OFFICIALS TRY TO KEEP LID ON AT COUNTY JAILS LOCKDOWNS, SEGREGATION CONTINUE AFTER WEEKEND RIOTS.

Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer

CASTAIC - The lockdown of Los Angeles County jails continued Monday as authorities attempted to defuse tension in the 21,000-inmate system and prevent further violence after fighting over the weekend between Latinos and African-Americans at two jails in Pitchess Detention Center left an inmate dead and dozens injured.

Two minimum-security dormitories at the 1,500-inmate North Facility, where 180 fought late Sunday, joined the North County Correctional Facility in lockdown, sheriff's officials said. About 400 Latino and African-American inmates from both jails have been segregated, which is legal during emergencies. The jails are among three at the Pitchess complex in Castaic.

``They're only allowed out of their cells in an emergency situation,'' sheriff's Deputy Tania Plunkett said.

Eight inmates suffered minor to moderate injuries in Sunday's melee, which came a day after rioting by more than 2,000 at the maximum-security North County jail killed 45-year-old Wayne Tiznor and injured at least 46, some critically. Investigators are trying to determine if the two incidents are connected.

``We'll know more in a few weeks,'' sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

Other county jails, including Men's Central Jail and Twin Towers in Los Angeles, were in ``modified'' lockdown - inmates are only allowed out of their cells for medical visits, attorney consultation and court appearances, sheriff's Sgt. Paul Patterson said. Visiting hours were suspended, and it was not known when the lockdown and segregation orders will be lifted.

Sheriff Lee Baca has blamed the incidents on a high inmate-to-guard ratio due to budget constraints, along with racial and gang rivalries carried over from the streets into jail.

``The sheriff and his investigators are convinced it has to do with what's going on in the streets in South Los Angeles,'' Whitmore said. ``It may well be gang-motivated as well as racially motivated.''

Baca has said the county Sheriff's Department has just 5,000 staffers for some 20,000 inmates, compared with New York City, which has a staff of 12,000 for 15,000 inmates.

Steven Remige, president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, said ``drafting,'' or holding deputies in to work extra hours to maintain adequate staffing, remains a common practice.

``Drafting goes on pretty much on a daily bases,'' said Remige, also the union's board member. ``We have guys getting ready to go home, and ... they're not getting out. Once they get the spots filled, the doors open.''

Whitmore said jail officials at the Pitchess complex met Monday to determine how to best handle the crisis, with some deputies working overtime to keep the peace.

``They're in the process of investigating,'' he said. ``They're in the process of keeping order.''

Asked how the Sheriff's Department can prevent violent outbreaks, Whitmore said: ``There is never a way to guarantee anything. There are only best practices, and the Sheriff's Department (conducts) ... out of necessity.''

Detectives also were trying to determine if inmates targeted Tiznor, who is African-American and was convicted of sexual battery. The Los Angeles resident was arrested Jan. 3 for failing to register as a sex offender.

Pitchess Detention Center sits on 34 acres about 40 miles north of Los Angeles, and houses the three jails. The largest, the North County Correctional Facility, houses 3,800 inmates. The North Facility houses 1,500 and the East Facility - opened in 1951 and the county's oldest operating jail - can house up to 850.

Eugene Tong, [phone]

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com