Sheriff’s union granted intervention in personnel records suit

The union representing Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies as well as the Professional Peace Officers Association, have been granted requests to become parties to a lawsuit previously filed by Sheriff Robert Luna concerning subpoenas for deputy personnel records issued by the Civilian Oversight Commission.

During a hearing Tuesday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jerrold Abeles said both the PPOA and the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs have stakes in the litigation's outcome.

"The employee organizations' interests are not adequately represented by the existing parties," the judge wrote. "Though their interests may overlap with plaintiff's interest, ALADS and PPOA are directly concerned with maintaining confidentiality of their members' records."

None of the other parties "substantively opposes this motion," according to Abeles.

In his suit filed March 19, Luna seeks a clarification of what can properly be released under COC subpoenas concerning investigations that include confidential peace officer personnel records. While the LASD has complied with previous COC requests for information from LASD, it has not provided confidential peace officer personnel records because it is not legally permitted to do so, the Luna suit states.

However, COC members have repeatedly stated their disagreement with what the commission members contend is the sheriff and LASD's wrongful refusal to provide deputy personnel information, prompting the COC to issue subpoenas.

"Matters have thus come to a head," the ALADS attorneys state in their court papers. "Thus, ALADS should be permitted to intervene to fully protect the interests of its members."

Allowing ALADS to become a party to the case will also permit the union to protect its interests in meaningfully enforcing its collective bargaining rights before the Los Angeles Employee Relations Commission regarding the manner of any disclosures if a judge were to find in favor of the COC, the union's lawyers further state in their court papers.

The COC was established in January 2016, to improve the public transparency and accountability of the LASD by making recommendations to the Board of Supervisors, the department and the public. They meet once a month and the next meeting will be held on September 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at St. Anne's Conference Center, 155 N. Occidental Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026.

Some of the recent items they have discussed is implementing a ban on deputy gangs and cliques. At the COC meeting on May 15, Inspector General Max Huntsman stated his office could not effectively monitor LASD “due to investigative roadblocks and lack of access to confidential information” and expressed concerns about the subpoena process. 

Additional reporting by City News Service.