L.A. Times Sues to See Sheriff’s Records

The Los Angeles Times on Thursday filed a lawsuit against San Diego County Sheriff John Duffy, seeking to force him to release copies of some of his departmental records that the newspaper has sought since allegations of deputies assaulting jail inmates surfaced last spring.

The suit, filed in San Diego Superior Court, asks that The Times be given access to rosters of sworn deputy sheriffs, reserve deputies and members of the Honorary Deputy Sheriffs Assn. The suit also seeks access to the sheriff’s appointment schedules, office calendars and government-paid travel records for the past three years, along with his telephone logs and messages.

Attempts to contact Duffy on Thursday were unsuccessful.

The Times has sent several formal written requests under the California Public Records Act to Duffy and the Sheriff’s Department, asking for access to the material. But Duffy repeatedly turned down those requests, except for once allowing a reporter to review a partial compilation of his telephone messages.

The Times began seeking the material after a series of allegations surfaced in April that many inmates were being assaulted by sheriff’s deputies in the six county jails. The allegations have persisted all year, even to the point that two non-inmates--a woman lawyer and an electrical contractor--have recently filed legal claims alleging that they, too, were assaulted by deputies.

Duffy has continually refused to discuss the allegations with The Times, except for one press conference held in May in which he categorically denied that there was “wholesale” abuse by deputies of jail inmates.

But the allegations have prompted several formal investigations, including reviews by the county and federal grand juries, as well as a federal probe to determine whether any inmates’ civil rights have been violated.