Citizen's Commission on Jail Violence says Sheriff failed to provide strong leadership to department

The Citizen's Commission report found that the problem started at the top with leadership...and it trickled down from there.

Commission Executive Director Miriam Krinsky told the Board, "We found fundamentally that the problems we observed were a failure of leadership. The Sheriff failed to adequately monitor and control the use of force in our jails. He told our commission that was unaware of problems until recently."

Part of the reason for poor leadership was the lack of communication:

"There were communication breakdowns and information gaps...too many years went by before the sheriff fully engaged. And the atmosphere and multi-layered command structure that we observed was one that kept bad news from ascending to the sheriff."

But Baca is not the only one who shoulders blame and responsibility for these problems. The report singled out Undersheriff Paul Tanaka for his direct role in encouraging violence.

"We found that the under sheriff engaged in troubling statements and troubling conduct. He encouraged deputies to be aggressive... to work in the so-called grey area... to function right on the edge of the line. He discouraged discipline."

The Citizen's Commission hopes that this report provokes the proper long-term changes and isn't just filed away like those that have come before it.

"We hope that we will see more than just a commitment of the moment. What is needed is a steadfast commitment and vigilance to bring these changes."

The Commission's recommendations include creating an Office of Inspector General, but in the testimony, it wasn't clear to whom the Inspector would report. No final decisions have been made yet on implementing the recommendations.