A key component of Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s plans for revamping the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will come under new scrutiny after the county’s governing board moved Tuesday to examine the legality of a panel that approved the reinstatement of a fired deputy.
The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to direct the county’s lawyers to evaluate the legality of the sheriff’s “truth and reconciliation” panel and instruct Villanueva to stop reevaluating discipline that was imposed by his predecessor, former Sheriff Jim McDonnell, until a full review of the panel is completed.
The issue came into focus following an outcry over Villanueva’s reinstatement of a deputy who was fired in connection with allegations of domestic abuse, harassment and stalking.
The Times reported that a panel comprised of three members of Villanueva’s command staff issued a report finding that Deputy Caren Carl Mandoyan “brought discredit to himself and the department” by repeatedly tapping on an ex-girlfriend’s patio door and opening her window. The group could not confirm the woman’s allegations of abuse.
Read the full story at LATimes.com.