Jail commanders condoning the beating of inmates. Evidence withheld from inmates accused of attacking guards. A photo of a woman wearing an official-looking badge while brandishing handguns at a nightclub.
Allegations and litigation continue to dog Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, who has acknowledged being out of touch about problems in his jails and failing to reform his massive department that oversees the largest county jail system in the nation.
Bad news in the past week has come from his own brass, his chief critics and a photo that surfaced in an unrelated federal investigation â€" all serving to sully the reputation of the popular four-term sheriff, who enjoys the limelight and is flown around the world at the invitation of others to talk about policing tactics.
"We could call for his resignation daily, but it's not going to do any good," said Peter Eliasberg, the ACLU Southern California legal director, who called for Baca to step down late last year. "If he stays on, he's got to fix these problems. There are some glimmers of hope, but it's far from what we'd like to see."
The American Civil Liberties Union, a constant critic of the sheriff and a court-appointed monitor of jail conditions, sued Tuesday alleging that inmates charged with assaulting deputies have been unable to get evidence that could help exonerate them.
AP
FILE - This May 19, 2004 file photo shows Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca during a tour of the Men's Central Jail in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has been accused of hiding details of deputy assaults on inmates, but also has had to scrap a questionable program where official-looking badges were given to local civic leaders. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
Close At the core of the problems facing the department is how its deputies treat some of the estimated 15,000 inmates in county jails. The ACLU has filed another lawsuit accusing Baca and some other department officials of condoning violence against inmates.
Last year the civil rights group released a report that documented more than 70 cases of alleged abuse and other misconduct by deputies, many of which occurred at Men's Central Jail. The FBI has launched its own investigation and asked for internal department records dealing with inmate abuse.
On July 6, Capt. Michael Bornman testified before a county commission looking into deputy abuse in the jails that the former head of the jail, Capt. Daniel Cruz, resisted efforts to investigate employees who were accused of excessive force. Bornman described a culture of brutality where Cruz allegedly joked about not hitting inmates in their face so marks wouldn't be visible. Cruz has denied the accusations.
However, Bornman said his boss has been addressing and correcting the problems in the jails.
Baca, 70, who has said he's to blame for deputy misconduct against inmates and wasn't available for comment Friday, pointed out in a letter to the Los Angeles Times that some of the media coverage has been unfair.
"Criticism is necessary; so are all the facts," Baca wrote to the paper's editor on Friday regarding Bornman's testimony. "I simply ask you to present both."
Baca has considered closing Men's Central Jail, one of the county's oldest and largest jails where some of the abuse has been reported. He also has created a database to track inmate complaints.
Baca has defended his leadership and whether he's been able to address problems within such a large organization. Critics have said his approach has allowed deputies to create gang-like groups that intimidate and beat up inmates.
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