The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Office of Inspector General are at odds over access to investigations of deputy-involved shootings. On June 9, deputies responded to a burglary in Lynwood, where they found Federico Rodriguez stabbing a woman. According to the Los Angeles Times, Sergeant Marcos Esquivel shot and killed Rodriguez to save the woman. This incident is one of six fatal shootings by deputies reported this year.
The Inspector General, Max Huntsman, claims the sheriff’s department is blocking access to shooting scenes, hindering independent investigations. Huntsman emphasized the importance of accessing these scenes to conduct thorough oversight. However, Sheriff Robert Luna disputes these claims, stating that access has only been denied once in the past five years.
The sheriff’s department maintains its commitment to transparency, asserting that an Office of Inspector General (OIG) representative was present at the Lynwood scene. The department insists it is working closely with oversight bodies to ensure transparency.
At a Civilian Oversight Commission meeting on July 17, Sheriff Luna mentioned implementing a process for better oversight at shooting scenes. Despite this, Huntsman argues that the lack of transparency is a recurring issue, with at least seven instances of denied access since 2020.
As the debate continues, both sides remain firm in their positions, with the inspector general’s office suspending regular rollouts to shooting scenes due to transparency concerns.
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