Justice Department (formerly)
Former trial attorney with the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, supervising over 20 federal grand jury investigations into police misconduct, most involving force and in-custody death investigations; former chief attorney for Los Angeles County's Office of Independent Review, a civilian oversight agency created by the Board of Supervisors to monitor the LA County Sheriff's Department
Public Trust and Police Accountability Intensive policing gets credit for reducing crime, but it's also getting the blame for excessive force on the streets of American cities. Deadly incidents involving black suspects have sparked massive protest in Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina and New York City. In Baltimore, when six officers were charged with crimes, including manslaughter, in the death of the young, black suspect, Freddy Gray, 65% of Americans approved. There, and elsewhere, there are moves for reform opposed by local police unions. Do they still have political clout, or is the climate finally right for civilian oversight?
Sheriff Baca Admits Mistakes, But What’s Next? LA Sheriff Lee Baca and his top Deputy Paul Tanaka answered tough questions last week about the abuse of inmates by deputies in the county jails. They testified before a commission appointed by the Board of Supervisors after it was revealed that a federal investigation was under way. Baca said he was not told about widespread abuse, but admitted he was to blame.
Investigation of Kelly Thomas Beating by Fullerton Police Two Fullerton police officers face criminal charges in last July's beating death of Kelly Thomas , who was homeless and mentally ill. In the aftermath, police officials released a two-year old booking photo of Thomas, looking dirty and disheveled with long, shaggy hair. They also said he had a history of violence, and that two officers had suffered broken bones during the deadly altercation. Neither turned out to be true. Community leaders and local activists accused the police of trying to win sympathy for their accused colleagues, and the City Council hired watchdog attorney Michael Gennaco to conduct an independent investigation . We hear from him and from Thomas' father, Ron, who has been highly critical of the Fullerton police.
Child Abuse and County Bureaucracy Last month, an independent investigator found that LA County’s Department of children and Family Services violated state law at least 60 times by failing to publicly disclose the deaths of children from abuse and neglect while they were under County supervision. Now, two senior officials have filed claims against the County, claiming the Department purposefully falsified at least three child fatality reports.
Did the Sheriff's Department Illegally Search Reporter's Records? When actor Mel Gibson was arrested in 2006, the LA County Sheriff's Department played it as a routine stop for drunk driving. Then TMZ, the website renowned for celebrity gossip, reported that Gibson had attempted to escape and made statements that were loudly profane and anti-Semitic. Moreover, the arresting officer had been ordered to lie. That all turned out to be accurate and, two weeks ago, The LA Times revealed that the Sheriff's department tried to find the source of the leak by obtaining a search warrant for the telephone records of TMZ founder Harvey Levin. Media law experts and reporters' groups accused the Sheriff of violating state and federal laws protecting journalists and their sources. Levin himself wasn't talking, until last night at a meeting of the Radio & Television News Association.
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.