LANCASTER STATION ON ACLU'S LIST; PUBLIC COMPLAINTS RISING.Byline: Bhavna Mistry / Daily News Staff Writer The Lancaster sheriff's station ranked third highest among the 17 stations in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. in complaints against deputies, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. an ACLU ACLU: see American Civil Liberties Union. report issued Wednesday. Deputies at the Lancaster station and its Palmdale substation were targeted with a total of 889 complaints between 1994 and 1996, or more than three complaints per deputy over the three-year period, said the American Civil Liberties Union American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), nonpartisan organization devoted to the preservation and extension of the basic rights set forth in the U.S. Constitution. of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . ``It is above the mean (average) for discourtesy, false imprisonment false imprisonment, complete restraint upon a person's liberty of movement without legal justification. Actual physical contact is not necessary; a show of authority or a threat of force is sufficient. The person falsely imprisoned may sue the offender for damages. and improper tactics, and ranks third overall in neglect-of-duty complaints per deputy assigned,'' said Christopher Herrera, ACLU director of public education. The ACLU released its findings in a report, titled ``Disturbing Trends: Complaints and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department,'' during a press conference in its Los Angeles office. Officials said complaints countywide against the department have risen from 2,048 in 1994 to 2,510 in 1995 and 2,787 in 1996. Lancaster joined Lakewood, Avalon, Walnut/San Dimas, Santa Clarita, East Los Angeles East Los Angeles, uninc. city (1990 pop. 126,379), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a residential suburb of Los Angeles, in an industrial area. It has a large Mexican-American population. There is a performing arts center and a cultural center. A junior college is there. , Century and Lennox as stations with the most problems overall, according to the ACLU. The report noted, however, that Lancaster is the largest station, with 282 deputies. The Men's Central Jail and the Inmate Reception Center were singled out as the worst jails. Sheriff's Department officials said they had received the report and were in the process of reviewing it. ``Upon a complete and thorough examination of the observations and conclusions contained therein, the department will respond accordingly,'' said Deputy Elsa Avila. ``Until that review is completed, comments as to the report's validity and scope would be premature.'' Lancaster Mayor Frank Roberts said he believes Antelope Valley residents are satisfied with the service from deputies. ``I believe they are doing the job that they are paid for,'' Roberts said. ``I've always discovered very positive remarks about our sheriff's (deputies). In my opinion the satisfaction is rather high.'' As part of its findings, the ACLU noted that the Sheriff's Department had stopped tracking race or age information about people who file complaints. ACLU officials said they hope the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is the five member governing board of Los Angeles County, California. Members of the board of supervisors are elected by district, the current members as of April 2006 are:
|
|
||||||||||||||

Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion