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Commission Meeting
2018 Conference

Conferences

Days of Dialogue 

The Commission hosts educational conferences that bring law enforcement, criminal justice professionals, academics, media and elected officials together with the public to propel community conversations to discuss visions for the future of law enforcement in Los Angeles County.

Community Events and Speakers Bureau

The Commission regularly participates in community events that promote and foster our vision to facilitate public transparency and accountability with respect to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The Speakers Bureau offers information and material dissemination to business groups, community organizations and schools. To request a presentation from the Commission or submit an invitation to your event, email us at cocnotify@coc.lacounty.gov.

Learn about past Commission Conferences here:

 

Virtual Conference

L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Budget: Priorities & Unmet Needs

The virtual conference, hosted by the COC on March 24, 2022, brought together County leaders, law enforcement professionals, community partners, academics, and members of the public to discuss the County's budget process and LASD’s budget priorities and unmet needs for Fiscal Year 2022-2023.

L.A. County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission Chair and Loyola Law School Center for Juvenile Law & Policy Executive Director Sean Kennedy provided the opening remarks, and the event was moderated by Civilian Oversight Commissioner James P. Harris. Speakers included L.A. County Chief Executive Office Senior Manager Sheila Williams, who explained the County’s Budget Cycle. Next, LASD Administration Services Bureau Division Director Conrad Meredith discussed LASD’s budget challenges and opportunities, and Dignity and Power Now’s Policy and Advocacy Director Ivette Alé highlighted AB 109, LASD public relations and electronic monitoring expansion. View the Webex recording.

Virtual Conference

Corrective Action: Learning from our Mistakes 

On Thursday, October 28, 2021, the Commission hosted a virtual conference for the community to learn how Los Angeles County monitors its Departments’ operations, investigates each incident to determine the root cause, and develops recommendations to prevent similar events from recurring. In this conference, panel speakers explained the accountability measures to monitor, correct and prevent failures to conform to departmental policies. 

Los Angeles County Civilian Oversight Commission Chair & Loyola Law School Professor Priscilla Ocen provided the opening remarks, and the event was moderated by Civilian Oversight Commissioner James P. Harris. Speakers included Destiny Castro, Chief Executive Office Risk Management Branch Inspector General (presentation); Sgt. Melynie Rivers, LASD Risk Management Bureau (presentation); Max Huntsman, Los Angeles County Inspector General; and Eric Miller, Loyola Law School Professor. View the Webex recording.

 

Virtual Conference

Qualified Immunity: When Protecting Officers Leaves the Community Vulnerable

On Thursday, July 29, 2021, the Commission hosted a virtual conference for the community to learn about qualified immunity protections afforded to law enforcement officers. Across the United States, law enforcement officers have been accused of committing numerous bad acts.  When private citizens attempted to take the officers to court, their cases are most often dismissed. In most instances, this is because of the court-made doctrine of qualified immunity. In this conference, panel speakers explained what qualified immunity is and how it functions. The panelists highlighted concerns about holding law enforcement officers accountable for violating people’s civil rights and discussed the obstacles of eliminating qualified immunity. Panelists also provided an update on what is being done at the state and federal level to eliminate qualified immunity and provide solutions as to what oversight bodies can do to assist in the fight to hold law enforcement officers accountable.

The event was moderated by Priscilla Ocen, Los Angeles County Civilian Oversight Commission Chair & Professor of Law at Loyola Law School and Brian K. Williams, Esq. Executive Director of the Commission. Speakers included Joanna Schwartz, Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law (presentation); James Wheeler, Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS) President; John Raphling, Human Rights Watch Senior Researcher on Criminal Justice for the U.S. program; and Timothy K. Talbot, Attorney at Law, Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver. Play the video below or view the Webex recording.

 

Virtual Conference Part 1

Money: How is L.A. County’s Public Safety Budget Prioritized?

On Thursday, April 1, 2021, the Commission held Part 1 of the conference on public safety budgets where subject matter experts from the County described the budget process, their department's public safety budget priorities and highlighted opportunities for community feedback. Speakers included: Lael Rubin, Commission Chair & Former Deputy District Attorney; Casimiro U. Tolentino, Commission Vice Chair, Former Administrative Law Judge for the State of California; and L.A. County representatives: Chief Executive Office Senior Manager Sheila Williams; Sheriff’s Department Administrative Services Division Director Conrad Meredith; Sheriff’s Department Personnel Division Commander John McBride; Mental Health's Director Jonathan E. Sherin; and Probation's Administrative Deputy Robert Smythe.  Play the video below or view the Webex recording.

Virtual Conference Part 2

Money: Community Voices on L.A. County Public Safety Spending

 

On Thursday, April 8, 2021, the Commission held Part 2 of the conference on public safety brought together community and County leaders, academics, law enforcement professionals and members of the public to highlight communities’ thoughts on the L.A. County budget process and public safety budget priorities. Speakers included: Lael Rubin, Commission Chair & Former Deputy District Attorney; James P. Harris, Civilian Oversight Commission member & Former Sheriff’s Lieutenant; Greg Hellmold, Auditor-Controller Office of County Investigations; Jody David Armour, Professor of Law, University of Southern California; Harry Leon, Crescenta Valley Town Council President; and Ivette Alé, Dignity and Power Now. Play the video below or view the Webex recording.

 

 

Virtual Conference

Enhancing Accountability: Improving the Law Enforcement Officer Discipline Process

On Thursday, February 25, the Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission hosted a virtual conference that brought together community partners, elected officials, law enforcement professionals & members of the public to discuss law enforcement misconduct, discipline & the potential for accountability reform. Play the video below or view the Webex recording.

 

Virtual Conference

Hiring: Choosing the Right Person for the Job, July 2020 Conference