Countywide : Sheriff Warns Staff of Rising Tensions

Ventura County Sheriff John V. Gillespie directed his top staff on Friday to be aware of the potential for increased tensions among deputies in the wake of 11 blacks on the force having filed claims of racism in the department, authorities said.

Undersheriff Larry Carpenter said the administration was concerned about the possible backlash from 65 deputies named in the claims as taking part in allegedly racist actions or comments. “I’m sure there’ll be some ill feelings,” Carpenter said.

The claims against the county were filed Wednesday by 11 of the 15 black deputies in the department, alleging acts of racism and sexism ranging from derogatory jokes to a death threat. The claims also allege that blacks were discriminated against in hiring, promotions, performance evaluations, salary and other personnel matters.

“I think that our concerns are obvious,” Carpenter said. “When you file claims and threaten lawsuits and there’s humans involved and obvious disagreement, we don’t want any kind of an incident.”