Supes Delay Vote On Oversight Panel For Sheriff's Department

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors vote on the creation of a permanent civilian oversight commission for the sheriff's department was postponed Tuesday.

KNX 1070's Vytas Safronikas reported that Mark Ridley-Thomas and Gloria Molina introduced the motion last Thursday to establish a Los Angeles County Citizens Law Enforcement Commission in response to notice that the U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into allegations that sheriff's deputies may have abused inmates.

In comments made ahead of the scheduled vote, Supervisors Don Knabe and Zev Yaroslavsky recommended the board wait for the Office of Inspector General to launch efforts to monitor the department before layering on additional oversight.

An aide for Supervisor Michael Antonovich - who offered no comment during the discussion - said Antonovich also opposes the proposal from Ridley-Thomas and Molina.

A criminal investigation into allegations of excessive force and other wrongdoing began in 2011.

But Molina warned the Justice Department's civil investigation, which will focus specifically on the treatment of mentally ill inmates, in addition to the criminal investigation launched in 2011 underscored the need for heightened scrutiny.

"When you hear some of the things that some of these deputies have done...it is shameful," Molina said.

The motion originally called for each supervisor to appoint a commissioner to the panel by Oct. 15, but a vote on the issue was postponed until Oct. 8.

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