Two beatings, shooting by L.A. sheriff's deputies at center of watchdog records lawsuit
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Los Angeles County’s Civilian Oversight Commission is suing the county’s Sheriff’s Department, asking a judge to order the release of records related to two incidents in which deputies are accused of beatings and a third involving a controversial on-duty shooting.The lawsuit, filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, is the latest effort by the oversight body to compel the department to provide access to the records.The commission issued three subpoenas in February 2025, but according to the suit, the department has repeatedly declined to fully comply.The department has maintained that it can’t release the documents without redactions because they are confidential.
County officials have said they are legally required to first “meet and confer” with Sheriff’s Department unions before handing over the records.But the Civilian Oversight Commission says those arguments, which were first made by the office of county counsel, are not valid in light of recent developments.“The Commission respectfully requests that the Court issue an order to show cause why the LASD should not be ordered to comply with the Subpoenas,” the oversight body wrote in a court document filed Monday.The Sheriff’s Department provided The Times with an unsigned statement that said the “disclosure of otherwise confidential records, and how those records are to be maintained as confidential, impacts our employees.”“As a result,” the statement added, “the better course is to complete the meet and confer process and ensure that all concerns are addressed.”In 2020, county voters approved Measure R, which granted the oversight commission subpoena powers.
In fall 2025, Gov.Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 847, which amended the penal code to allow oversight commissions to receive confidential sheriff’s department documents and review them in closed session.
The law went into eff...