LOS ANGELES, CA – The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has adopted a policy that bars its members from joining or recruiting for prohibited cliques and requires them to take part in investigations of such groups, the department announced two days after Sheriff Robert Luna won reelection to a second term.
The department announced the policy Wednesday, Nov. 4. Luna won the Nov. 3 election with 1,799,384 votes, or 69.88%, against 775,650 votes, or 30.12%, for challenger Alex Villanueva, according to results from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk updated Nov. 6.
“There is no place in our Department for cliques that undermine our guidelines, compromise accountability, or erode public trust,” Luna said in a statement from the department.
The policy builds on a September 2024 rule that banned deputy gangs and hate groups. The department said the new policy extends to “any unauthorized clique.”
In an email Friday, Nov. 6, the department said it and its labor unions had reached an agreement during the meet and confer process and that all concerns were resolved. It said the policy has been finalized.
What the policy requires
Under the policy, department members shall not participate in a prohibited clique, solicit others to participate in one or join one. The policy also requires employees to take part in investigations of such groups as a condition of employment.
According to initial reports, the policy defines a prohibited clique as an exclusionary subgroup of department members who engage in activities that adversely affect the employment of members or the rights of others, in violation of department or county policy, for the benefit of the clique or its members. The same reports say the online version of the department’s Manual of Policy and Procedures has already been updated to include the policy.
How the 2024 policy compares
Luna announced the earlier policy in September 2024. It banned membership in deputy gangs and hate groups, required deputies and other department employees to participate in investigations of them, and stated that violators could face discipline up to termination.
The new policy is broader in scope. By the department’s description, it applies to any unauthorized clique, not only to groups classified as gangs or hate groups.
The department’s Law Enforcement Gangs transparency page collects its “policies, procedures, and reporting on the topic of law enforcement gangs, cliques, and hate groups.” It lists Manual of Policy and Procedures section 3-01/050.82, on the prohibition of law enforcement gangs and hate groups; section 3-01/050.83, on employee groups that violate the rights of others; and section 3-01/050.84, on fraternization and prohibited associations.
The page also links to a 2021 Loyola Law School report, a February 2024 Inspector General report and a 2023 Special Counsel report.
Labor talks were still open on election night
At his election night party in Carson on Nov. 3, Luna said he was “still working on meet and confer with labor on the clique policy, so there’s still a lot of work to do.” He added: “There’s still a lot of work to do on the deputy gang issue.”
The department’s Friday email said “the Department and the labor unions came to an agreement during the meet and confer process and all concerns were resolved.” The department said the policy was finalized after that agreement.
Former oversight chair backs the policy
Robert Bonner, the former chair of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, praised the new policy in an interview. “This is the policy that, if it is implemented, will actually eradicate deputy gangs in the Sheriff’s Department,” he said.
Bonner said the policy must be implemented in order to work.
County has paid millions in deputy gang claims
The Los Angeles County Office of Inspector General says on its deputy gangs page that “Since the early 1990s, Los Angeles County has paid over $54 million in settlements from 59 legal claims related to deputy gangs.”
The page lists 19 alleged deputy gang names, including the Banditos and Executioners.
The Office of Inspector General states on the page that it is conducting an investigation under Penal Code section 13670 “to determine whether deputy gangs in the Sheriff’s Department with matching tattoos are violating state law.”
The page also describes the state law that took effect Jan. 1, 2022. Under it, deputies found to be part of a law enforcement gang can have their peace officer certification revoked and can be disqualified from future employment as a peace officer.
Supervisors’ motion on identifying deputy gangs
Separately, Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell’s revised motion, titled “Identifying Deputy Gangs within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to Ensure Accountability and Risk Mitigation,” went before the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 15.
The motion directs the sheriff, working with County Counsel, the interim inspector general and the executive director of the Civilian Oversight Commission, to develop a framework and criteria for identifying and naming deputy gangs, cliques and secret subgroups. The group is to report back in 120 days.
The motion also calls for facility inspections for unauthorized insignia, with a report due in 90 days and quarterly after that. It further calls for a department-wide ban on racist symbols and a public online reporting portal.
The board’s statement of proceedings is the official record of the Sept. 15 meeting, where the motion was taken up. According to initial reports, the board approved the motion but delayed action on its directives pending a union review, with Mitchell dissenting on both votes. At that meeting, Luna argued that identifying gang names and tattoos would not by itself address gang activity, though he acknowledged that more work was needed.
Board return date reported for Nov. 10
The Sheriff’s Department says the new clique policy has been finalized and that its labor unions have agreed to it. The policy bars participation in, solicitation for and membership in prohibited cliques, and it makes cooperation with investigations a condition of employment.
The Board of Supervisors’ directives on identifying and cataloging deputy gangs remain subject to a union review, and Nov. 10 was reported as the date the matter returns to the board.
Bonner’s assessment depends on how the policy is implemented, and the Inspector General’s investigation under Penal Code section 13670 remains under way.
