LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca says he’s to blame for deputy misconduct and brutality against inmates in the nation’s largest jail network.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published Sunday, Baca acknowledges that he was out of touch about problems in the jails and had failed to put into place important reforms that could have minimized violence against inmates.
Baca says his subordinates have insulated him from “bad news.”
The sheriff’s department has come under intense criticism since the American Civil Liberties Union released a report last month alleging abuse and other misconduct by deputies.
The FBI is demanding internal department documents detailing the use of force on inmates over several years, as well as other records.
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