Issues within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), Shared letter from LASD Deputy
I am posting this for the author who currently works as a deputy sheriff for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Even though I am retired, I am still connected to the department, and I am using my voice to share the issues they are having.
3rd Letter to the Citizens of the Antelope Valley and Beyond
Hello,
Recent events have once again compelled me to write about serious issues within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Things can not continue the way they are. We work multiple overtime shifts a week, often only getting a couple hours of sleep between continuous double shifts. We are frequently required to work overtime on our days off, and requests for time off to be with family are denied due to lack of staffing and straining relationships. We frequently see violence and horrors beyond comprehension, like a Lancaster man who recently beat his own children to death.
The workload and stress alone would be enough to dishearten people, but there is more. Sheriff Luna, his command staff, and DA Gascon push for leniency toward criminals. But when it comes to us, they seek maximum punishment toward Deputies, potentially including termination and criminal charges, for even the smallest violations of department policy. This has created hesitancy for many to perform their duties.
The fact that our leadership sides with criminals and their advocates, while condemning its own understaffed and overworked Deputies, has come into painful focus in the last few months. On September 16th, Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer was murdered right outside his station. Luna didn’t attempt to argue with the mercenary DA Gascon for maximum punishment. He didn’t even bother to learn how to pronounce his last name correctly for the funeral. His uninspired words at the funeral brought no solace to us, and many of Clink’s partners weren’t even granted adequate time off to grieve. Additionally, certain members of Luna’s command staff were visibly too proud and stiff necked to even bow their heads to show respect for our fallen partner during the funeral. If only the sense of loss and disrespect ended there.