New LA sheriff vows accountability, integrity for department

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The brand new head of the nation’s largest sheriff’s division vowed Saturday to usher in an period of integrity and collaboration after his predecessor’s tenure was marked by clashes with different public officers and allegations that ganglike teams of deputies ran amok inside the company.

Robert Luna took an oath of workplace throughout a noontime ceremony with household at his aspect. He formally begins his time period because the thirty fourth Los Angeles County sheriff subsequent week, after profitable election final month by a landslide.

The previous police chief of Lengthy Seaside, California, will take cost of an company with practically 10,000 sworn deputies after the turbulent single time period of Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

In a 20-minute speech, Luna promised a brand new course, saying he would concentrate on accountability for deputies and cooperation with elected officers. He can be tasked with bringing down charges of violent and property crime which have spiked within the county, the nation’s most populous with about 10 million folks.

Luna mentioned he was elected “with a really clear mandate to convey new management.”

“We should proceed to embrace change,” he mentioned. “If our streets are unsafe for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists, if our homeless disaster causes desperation and distress … then we are going to by no means have public security.”

Luna mentioned he would remove what he referred to as “deputy gangs” and enhance circumstances in jails.

“We have to defend good policing,” he mentioned, including, “It’s our duty to name out unhealthy policing, and we are going to achieve this — that’s a component of maintaining the general public belief.”

Villanueva’s time period was marred by clashes with members of the county Board of Supervisors and criticism that he downplayed allegations of malfeasance by some deputies. He blamed the controversies on “false narratives” by his political opponents.

Villanueva has mentioned his accomplishments embrace managing the jail system throughout the pandemic, addressing homelessness humanely and overhauling the division’s physique digicam program.