Over 30 L.A. County Sheriff’s deputies have been ordered to appear for questioning and show their tattoos as part of an effort to rid the city of deputy gangs.
The order comes from a Friday letter sent by L.A County Inspector General Max Huntsman. The letter was sent to 35 county deputies suspected to be part of or have information about two notorious L.A. deputy gangs: the Compton Executioners and the Banditos. The 35 deputies who were sent the letter have not been identified.
The sheriff’s department has been aware of the existence of the two gangs but has not been able to identify their members. The Compton Executioners usually have a tattoo featuring a skeleton wearing a Nazi helmet and holding an AK-47 rifle. Members of the Banditos have ink with a skeleton wearing a sombrero and a bandoleer.
The letter explains that the recipient of the letter is expected to appear for questioning concerning the gang issue in L.A. County police departments. Officers would likely be subjected to decertification if they do not comply with the letter.
The letter also details questions from authorities. These include: “Do you have a tattoo related to the Banditos or the Executioners anywhere on your body?” and “Who else have you seen the tattoo on?”
While letter recipients are told they may invoke their Fifth Amendment right to not answer questions, they must contact the Office of the Inspector General within two weeks of receiving the letter.
In response to the letter, unions representing L.A. County officers told their members to contact their union representative if they received a letter. Vice President of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs Richard Pippin said the investigation is a threat to “the fundamental constitutional rights” of the officers.
Deputy gangs have been an issue in L.A. County for nearly 50 years. The gangs are illegal and consist of officers from one specific precinct. They are usually secretive and violent and have often been at the forefront of police corruption scandals in the city.
The new letter is part of an anti-police gang crusade by L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna, who created the Office of Constitutional Policing with the goal of eliminating deputy gangs. The office released a report shortly after its creation offering suggestions on how to curb deputy gangs, including firing officers who would not follow anti-gang policies.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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