ID Issue Belongs to State, County Says

A Riverside County supervisor on Tuesday withdrew a proposal to prevent the sheriff from issuing honorary badges to the public after a majority of supervisors opposed taking action until the state attorney general reviewed the practice.

Supervisor Jeff Stone had introduced the resolution after learning that Riverside County Sheriff Bob Doyle had issued honorary badges to at least 17 members of his “Executive Council,” a volunteer citizens advisory group whose members had donated a total of more than $54,000 to the sheriff’s election campaigns.

Supervisor John Tavaglione said it was a “good time to review the policy, but it’s not our jurisdiction to do so,” and board Chairman Bob Buster said Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer’s office was “where the issue ought to be dealt with first.”

Under the withdrawn resolution, county badges could have been issued only to law enforcement officers and other public safety officials, retired officers and elected officials. Issuing badges to anyone else would have required approval from the supervisors.

At the request of Riverside County Dist. Atty. Grover Trask, officials in the attorney general’s office announced Monday that they would determine whether it was legal to issue the badges, a controversial practice used by elected law enforcement officials in Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Orange counties.

Doyle’s “Executive Council” was directed by Glendora tire salesman Gary Nalbandian, who also was a member of citizens advisory committees for San Bernardino County Dist. Atty. Michael Ramos and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.

Nalbandian designated himself “Chief” of Ramos’ “Bureau of Justice,” which the district attorney disbanded in late 2003 after giving badges to group members, most of whom were political donors.

Baca had issued photo identification cards to his support group, called the “Homeland Security Support Unit.”

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors last week called for an investigation into whether Baca had violated county law by issuing the cards, and the sheriff has since ordered Nalbandian to collect the identification cards from members.

State law prohibits issuing badges to the public that could be mistaken for genuine law enforcement badges.

Riverside County Undersheriff Neil Lingle said he agreed with the supervisors’ decision and did not interpret it as a victory.

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Times staff writers Stuart Pfeifer and Susannah Rosenblatt contributed to this report.