Sheriffs: More Force Than Needed?

Years ago, comedian Richard Pryor performed a routine about what it was like to be pulled over by the police. His character made loud announcements of every planned movement--such as “I am about to reach for my wallet”--so that no officer could misread a movement as threatening. It was funny but sad, because the fear of being shot or beaten by the police was real to many minority citizens.

In those days, the Los Angeles Police Department bore the brunt of such jokes locally. But the LAPD has a better standing now with various segments of the community. That didn’t happen by accident. The department, under tremendous political pressure, instituted better management controls on the use of unnecessary force. Most important, LAPD brass began to set a tone in word and deed--still not perfect, but much improved--that said that use of unnecessary force was not only unacceptable, but would be a hindrance to officers’ careers.

Has that message gotten through in the county’s other major law enforcement agency? Sheriff Sherman Block says his department policies are adequate to prevent the use of excessive force. Maybe not. Excessive-force lawsuits against the department have almost doubled in the past five years. The names of some accused deputies show up with regularity; some even get promotions. What should have been a routine parking violation turns into a $150,000 taxpayer-financed lawsuit after deputies beat up a trucker. Stops for traffic violations turn into fatal shootings.

The increase in such incidents cannot be attributed simply to chronic complainers and overzealous attorneys--or even to the increased violence of our time. Something else may be going on. The county should start tracking excessive-force lawsuits against deputies and coordinate that information with public misconduct complaints so that deputies with a pattern of complaints could be red-flagged. The Board of Supervisors, exercising budget-strings pressure if need be, must demand greater accountability from this often excellent but increasingly worrisome Sheriff’s Department. The problem can, and must, be solved.

EXCESSIVE FORCE Number of cases/lawsuits against the Sheriff’s Department that resulted in large payments in response to citizens’ claims of excessive force. 1988: 17 1987: 5 1986: 5 1985: 1 Source: Los Angeles County Counsel