Should taxpayers be forced to pay for Sheriff Baca’s failures?

On Thursday, a federal jury awarded $740,000 in general damages to five inmates who said they were severely beaten by 27 Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies while the men were detained at Men’s Central Jail.

Of course, county taxpayers will be on the hook for that sum, and possibly more, depending on whether the jury decides to award punitive damages to the inmates because the deputies’ conduct was malicious or reckless. Another jury did just that last month when it found Sheriff Lee Baca personally liable for the abuse suffered by another inmate detained in the county’s sprawling jail system.

But should the county be paying when a deputy or the sheriff is personally held liable for conduct that is outside the department’s policy? That’s unclear. State law allows the county to indemnify officers and pay punitive damages if it is in the county’s best interest. Some will argue that it makes sense because you don’t want deputies to feel reluctant about enforcing the law, fearing they may be personally forced to pay.

Of course, others will insist that the threat of such financial sanctions will serve to encourage deputies to follow policy and help reform the Sheriff’s Department.

Ultimately, it will be up to the county Board of Supervisors to decide whether to indemnify the sheriff and his deputies. However, I hope that the supervisors opt to have that discussion in an open meeting, where they can explain as a matter of public policy their decision. The supervisors owe taxpayers that much.

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