Infiltrating the Thin Blue Line

Back in 2011, the American Civil Liberties Union released a scathing report about inmate abuse at LA County’s biggest jail. And a federal investigation into brutality at the jails, eventually led to the conviction of several Sheriff’s deputies. But the idea that LA’s former Sheriff Lee Baca – and second-in-command Paul Tanaka – could find themselves behind bars was almost unimaginable. Turns out corruption did make its way to the very top of the LASD. Baca pleaded guilty last month to lying to federal investigators. And this week, a federal jury found Tanaka guilty of conspiracy and obstructing a federal investigation into inmate abuse at the county’s jails. But federal prosecutors aren’t done.