Courtesy IDs for Sheriffs’ Donors Worry Supervisors

Supervisors in Los Angeles and Riverside counties on Monday expressed alarm that their sheriffs had distributed honorary badges or identification cards to more than a dozen campaign supporters.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich said he wanted to know whether identification cards that Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca authorized for members of his “Homeland Security Support Unit,” a group that included many of his donors, were a violation of county law.

Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone called for new restrictions on the distribution of badges after learning that Sheriff Bob Doyle gave honorary badges to donors who became members of his “Sheriff’s Executive Council.”

The Times reported Monday that Doyle and San Bernardino County Dist. Atty. Mike Ramos issued badges to several political donors.

After they were elected in 2002, Doyle started the “Sheriff’s Executive Council” and Ramos the “Bureau of Justice,” volunteer groups staffed primarily with their political donors. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca also authorized identification cards for members of his “Homeland Security Support Unit,” a group that included many of his donors.

Several of the political donors belonged to all three groups, which were supervised by Gary Nalbandian, a Glendora tire store owner. Group members donated more than $150,000 combined to the three officials.

Both Doyle and Baca, through their spokesmen, said the practices were proper and complied with the law, and dismissed criticism that the badges and identification cards could be easily misused.

Doyle also accused Stone of “political grandstanding” and being a hypocrite because Stone also has a badge -- one that is issued to county supervisors. Doyle and Stone have sparred politically, most recently over plans for new county jails.

A spokesman for Baca said the identification cards clearly stated “Civilian Employee” or “Volunteer.”

“Not only do we believe that we are operating within the spirit of the law, we believe we are operating within the letter of the county ordinance,” said Steve Whitmore, a Baca spokesman.

Los Angeles County supervisors voted in 1980 to make it a misdemeanor for county officials to issue badges or law enforcement identification to anyone not a peace officer, unless the board approved it. That decision came after the board learned that “Hillside Strangler” Kenneth Bianchi used a county seal decal while posing as a police officer to lure his victims.

“We are very concerned about the issue, and we’ll be asking county counsel and the chief administrative officer to have a look at the county code” to see if Baca violated it, said Tony Bell, a spokesman for Antonovich.

At least three members of the law enforcement support groups told The Times that they had used their identification or badges during exchanges with police or security officials. One member of the group, Raffi Mesrobian, flashed both his Baca identification card and a Riverside badge when state agents investigating insurance fraud served a search warrant at his office last year.

Doyle gave badges to at least 17 political donors, who gave him a combined $54,000, according to campaign records and a roster of his “Executive Council.”

The sheriff also issued concealed-weapons permits to two of the donors, Victor Feghali, who gave him $1,800, and Richard Deeb, who donated more than $11,000. Both made donations through companies they owned; their names were not listed on campaign disclosure forms.

Stone said he wanted a local ordinance to supplement a state law that makes it a misdemeanor for anyone to issue a badge that appears to be an authentic law enforcement badge to anyone who is not a peace officer.

Giving badges and ID cards to political donors is not only inappropriate but also illegal, Stone said.

Doyle said he did not believe the badges were illegal because they were not exact replicas of deputy’s badges. Instead of the word “Deputy,” the badges say “Executive Council.”

“Nowhere on the badge does it say ‘Deputy Sheriff’ or ‘Peace Officer,’ ” Riverside Undersheriff Neil Lingle said Monday. “We believe we have a defensible position and that we are in compliance with the law.”

Stone said his measure could be voted on next week. He also called on Doyle to return donations from those who got badges.

“I resent that Mr. Stone would allow politics to get in the way of protecting and serving the public safety needs of our county residents,” the sheriff said.

Stone defended his own county supervisor’s badge, saying the credentials were required to access emergency scenes in his district, such as a dam break last year in San Jacinto.

“The purpose of the badge is to show you are someone with authority, someone with constituents,” Stone said.