the representatives involved were fired, prohibiting sworn in or plead guilty to federal crimes.
The department’s response to the subpoena will expire Thursday morning, but lawsuits filed earlier this week said Luna is not sure whether state laws that retain state laws that hold most police records will conflict with legal requirements to comply with the commission’s subpoena.
“The Sheriff’s Department is committed to transparency in law enforcement and working with the COC,” the department told the Times in an emailed statement. “This complaint is not about causing a division between county departments, but rather about explicit guidance around complex legal issues that can and cannot be disclosed to the COC to move forward. Without judicial clarification on this long-standing division, the department risked the potential erosion of criminal charges, civil liability, civil liability and public trust.”
Former federal judge Robert Bonner chaired the oversight committee, which was different.
“We regret that the sheriff considers it necessary to prosecute the Civilian Oversight Commission (the oversight commission responsible for its departments) to seek guidance from the court,” he told the Times. “We are surprised that the sheriff chose to do so on the eve of his obligation to respond to the subpoena of the three committees, which aim to force him and his department to provide the committee with reports on the use of force against citizens.”
In early 2020, the Supervisory Board Committee awarded the Committee the guidance of the Office of the Inspector General to issue subpoenas. Two months later, Amid a series of sheriff’s department scandalsLos Angeles voters were overwhelmingly approved Measure rgranting the committee the authority to directly summon witnesses and record records. In the months that followed, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that granted subpoena rights to statewide supervisory agencies.
Over the past few years, the Oversight Committee has often requested the passage of public records laws (including documents related to jail deaths, deputy gangs and sexual misconduct). The Sheriff’s Department has handed over records at the request of some committees but has rejected others, saying the records involved are confidential. In February, the committee took a stronger attitude and issued a subpoena.
One of the subpoenas asked for all investigation materials related to the killing of Andres Guardado, an 18-year-old man who was killed by deputies in 2020 who shot him back after a brief chasing. Both representatives involved are Later sentenced to federal prison For an unrelated incident, they admitted to kidnapping and abuse of skateboarders as he shouted that they stopped picking teens in Compton Park.
Another subpoena was seeking records in the case of Emmett Brock, a transgender man who was beaten by Norwalk outside 7-Eleven in 2023. The incident was photographed and was caught by Deputy Deputy Joseph Benza last year. Enfession Violation of federal civil rights.
exist At least eight representatives After Benza made several annoying charges in his plea deal, including numerous other deputies and sergeants helped cover up his misconduct, he was removed from duty.
The third subpoena seeks records related to the case of Joseph Perez, who was beaten by an industry station sheriff’s representative in 2020. The department believes Perez uses force in policy, and has since filed a lawsuit despite Perez’s doubts. The case is still waiting.
Each of the three subpoenas signed by Bonner includes a notice: “Disobedience to this subpoena may be despised by the court. You will also be liable for $500, as well as all damages due to your failure to comply.”
The department said that under state law, some record watchdog officials requested secrets, and the state created most deputy record secrets.
The law is Section 832.7 of the California Criminal Code, with some exceptions, so prosecutors, state oversight officials and grand juries can see confidential records during the investigation as needed. However, the Sheriff’s Department said the law does not clearly state that the Civilian Oversight Board can view the records and that the court needs clarification, so the sheriff’s officials are not criminally responsible for the charges they comply.
This is not the first time the Sheriff’s Department has encountered the Commission’s subpoena power. In 2020, Villanueva questioned the legitimacy of the move when the commission summoned former Sheriff Alex Villanueva to respond to Covid-19 on the 19th in prison. The dispute ended in court, and eventually Veranueva agreed to voluntarily answer the committee’s questions.
Villanueva also boycotted the subpoenas when supervisory officials issued more subpoenas, leading to multiple court cases. One of the cases almost led to a 2022 contempt hearing, but the court canceled the hearing after Villanueva’s lawyers asked the High Court to step in.
After he stopped serving as sheriff in the second half of 2023, Villanueva finally agreed to testify under oath. Answer questions about suspected deputy gangs Operate within the department.
In the lawsuit filed this week, the sheriff’s department tried to distance itself from Villanueva’s attitude, saying it had taken a “significantly different approach” from the previous administration, and the administration “actively resists the COC’s oversight efforts and sometimes requires the COC to require court intervention to force LASD to comply with the request.”
