Prisoners aren’t the only ones abusive as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) has caught deputies hitting inmates in the head. The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU) accuses deputies of smacking prisoners in the head at least 52 times last year. In other words, deputies have hit one person in the head every week.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit stating that the number of assaults is unacceptable but there is pushback from the sheriff’s department. The deputies argued that they have already implemented major modifications and should not have to stop the prisoner attacks.
“The facts don’t support the modifications [the ACLU is] asking for,” LASD attorney Robert Dugdale said, stating that 52 head strikes were a decline from previous years. “The LASD’s head strike policy is as restrictive as any policy out there.”
The latest hearing is another case in a decade-long battle with the sheriff’s department. In 2012, the ACLU sued LASD for regularly assaulting prisoners in Los Angeles County jails. In 2015, a judge approved a settlement agreement requiring LASD to change its violent practices.
Two months ago, the ACLU filed a lawsuit citing that the LASD has failed to follow through with the guidelines of the plan. The ACLU asked, “the court to prohibit the use of head strikes by LASD deputies (except in rare instances when deadly force is authorized), limit the use of a restraint device known as the WRAP, and impose mandatory discipline on LASD employees who use excessive force or lie on use-of-force reports.”
Peter Eliasberg, chief counsel at the ACLU of Southern California, said the LASD continues to disobey the provisions of the plan. He pushes for the courts to change the plan to prevent officers from inflicting pain on the inmates.
“Over eight years, the court has never once found the LASD to be in compliance with the head strike provisions of the plan,” Eliasberg said.
The ACLU accused the LASD of not meeting its own standard regarding head strikes. Stephen Sinclair, a former Secretary of the Washington State Department of Corrections, said he examined nine cases in which deputies used head strikes. In eight of the nine incidents, Sinclair said, “It was obvious to me that the use of head strikes was unnecessary and excessive force.”
Dr. Shamsher Samra is an emergency room physician who worked in the county’s Twin Towers Correctional Facility for three years. Samra said that “head injuries can, and frequently do result in severe, and potentially, fatal injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, fractured facial bones, and retinal detachment.”
The ACLU wants deputies to reduce the number of head strikes and requested Judge Pregerson to monitor LASD’s use of a rapid-restraint called the WRAP. The device “consists of ankle straps, leg straps that circle the calves and thighs like a straight jacket, and a harness that goes around the chest and shoulders and is clipped to the leg restraints.”
Judge Pregerson ordered the LASD and the ACLU to collaborate on reaching a final agreement. They are expected to return to the count in 60 days with proposals. Pregerson said he would hold off on the judgment until the next hearing.
Pregerson wants the LASD to focus on actionable steps and pay close attention to the details that are commonly overlooked. “My history in dealing with the sheriff’s department over the years has, in some cases, been a lot of promises that have evaporated,” Pregerson said.
Source: https://theappeal.org/lasd-los-angeles-jails-aclu-rosas-luna-head-strike/