Taste of Little Italy
In San Diego County, alleged misconduct by sheriff's deputies is investigated by a body called the Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board. Or, at least, investigated when staff has time—if CLERB's investigators can't get to a case within a year, the complaint is dropped. And if a deputy leaves the force before the investigation concludes, CLERB will also drop it.
Such was the case with a January 2012 incident in which a deputy apparently yelled out in court:
"This is my fucking court and I own it!"Sheriff spokesperson Jan Caldwell confirms that the incident did happen, but no further action was taken because the deputy retired two days later. CLERB dropped the case at its March meeting, saying it didn't have authority over former employees.
That wasn't the only case of alleged discourtesy dealt with (or not dealt with) at the meeting:
- A citizen complained that a sheriff stole her parking spot, then made rude remarks to her, including "Fucking bitch get a move on or else." The case was dismissed because CLERB staff didn't investigate it within a year.
- A motorcyclist complained he was wrongfully profiled by a deputy for being a member of the Hell's Angels. The biker claimed that the deputy said things like, "I know where you live,” “I know where you ride,” and “I just talked to someone that knows more about you then [sic] you know about yourself." After giving a ticket, the deputy allegedly popped a wheelie on his own motorcycle and sped off. CLERB found that there was no evidence to prove or disprove the profiling or the wheelie, but the remarks were found to have been justified.
- A 16-year-old minor alleged that deputies pushed his head into a window, put him in a choke hold, cuffed him, put him on the ground and stepped on his neck. The case was dropped because it wasn't investigated within a year.
