The L.A. County Board of Supervisors requested Tuesday that the sheriff’s department revise its policy to include a strict prohibition on deputies carrying weapons while drinking.
The motion that passed also asked that the policy authorize commanders to order alcohol testing of department members suspected of alcohol use and to take disciplinary actions against any members who refuse to be tested. It requested that sheriff's officials report back to the board in 90 days to discuss the issue and discuss whether it has agreed to implement the recommended policy changes.
The motion came after an inspector general found that L.A. deputies were involved in eight gun and alcohol incidents over 16 months from October 2019 to February 2021.
The motion is authored by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis. Horvath said she has already discussed the issue with Sheriff Robert Luna, and he is "going to engage in the appropriate processes to evaluate the impacts of this direction."
"But I believe this is a step in the right direction," she said.
Solis said she believes that motion has two impacts -- to protect department staff and the public from "any potential mishaps ... because of the mixing of firearms and alcohol," while also identifying department members who may need assistance to deal with dependency issues.
"This topic is a very serious one, no doubt, and it needs to be addressed head-on," Solis said.
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According to the motion, the current department policy governing off-duty deputies allows a blood-alcohol concentration of up to 0.08 -- a limit the motion deems to be "too high." The motion requests that the sheriff revise department policy "to include a strict prohibition against carrying firearms while consuming alcohol, on or off duty."
The board also requested that the department policy be revised to mandate alcohol testing in all instances of off-duty accidental weapon discharges.
"This is a common-sense policy," Supervisor Holly Mitchell said. "We should, as a civilized society, have a heightened level of expectation of those who are licensed to carry a firearm. And so I think it's very reasonable. It was shocking to read about the number of incidents in the OIG report. It's not just one. there were a series of incidents and it clearly shows a pattern."
The board approved the motion on a 4-0 vote, with Supervisor Janice Hahn abstaining. Hahn said she has "made a real commitment to support the sheriff in how he runs the department," and she trusted that Luna recognizes the problem cited in the OIG report and would take the appropriate action.
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