"The ACLU of Southern California (ACLU SoCal) welcomes Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca’s decision to resign after 48 years of service," said Hector Villagra, ACLU SoCal executive director. "In so doing, Sheriff Baca has done what is best for his deputies, the department, and the residents of the county."

"We believe that his departure provides an important opportunity for new leadership to do what Sheriff Baca was either unable or unwilling to do: acknowledge and confront the institutional problems in the department."
"The sheriff’s decision to step down, however, is only a first step. There is much work to be done to fix a broken jail system, to improve street patrols, and to ensure that mentally ill inmates aren’t simply allowed to languish, untreated in their cells or, worse, systematically abused by deputies."
"In the coming months, the ACLU SoCal looks forward to working with the Board of Supervisors and whomever it designates as interim sheriff to help restore the public’s trust in the sheriff’s department."
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