An inmate at the jail downtown died suddenly in his cell on Thursday, after a deputy had punched him in the head, according to the Los Angeles Times. Whether or not that blow to the head caused the inmate's death is something that an autopsy will determine, but the incident hasn't done anything to dispel the cloud haning over the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. more ›

A rookie and "honor recruit" from the L.A. County Sheriff's department resigned shortly after he said that he was forced to beat a mentally ill inmate, according to the Los Angeles Times. The 23-year-old rookie Joshua Sather had been working a shift at the jail downtown last year, when he called his uncle a veteran in the department crying. He complained that he had been forced to beat up a mentally disabled inmate. He quit almost immediately after and now works in oil fields in Colorado. more ›

A toddler lost his finger yesterday in a harrowing escalator accident at the Van Nuys Courthouse. The Los Angeles Fire Department break down the grisly incident, in which a 17-month-old boy had his left index finger lopped off "in the comb-and-groove of the foot tread at or near the lowest ('arrival') level of the machinery." more ›

Thursday, a team of authorities from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Narcotics and Aero Bureaus, in a joint operation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and U.S. Forest Service removed 11,249 marijuana plants growing in the Angeles National Forest in the Knapp Ranch and Fish Canyon sections. The marijuana has an estimated street value of $22 million. more ›

A love triangle involving Los Angeles County Sheriff's detectives has led to a lawsuit, reports abc7. Alberto Gutierrez of Rosemead is suing Philip Solano, alleging he was having an affair with his wife, Mayela; in the suit Gutierrez claims the officer schemed to have him arrested to establish he was unfit to care for the couple's children, and needed therapy. more ›

Detectives working the case of murdered lawyer Jeffrey Tidus are looking into a 2005 case wherein the slain attorney had "obtained a restraining order against a litigant who allegedly had threatened him," the LA Times is reporting. Tidus was shot outside his elegant Rolling Hills Estates home Monday evening, and the pattern of evidence as well as Tidus' personal and professional life presented immediate uncertainty regarding suspects and motive. more ›

[Update: The death has been ruled a homicide. Read more here] more ›

At first Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca was praised for deciding to allow Fox Reality to make a show about his recruits, since the deal brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars in license fees as well as profits from the series. Hey, why not, right? Get the LA Co. Sheriff's Department's name out there, let America see what they're all about, maybe tempt some fence sitters to join the ranks to get in on the fun of serving, or maybe the fun of being on a reality television show, right? more ›

The three major law enforcement agencies that operate within LA County (LAPD, CHP, and the LA Co. Sheriff's Department) are working together this Labor Day weekend as a team on the "Avoid DUI Task Force." As part of the program they will operate 18 DUI checkpoints as well as "42 patrols throughout the county in search of drunk drivers," according to abc7.com. Luckily, California leads the list of states that have seen a decline in drinking-related auto deaths last year (117 fewer than the year before). more ›

Since 2001, about 230 people have died in the U.S. after being shocked with a Taser. One of the most recent incidents was in an unincorporated part of South LA last Friday night when a 32-year-old man died after being shocked twice by LA County Sheriffs. Apparently, Cesar Silver was under drugs or alcohol and fought and struggled with five sheriffs before the Taser gun was brought out. "Eyewitnesses indicated there was a real struggle.... more ›

Amongst the -ist sites, DCist has been doing the lion's share of coverage about the disaster and its aftermath. DCist Katrina coverage here. more ›

We were annoyed yesterday when we caught headlines and stories announcing that LA County Sheriffs would be investigating the BB gun attack on a photographer outside of a wedding that Britney Spears attended over the weekend which then seemed to be updated hourly with new details and pseudo-information. The sheriff's office said it was putting the situation "on the front burner" because of media attention. more ›