On Friday, September 23, the LA County Sheriffs Civilian Oversight Commission held the sixth of its special public hearings on the issue of deputy gangs.
The in-person and virtual event was set to begin at 9 a.m., but before the hearing’s special counsel Bert Deixler could begin to call witnesses, the COC made a point of acknowledging the 7 a.m. search of the home of fellow commissioner Patty Giggins by the LASD that occurred earlier this month.
Loyola law professor Sean Kennedy, who is also the chair of the Sheriffs Oversight Commission, expressed the COC’s unwavering support for Giggins in the face of what he described as “this attempt to intimidate you,” and “this outrageous example of abuse of power.”
COC Executive Director Brian Williams, a former prosecutor, followed up by reading a public resolution from the commission, which expressed “Grave Concern Regarding The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.”
“There are means of carrying out warrants on public figures that are not invasive,” the resolution read in part, “however, this conduct appears to be designed to harass, embarrass, and/or smear the reputation of Commissioner Giggans and Supervisor Kuehl. This latest stunt by the LASD and the sheriff should be called out for what it is: a brazen abuse of power.”
Interestingly, quite apart from the resolution, one of the main themes of last Friday’s hearing was the pattern of attempted intimidation and harassment by Sheriff Alex Villanueva and those around him that...
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