Deputies Call Reaction to Race Charges Inadequate : Sheriff: Three blacks who filed claims against the county criticize the naming of a minority affairs officer.

Black deputies on Thursday called the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department’s appointment of a minority affairs officer inadequate to deal with rampant racism and pushed for an outside investigator to probe department practices.

At a news conference in Los Angeles, three of 11 black deputies who have complained of racism renewed their appeal for an independent investigator and suggested a series of specific actions to remedy discrimination, including testing new recruits for racial bias.

“It’s a crisis, and we need an expert to come in with solutions now and today,” said Sgt. Kenton Rainey, the highest ranking black in the department.

Thursday’s appeal came in reaction to Sheriff John V. Gillespie’s announcement earlier this week that his department’s highest ranking Asian-American officer, Lt. Dante Honorico, would head a committee to investigate allegations of discrimination in the department.

Rainey and 10 other black deputies filed claims last week against the county, complaining of racist and sexist behavior from their colleagues and supervisors that ranged from derogatory jokes to a death threat. The claims, which seek damages for more than $7.5 million, also allege discriminatory practices in hiring, promotions, performance evaluations and salaries. The administrative claims are preliminary steps to filing lawsuits.

Nearly identical claims were filed Thursday against the cities that contract with the Sheriff’s Department for police services: Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai and Thousand Oaks.

“My suspicion is it will up the pressure on the county because suddenly the cities find out that the organization they subcontracted with is forcing African-American employees to work under intolerable conditions,” said Bert Voorhees III, a Los Angeles attorney representing the deputies.

Rainey and Deputy Kim Garrett said Thursday that an investigator from outside the department must be hired to look into everything from hiring practices to how complaints are handled to actual incidents of discrimination.

That person should be retained as an ombudsman who would make an annual report to the Board of Supervisors and also conduct yearly surveys of department employees asking about incidents of alleged racial and gender misconduct.

The deputies also requested that a black psychologist, who would specialize in the effects of racial harassment, be made available to counsel the black deputies.

Garrett said all department members from the rank of sergeant and below should receive training in cultural awareness and gender sensitivity every three years. Management personnel should receive it every year, he said.

He also suggested having community members monitor tests given for hiring and promotions within the department. “How am I to know I’m getting asked the same questions in orals as the white person behind me,” Garrett asked.

Undersheriff Larry Carpenter said Honorico and his committee would investigate such suggestions and decide whether to recommend them to Gillespie. He urged people to “wait and see” how the new committee handled the problems before deciding against it.

Earlier this week, department and county officials met with Rainey to discuss his job status.

Rainey said he was placed on paid leave when the department, employing the evaluation of a staff psychologist, contended that he was under too much stress. In his claim, Rainey said the action was taken in retaliation for allegations of racism that he made. The department has denied those allegations.

But under pressure from the allegations, the department has begun to take steps to correct the situation, Voorhees said.

This week, for example, the department offered Rainey the chance to choose among several independent psychologists to evaluate whether he is fit for duty.

Also, the department promoted Garrett on the day the claims were filed, Voorhees said. Garrett, he said, had been bypassed for promotion 24 times.

Two days later, Deputy Darryl Dunn, another black officer who had been declared unfit for duty, was called in for an interview, re-evaluated by a psychologist and told he could return to active duty, Voorhees said.

But Garrett said those actions were not enough. “As far as I’m concerned, they’re all Band-Aid solutions for very, very strong problems,” he said.