Building Relationships | Britta 4 Sheriff

Building Relationships with the Board of Supervisors

and

Civilian Oversight Commission

Re-Establishing a working relationship with the County Board of Supervisors / Civilian Oversight Commission and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The current working relationship between the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Board of Supervisors is broken. The unending name calling by the current Sheriff is childish and unprofessional. The lack of respect he shows to the Board is an embarrassment to watch.

We need to create a professional working relationship and must work together with the Board of Supervisors, Office of the Inspector General, the Civilian Oversight Commission, the District Attorney (to increase prosecutions), law enforcement agency partners and County Department Heads. This is an integral part of any Sheriff’s job, which includes showing respect towards one another and refraining from name calling.

The Board of Supervisors funds the Sheriff’s Department’s $3.6 billion-dollar annual budget. Contrary to many beliefs, the Board of Supervisors is not trying to defund the department. The Board of Supervisors is requesting accountability and assurance that the Department meets its obligations by withholding funds. This funding is set aside for the Department to ensure there is funding available for expenses that the current Sheriff has either forgotten about or ignored. This is the Sheriff’s failure to not just the Board, but most importantly a failure to the taxpayers.

The Sheriff refuses to forecast and justify the needs of the department which is crucial in substantiating any budget increase requests. Instead his only plan is one of open hostility towards the Board of Supervisors, which will lead to the demise of the Sheriff’s Department.

Given the increases in crime, combined with all the major needs of the Department including: the understaffing of Deputy Personnel (overtime expenses), new and changing crime waves including Smash and Grabs, increases in Hate Crimes, Cyber Crimes, increase in Homicides and Aggravated Assaults, we need more deputies on the streets, which calls for an increase in funding.

When you combine these factors with the need for more Deputy de-escalation training, more mental health training, the need to fix our antiquated systems, remodel our jails, patrol stations, etc. we need a Sheriff who will take charge, implement positive change and not take independent action. The current Sheriff has failed in his duties to not just the Government body that funds the Department, the Commission that makes recommendations to improve the Department, he has also failed the Deputies who serve and the public that he is obligated to protect.

The way to get more funding is through accountability, better fiscal management with the re-hiring of a Department Chief Financial Officer, better transparency to the Board of Supervisors and to the Public. These checks and balances are what’s needed to move our department forward.

My plan includes:

Develop a professional working relationship with the Board of Supervisors, Office of the Inspector General, the Civilian Oversight Commission, the District Attorney (to increase prosecutions), law enforcement agency partners and County Department Heads. Every BOS & County Department Head will have my cell number.
I am committed to transparency, especially when dealing with the Board of Supervisors and the public who elects us.
Develop a working relationship with the District Attorney’s office to address violent and heinous crimes with stricter sentences. As Sheriff it is my obligation to forge a relationship and use my diplomacy to effect change and if not, employ alternate measures to benefit the residents and department members.
In the event that crime continues to spin out of control and the District Attorney refuses to put violent criminals behind bars, I will begin to publicly use the bully pulpit and or support a recall.
We have too many problems countywide, and we need to address problems together. I will work collaboratively with all County entities.
As Sheriff I will take ownership of our Department, not blame the Board of Supervisors or Oversight Commission for the problems that are my responsibility.

Civilian Oversight Commission

As Sheriff, I too need oversight with a checks and balance system in place to monitor my actions.

The Civilian Oversight Commission was created in 2016 at the request of the Board of Supervisors. In January 2020, the Civilian Oversight Commission was given subpoena power. In March 2020, Measure R was passed with 72.8 percent of voters supporting this measure that gave the Oversight Commission recognized authority of existence and legitimacy.

In 2021 alone, the Sheriff has refused to comply with 3 separate subpoena requests issued by the Civilian Oversight Commission. Following all of that and in defiance of the voter approved Measure R, on November 17, 2021, the Sheriff authored a letter to the Civilian Oversight Commission advising that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will not participate in future Civilian Oversight Commission meetings.

Solution:

I will testify before the Civilian Oversight Commission as it is my duty and remain in compliance with the voter approved Measure R.

Create a checks and balance system providing oversight guidance of the Sheriff’s actions.

Create a Task Force with the Office of the Inspector General, Civilian Oversight Commission and include various community member partners to include: University Professors / attorneys / accountants / in essence those with a criminal justice / legal professional background.

I will work with the Civilian Oversight Commission and Office of the Inspector General to make our Department better.
Comply with their requests for documentation and subpoena requests.

I am committed to rebuilding and maintaining professional relationships with the Board of Supervisors and Civilian Oversight Commission to change the culture of the Sheriff’s Department and our image as we move forward into 2022.