What We Do
The Team
Staff support the mission by creating opportunities for community engagement through town halls, commission meetings, ad hoc meetings and social media. The team supports Commissioners, the Board of Supervisors and the ordinance by coordinating closely with Office of Inspector General, the Sheriff's Department and other agencies. After conducting research, monitoring issues and developing projects, staff work with Ad Hoc Committees to prepare reports and recommendations. Once recommendations are passed by the full Commission, they are provided to the Board and the Sheriff.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Give the community a stronger voice
- Build bridges among our various audiences
- Boost transparency & reclaim accountability
- Discover gaps & patterns of misconduct
- Recommend solutions for real change
- Reform the Criminal Justice System
Looking Forward
Civilian oversight plays an essential role in protecting civil rights, supporting effective policing and building bridges between communities and the law enforcement that serve to protect them. As we look forward, the Commission is focused on creating sustainable progress.
The Commission continually assesses trends in the Sheriff’s Department and evaluates and monitors requests from the Board or Supervisors to strategically plan the work ahead. Effective oversight must be responsive to the community’s values and needs. With L.A. County’s vast geographic area with socially and economically diverse populations, it is important to continuously monitor current issues in the community and give communities a stronger voice in the affairs of the Sheriff's Department.
To achieve long-term improvements, we work to balance supporting public safety in our neighborhoods and protecting the civil rights of the most disenfranchised populations. The Commission focuses on increasing community engagement, establishing priorities for real change, and developing a strategy to support the County's work to reform the criminal justice system. Continuing to collaborate with the community, the Board of Supervisors and the Office of the Inspector General, we work to create a strong relationship with the Sheriff’s administration to increase the level of transparency, accountability and public engagement of the department.
Complaints & Commendations
FILING A COMPLAINT OR COMMENDATION
The Commission receives a variety of complaints concerning the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department through various methods. Complaints are often received through e-mail, over the phone, in person, or by mail correspondence. Commission meetings and town halls also provide an avenue for the public to provide complaints or commendations about the Sheriff Department.
Since the Commission has no investigative authority, the Commission works closely with the Office of Inspector General to process these complaints.
THE PROCESS
All complaints are forwarded to the Office of the Inspector General. Complaints are then forwarded to the Sheriff's Department for investigation, which can be monitored by Inspector General staff.
The Inspector General has the authority to undertake an inquiry and audit or monitor the situation, and they can investigate specific instances only in special circumstances. Anonymous complaints are not usually able to be investigated.
