Nation’s Largest Sheriff’s Department Understaffed, Overworked, Devastated by Recent Suicides

Commentary The November 2022 Los Angeles County Sheriff’s election marked the end of a tumultuous four-year relationship between the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD). It also began what may have been the most chaotic first year of a new administration in the department’s over 150-year history. To add to the drama, outgoing Sheriff Alex Villanueva did not go away quietly after a significant loss at the polls and an ongoing witch hunt by the Board of Supervisors. Mr. Villanueva was the subject of numerous attacks during his tenure, including the county defunding the department to the tune of approximately $150 million, an unprecedented hiring freeze, and a ballot measure which successfully passed, allowing the board to remove the elected sheriff “for cause,” which some say is unconstitutional....