A judge ordered the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to promptly turn over records on thousands of cases of deputy misconduct and on-duty shootings after finding the agency had failed repeatedly to honor a public records request filed by The Times. The Times requested records on all cases that fell within the scope of the new law, and under the state’s public records law, the department was required to provide them. Beckloff said the Sheriff’s Department had engaged in “consistent feet dragging.” Considering the pace at which the agency was releasing records, Beckloff said it would have taken decades for the Sheriff’s Department to comply with The Times’ request. Representatives for the Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to a request for further comment, and county officials declined to comment. The California Highway Patrol was also sued by KQED last year over allegations it had failed to release similar records.

Source: Los Angeles Times June 26, 2021 00:22 UTC