L.A. County sheriff’s force investigated

LOS ANGLES — The Los Angeles County sheriff’s office is under investigation for potential civil rights violations as state officials determine whether deputies have engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced Friday.

The nation’s largest sheriff’s office, with nearly 18,000 deputies and civilian staff, has been roiled by allegations in recent months regarding fatal shootings, excessive force, deputy gangs, retaliation and other misconduct. Community activists have organized protests calling for independent investigations as Sheriff Alex Villanueva has repeatedly resisted the Board of Supervisors’ attempts at oversight even as a county-appointed watchdog group called for his resignation.

While Becerra would not identify any specific incidents, the attorney general urged Los Angeles County residents to report potential abuses to his office. Though Becerra stressed that the investigation is civil in nature and not a criminal investigation, he said his investigators had reviewed enough reports and evidence to reach a point where “we believed it was necessary to move forward” with a formal review.

Villanueva pledged transparency with the state and said his department regularly requests for the Department of Justice to monitor its investigations.

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