Keep Bailing

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca told the LA Board of Supervisors that additional cameras will be installed in Los Angeles County jails following allegations of inmate abuse and misconduct by jail staff.

300 cameras in total were purchased according to Baca. KFI News has reported that the cameras will be installed over the course of the next five months at a cost of approximately $484,000.  This is in addition to the $308,000 spent to acquire the equipment.

A commission has been convened by the Board of Supervisors which Read more »

The LA Times has reported that command staff within the LA County Jail system first raised alarms about inmate abuse to Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca almost two years ago.

The latest investigative article brings continued scrutiny to the nation’s largest jail system.  Reports of brutality against inmates, employee misconduct, and the use of unnecessary and excessive force by sheriffs and other jail personnel have mounted in recent weeks.

One of the reports found that deputies crafted narratives ‘dramatized to justify’ force. Reportedly, jailers delayed using weapons that could end fights, like pepper spray and stun guns, to ‘dispense appropriate jailhouse justice’.

Although supervisors had, at times, recommended Read more »

LA County Sheriff’s officials continue to remain under fire amidst charges of inmate abuse, according to a report by the LA Times.

A number of jail employees, 30 in total, are now facing disciplinary action for abusing and/or covering up abuse of inmates.  The Office of Independent Review (OIR), which serves as a “watchdog” for the department, found that stories were often forged as a means of “justifying” physical action against inmates.  Disproving those claims, they said, is often difficult to prove.

The report further stated that “only a fraction” of jail employees who used excessive force punished for their actions.  The full report, prepared by OIR head Michael Gennaco, is expected to be released later today.

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Gennaco said jail surveillance cameras had captured footage of Read more »

Fox Los Angeles reported  that Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca has a new jail plan. If approved by the County Board of Supervisors, the $1.4 billion plan would allow for the demolition and rebuilding of the downtown Men’s Central Jail and would also allow for a new, women’s jail to be constructed at Pitchess Detention Center.

The proposal comes amidst staunch allegations of inmate abuse by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) . County officials believe that prison populations could be better managed should construction plans be approved.

Baca told Fox that the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail is antiquated and if the new facility is approved it could reduce annual operation costs by approximately $23.7 million. The current facility, which houses about 5,000 inmates, was built in 1963.

Baca further noted the new facilities would allow Read more »

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said he’s taking allegations of inmate abuse within the LA County jail system seriously.

In response to recent claims made by former department rookie Joshua Sather that he had been instructed by a supervisor to beat a mentally ill inmate, as well as other allegations brought forth by the American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU), Baca said he has created two separate task forces address concerns.

“A number of allegations of misconduct including excessive force by Sheriff’s Department jail staff have been brought to my attention,” Baca said in a statement. “In order to address Read more »

Longtime Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has come under attack recently from a civil rights group, which is demanding his resignation because of the problems stemming from the jail system. The group, the American Civil Liberties Union, calls the system corrupt and says that it encourages fear and deputy brutality.

Sheriff Baca and his deputies are responsible for the supervision of more than 15,000 inmates in the LA County jail system, the busiest in the country. The Sheriff disputes the claims that have been made by the ACLU. The ACLU stated during a news conference that the sheriff and his top commanders were intentionally Read more »

To focus on communities rather than criminals, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck and Sheriff Lee Baca announced a database that shares files between the federal, state and local agencies. Included in the “Community Based Information System” is information about community demographics, school dynamics, crime, social service referrals and other relevant data for decision-making by law enforcement officers. 

The purpose, as stated by officials, is to get a better grasp on the socioeconomic dynamic that occurs in troubled communities, it is not a tool for tracking criminals and analyzing crimes.

According to Sheriff Baca, “This system has the capability Read more »

Los Angeles jail officials and staff are planning to test out a new form of technology produced by the military as a weapon at the LA County Castaic Jail. This innovative tool is an invisible beam of heat that will produce “intolerable heat” to those whom it is beamed on.

The heat-beam is officially known as an Assault Intervention Device developed by Raytheon Company. It is said to be harmless and the one inside the L.A. jail is scaled down considerably.

The device works by emitting a beam, focused on the wave of energy that is traveling at the speed of light to produce an intolerable heat sensation that advertently will cause those in it’s line of fire to move. Once the individual has moved away from the beam, all heat sensations cease to exist.

Jail officials and deputies have tested this device and it is all controlled by a single joystick. According to Sheriff Lee Baca, “We Read more »

The Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail’s metal detectors are putting people at risk.  This particular facility, the largest jail in the world housing approximately 4,000 inmates, has a total of seven scanners, and many of them are not working.  As scary as that sounds, the jail’s chief says that security has not been compromised by the frequent breaking down of metal detectors. 

Deputies are often confiscating weapons made by inmates from various scrap metals.  Sheriff’s Captain Daniel Cruz, who is responsible for overseeing the jail, stated that, “We’re stuck with old technology and stuff that breaks down regularly.”  Cruz also mentioned that out of seven metal detectors at the jail, only one is working properly at the moment.  

On Wednesday, the LA Times inquired about the non-working metal detectors and the Sheriff’s Department made a commitment to replace Read more »

Nonviolent inmates who are currently in a Los Angeles County jail could serve only 80% of their jail terms.  And, according to department officials, that number could be knocked down to them serving only 50% of their sentences.

So what’s happening here?  LA County Sheriff Lee Baca stated that these early release sentences for inmates may be the future of what’s “inevitable” as the county’s budget crisis continues. The Department currently faces a $128 million budget gap.

Department spokesman Read more »