Poor Lee Baca is in the news again. The former Los Angeles Sheriff is facing federal charges stemming from civil rights abuses and a corruption scandal dating back to 2009. If found guilty on all charges, the 74-year-old could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
Do you feel bad for him? Well, take a moment. This man was first offered a six-month sentence. This was in exchange for a plea for his role in the abuse allegations within the Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail and Twin Towers Correctional Facility. The plea was also for his part in the conspiracy to obstruct the investigation into the abuse at the jails.
I bet you don’t feel sorry for him anymore.
I know I don’t, especially after reading the timeline of the entire case. The allegations, which span over five years, include beating and tasering inmates, excessive use of force, and continued neglect of inmates with mental health problems.
It was only when the ACLU began reporting on the story that anything was done about the abuse in the county jails.
To give you a short rundown of the aftermath, over 20 deputies have been charged in relation to this case. Even Los Angeles Sheriff Deputy Jermain Jackson was charged with assaulting inmates. The stem of arrests hasn’t slowed down either; as recent as November of last year, two more Los Angeles sheriff deputies received their sentences.
Even Baca’s second-in-command, Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, faced indictment in the case.
In April of last year, the ACLU, with the cooperation of Paul Hastings LLP, reached a historic settlement in the federal class-action lawsuit against Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca and his command staff. The suit, known as Rosas v. Baca, alleged that Baca had a hand in, and condoned, the long history of violence and abuse by Los Angeles sheriff deputies against the jails’ inmates.
The resolution concluded with an agreement to have a widespread and comprehensive Los Angeles Sheriff department reform. These reforms are currently making their way into the jails. That might be the only highlight to this entire fiasco.
So what did the head honcho, known as “the Teflon sheriff” because nothing ever stuck to him, get?
Lee Baca retired as Los Angeles Sheriff. He got to retire even with a growing number of lawsuits against his department. The lawsuits, coupled with the federal and local investigations, forced him to step down. He also lost civil suits and had to pay settlements to families he’d hurt.
That’s pretty much it. Baca retired and walked away without any punishment.
That is, until February of this year. Early that month, Baca pled guilty to obstruction of justice and lying to federal agents who were investigating the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department about the abuses. He also pled guilty to hiding a jail informant, who was the catalyst for the federal investigation, from the authorities.
The six-month sentence was the shortest amount of time that Baca could have served. But that doesn’t seem fair. Baca was the highest person in the chain-of-command. He had the power to stop the abuse. But he didn’t. The sentence was also a slap in the face to all the inmates who suffered in their time in LA county jails because of his sick need for power.
Thankfully, U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson believed that the sentence was too lenient too and rejected the plea deal. He told the courtroom that the deal played down the seriousness of the harm Baca’s actions had caused people.
Because Anderson rejected the plea, Baca had a choice. He could either face a harsher sentence, one more in line with his crimes, or plead not guilty and stand trial.
Instead, Baca chose to plead not guilty earlier this week, so the trial is going ahead. Baca has been indicted on three charges. They include a charge of conspiracy to obstruct a federal grand jury investigation and one count of obstruction of justice in relation to the actual abuse investigation. He faces another charge of making false statements to investigators.
This corrupt former Los Angeles sheriff will face his arraignment at a later date.
I’m sure it will be a high-profile case. If anything, it will be a sign to all police departments across the country to get their houses in order.
Until then, watch this quick rundown:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoCLV3Huhk4
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
