by Michele Dumont

I found the LA Times revelation of the secret list of deputies who have broken the law and betrayed the public trust hardly surprising (“A Secret List of Deputy Misconduct” Dec. 10, 2017). It is heartening that Sheriff Jim McDonnell wants prosecutors to have the list, so during discovery they will have to reveal the history of officers’ misdeeds to defense attorneys when those officers testify in court, but he faces an uphill battle.

California law provides some of the strongest protections for police in the country. Police unions are extremely powerful. Their views are expressed by Elizabeth Gibbons, a lawyer who has represented the deputies’ union, who is quoted as saying, “Do we go back and overturn every conviction now?” My answer is: “YES, absolutely.”

I’m more afraid of these cops than of justice, however imperfect. Police unions do not care about justice; they don’t want to defend the public from these predators, who attack, sexually assault, kill, plant evidence, file false reports, lie on the stand and more under color of authority, and all with few consequences. We, of course, not only continue to pay their inflated salaries but we also pay out millions each year for their misconduct.



And then there is L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey who finds that this whole matter puts her “in a tough spot.” Well, join the real world Jackie Lacey. These officers have put thousands of members of the public in tough spots, like prisons or graves or with trauma. But our DA refuses to take a stand. No surprise, she has not prosecuted one officer in the death of a civilian in her history as DA — that is at least 300 deaths, not including 124 deaths in county jails. To Jackie Lacey police have the right to be criminals, but civilians can end up with no rights, especially if they are people of color.