(TheConservativeTimes.org) – Reports show that California’s former LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has chosen to show up before the Civilian Oversight Commission after ignoring many subpoenas to testify under oath on deputy gangs.
In a 70-page study released in early 2023, the special counsel for the commission found that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is already home to at least six deputy gangs or cliques and that the misconduct of these members has already cost the taxpayers over $55 million.
As current deputy clique members retire or otherwise depart from the sheriff’s department, new cliques emerge, according to the research. Even though the Men’s Central Jail has made great strides in eliminating the issue of excessive force inmates face, the special counsel has discovered evidence that gangs are making a comeback there.
In a 70-page report earlier in the year, the commission’s special counsel condemned violent deputy gangs and urged Sheriff Robert Luna to outlaw the hidden groups.
In a December letter, Villaneuva’s lawyer informed the panel that he is prepared to appear in January and answer any question under oath. Linda Savitt, Villanueva’s attorney, said her client would appear as a private citizen before the commission next month.
Villanueva maintained his plan to cooperate with the subpoenas and called the commission’s pursuit of his testimony a political charade. Reports show Villanueva is running for county supervisor against Janice Hahn.
He said the COC only wanted subpoenas once his name was on a ballot and they wanted to influence a campaign. He said he would gladly dispel the deputy gang myth as a private citizen.
The report of cliques under Sheriff Villanueva and former Undersheriff Tim Murakami’s watch has been one of many legal dust-ups in the department since 2020.
That year, the commission subpoenaed the Sheriff in regard to the jails’ reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Villanueva, the subpoena was a public shaming effort, and he questioned its legitimacy.
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