The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department keeps a secret list of deputies with a history of misconduct.
Sheriff Jim McDonnell has been fighting to get this so-called “Brady list” into the hands of prosecutors. The issue is that these officers testify in court. And prosecutors need to tell criminal defendants if there’s evidence that would undermine any of these officer’s credibility as witness.
The Sheriff’s Deputies union has been pushing back against the Sheriff, saying that giving prosecutors access to the list would harm deputies and could cast doubt on criminal prosecutions that they’ve been involved in. The California Supreme Court has taken up the case and is likely to come down with a decision next year.
Very few people get access to this list, but last week, the L.A. Times did a long investigation of the 2014 list from the Sheriff’s Department. We talk to two of the reporters to hear what they learned.
We reached out to District Attorney Jackie Lacey and the Sheriff's Department. They were unable to join us on-air.
Guests:
Frank Stoltze, KPCC correspondent who covers criminal justice and public safety issues
Maya Lau, reporter on the metro desk covering the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for the Los Angeles Times
Corina Knoll, staff writer at the Los Angeles Times