SHERIFF'S UPPER RANKS LACK LATINOS, COMPLAINT SAYS.

Byline: Troy Anderson  Staff Writer

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department doesn't promote enough Latinos to the ranks of sergeant and higher, according to a complaint filed Wednesday.

The Los Angeles chapter of the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association filed its complaint with state and federal employment opportunity authorities.

``The top 14 chiefs, assistant chiefs, assistant sheriffs and undersheriff are white,'' said Francine Carrasco de Spada, association president and a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant. ``There is only one Hispanic and that's Sheriff Lee Baca.''

She said the department is made up of 30 percent Latinos, the majority in entry-level positions, while the county's population is 45 percent Latino.

``We are bottom-heavy in the Sheriff's Department,'' she said. ``In each position above entry level, the Hispanic representation drops off dramatically. Why?''

Baca said the complaint is an ``obvious political cheap shot.''

``It appears to be more personal than based on principle,'' Baca said. ``The claims will prove to be groundless.''

The deputies union issued a statement Thursday saying the complaint ignored significant statistics such as the increase in the number of Latino employees in the department, up from 1,901 in 1998 to 2,573 today.

The union also said nearly 1,700 deputies participated in the sergeants promotional exam in 2000, and 25 percent were Latino and that 28 percent of those promoted as a result of the exam were Latino.

``We would only hope that your intent is not political; that your true goal is to make sure the promotional practices are fair and equitable to all sworn personnel,'' wrote Roy L. Burns, president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs.

Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said the complaint goes against everything Baca, a Latino, believes in.

``His core values include everybody,'' Whitmore said. ``He wants the best deputy sheriffs to be promoted, and that's how he has operated and will continue to operate. In our latest academy class, more than half are Hispanic and 25 percent are females.''

In the complaint, the association, which represents more than 15,000 law enforcement officers in federal, state and local agencies across the nation, cite data showing whites comprise 31 percent of the population and 55 percent of the department.

Of promotions in the department since Baca was elected sheriff in 1998, 66 percent were whites while 19 percent were Latinos, according to the complaint. No female Latinos were promoted above the rank of lieutenant, except a division chief who was demoted back to the rank of commander, according to the complaint.

Troy Anderson, [phone]

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com