Annie Gilbertson

L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva acknowledged earlier this year that public records requests were 'stacking up.'

I'm an investigative reporter and host of KPCC's podcast "Repeat."

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department holds tremendous power to accuse and arrest and is responsible for the wellbeing of those in its jail system, the largest in the nation. Here's what happened when we asked for records about those activities.

The Downey Police Officer's Association has taken an aggressive strategy, asking the court to order Downey to destroy records older than five years.

A Los Angeles County judge dealt a significant blow to efforts by police unions trying to block the release of records of their members past conduct.

New California law opens records of officer conduct often kept secret from the public: police shooting and use of force investigations, findings of lying and sexual assault. But since SB 1421 went into effect January 1, police unions across the Southern California have contend it does not apply retroactively.

Even as a new law went into effect to open up long sealed records, a law firm representing police unions quietly mounted a coordinated challenge. They argue the law doesn't apply retroactively.

The bullet that killed Ventura County sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus was fired by a California Highway Patrol officer who responded with him.

The initial response to the Borderline was textbook example of quickly confronting a dangerous gunman. But at just a few minutes in, the hurried confrontation ground to a halt.

Officers arrived within minutes of reports of a shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks. A speedy response is considered critical in mass shootings. But after one their own was shot at the scene, everything slowed down as authorities changed tactics.