FBI Arrests 17, Indicts 18 from LA County Sheriff's Department

Federal authorities have indicted 18 deputies and arrested 17. They're accused of corruption and civil rights abuses at downtown jails. One training officer is accused of overseeing beatings and showing trainees how to write false reports. Even visitors allegedly were abused — including the Austrian consul general. Also, two-thirds of LA County social workers stayed off the job last week, and protests continue today. We hear about child safety and other issues from a union member and a department head.

On our rebroadcast of To the Point, from Rhode Island to Illinois to California, state and local governments may be breaking their long-standing promise to public workers. Guaranteed pension plans are said to be too expensive. How did they get that way? Is it the fault of people who took moderate wages for sometimes dangerous jobs in exchange for security in their old age?

Banner image: US Attorney André Birotte, Jr. (2nd R) stands next to Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office Bill Lewis (R) while speaking at a news conference in Los Angeles, California, December 9, 2013. Photo: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters