Racially Motivated LASD Internal Investigations at Lancaster Station Promotes Fear in Deputies

Since taking office just shortly after the November 2022 election, morale at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has hit devastating new lows under Sheriff Robert Luna's administration.

This has led to a mass exodus not seen since the Defund the Police movement started in 2020.

A startling new pattern emerged when it was revealed that Sheriff Luna met behind closed doors with civil attorney Brad Gage, Black Lives Matter and Cancel the Contract activists to discuss protected information in an on-going administrative investigation, and the personnel status of one of his deputies.

Sheriff Luna was not alone, he was surrounded by members of his executive staff who pandered to these activists, empowering them with privileged internal information to use against one of their own deputies publicly.

Photo byCancel the Contract

Shortly after the meeting, Gage and the activists, armed with this confidential information, held a press conference announcing that Lancaster deputy Ty Shelton was fired in connection with the lawful shooting that occurred in December 2023.

After confirming the information was falsely reported and that Shelton was in fact still employed by the department, The Current Report and retired Captain Mike Bornman took to social media demanding Fox 11 news retract their story claiming Shelton was terminated and that it was connected to the shooting.

Photo byCece Woods

At press time, Shelton is still employed by the LASD and while he is Relieved of Duty pending the outcome of an administrative investigation, sources in the department tell us it is not related to the Finlayson shooting.

This is just the latest example of harmful practices being adopted by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department under the Luna regime and in anticipation of the looming possibility of a State DOJ takeover of the largest Sheriff's Department in the country.

Recently, multiple deputies anonymously shared their debilitating work conditions, fears and frustrations in hopes of bringing to light a very dark existence for the patrol deputies tasked with public safety in Antelope Valley.

"Deputies are more afraid of the Internal Affairs Investigations destroying their life and career over optics or politics than being shot dead in cold blood by a gangster."

Shortly after winning the November 2022 election, it was obvious newly elected Sheriff Robert Luna was implementing policy, procedure and attitude consistent under former Sheriff Jim McDonnell, most notably, his disdain for the rank and file which pre-dated the Defund the Police movement.

Last summer, a Lancaster deputy responding to robbery in progress pushed an African American woman to the ground as revealed in body-worn camera footage after she assaulted him. Although the force was reasonable and justified, the deputy involved was relieved of duty.

According to sources, instead allowing deputy Kirk his due process of an admin investigation, Sheriff Luna and Chief Kneer filed a bogus federal case with the FBI for an unspecified criminal charge, appeasing activists and with the intent to delay the administrative investigation, all the while knowing the investigation will likely prove Kirk used reasonable and lawful force within policy.

Deputy Kirk's attorney Tom Yu gave this exclusive quote to The Current Report:

"I represent Deputy Trevor Kirk, from the Lancaster Sheriff's station, he is a male, white deputy sheriff, an army veteran and he was involved in a Use oof Force incident at the Winco store. Looking at the video and the actions he took was justified under the law and within department policy. I don't think there is one Use of Force expert that would say deputy Kirk did something excessive or unwarranted under the circumstances. In light of what he did was justified, he is still being crucified and labeled a racist for using excessive force because the suspect was a black female. If the suspect was any other race we wouldn't be talking about it. In this country we have a problem talking about race and my client's race is being used against him even though there is video evidence the suspect committed assault, not only on the security officer, but also on Deputy Kirk. The Sheriff’s department was in possession of the video and decided to conceal that from the public making it look worse for my client.”

The Winco incident came just weeks after community activists demanded action from the Sheriff Luna and the department to be in compliance of the 2015 AV Consent Decree when in fact the station has been at 93% compliance since 2019. The "noise" as a result of the Winco incident resulted in the removal of the station Captain, John Lecrivain.

It also inspired a series of anonymous “Just a Deputy” letters circulating throughout the department and on social media.

The letters highlighted the facts in the Use of Force incidents that were being kept from the public, and the truth behind how the department is operating with an unapologetic willingness to make examples of patrol deputies. The prosecute first, investigate later” approach was implemented to placate the political opposition and area activists whose sole motivation is to abolish and/or have complete control over law enforcement.

Sources at the AV stations revealed that as a result of the pressure from local activists, Caucasian and/or white deputies are being targeted by Internal Affairs investigators disproportionately, specifically focusing on deputies involved in any incidents with African Americans. Latino deputies involved in excessive unreasonable force go undisciplined and continue to work patrol. African American deputies get "no discipline of any kind".

The racially motivated investigations started in 2020 during the George Floyd riots and Defund the Police Movement under former Chief Dennis Kneer.

Last year, Kneer was credited with resurrecting a controversial Palmdale Use of Force from 2022 by Sheriff Luna at the Winco incident press conference.

A few months later, Kneer was transferred as a result of the negative press surrounding the multiple high-profile Use of Force incidents in the Antelope Valley.

"The Captains will drag anyone across concrete until you are bloodied and beaten and still demand your respect and demand you do the job in a way they have never done nor could they."

Recently, The Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs released their Leadership Assessments of Captains throughout the county.

Captain Joe Fender scored 2.14 out of 5 stars with scathing reviews and sources at the station say Fender's leadership, in reality is much worse than the comments.

Although not included in the ALADS Leadership Assessment, deputies say co-Captain Paul Bartlett's reputation is no better, even though he takes on a less power-hungry stance at the station than Fender.

Photo byALADS

Deputies reached out anonymously to The Current Report to share the grim reality of their existence at the Lancaster station and what they believe is a result of the Luna-led activist takeover and their influence over law enforcement in the Antelope Valley.

Sources say the VIP status Sheriff Luna has given to BLM and Cancel the Contract at the Hall of Justice, has also resulted in Captain Bartlett meeting approximately twice a week with activists, prioritizing their calls and complaints, no matter how egregious or outlandish they are.

Fender's own rogue behavior, investigating deputies at whim and/or relieving them of duty without revealing the cause, sources say feels like a leftover flex from his Internal Affairs days, and is also a major factor of the station’s morale at "absolutely 0%".

"We have rogue captain and command staff who run their own program with an iron fist because they are natural born bullies and blame Luna because they are cowards and will not stand tall for their own decisions".

Sheriff Luna allowing activists to run roughshod over the Lancaster station has created a volatile, unhealthy work environment for line staff that inspires a mafioso managerial style by the Sheriff's "yes men" (station command staff). This has left the rank and file more worried about being targeted by Internal Affairs investigations than being shot dead by a legitimate gangster on the streets.

Sadly, this is the harsh reality of LASD deputies serving the Antelope Valley, and we hear it's the same at many other stations throughout the county.

But that's another story for another day.