LA sheriff creates office focused on constitutional policing

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The new Los Angeles County sheriff has created an Office of Constitutional Policing to deal with such issues as allegations that there are deputy gangs within the Sheriff’s Department.

Sheriff Robert Luna announced the new office on Wednesday and appointed a former federal prosecutor as its director.

“The Office of Constitutional Policing will help our Department eradicate Deputy gangs, comply with consent decrees, and ensure our policies, procedures, and operations uphold people’s constitutional rights,” Luna said in a statement.

The office’s first director, Eileen Decker, was the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California from 2015 to 2017. She recently was a member of the Los Angeles Police Commission, the civilian board that oversees the LA Police Department. Decker also was a deputy LA mayor for homeland security and public safety.

Luna defeated incumbent Alex Villanueva in the November election to become LA County’s 34th sheriff. He vowed to usher in an era of integrity and collaboration after his predecessor’s tenure was marked by clashes with other public officials and allegations that deputy gangs ran amok within the agency.