17. Speakers and Tours Committee

During the course of the CGJ’s inspection of municipal police jails. CGJ noted that Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) had closed six jails: Devonshire, Foothill, Harbor, Southwest, Wilshire, and Southeast jails. The closure of these facilities required arresting officers to transport arrestees to a centrally located jail. This created a strain on police manpower in the field. Based on information received from LAPD, the closure of the above- mentioned jails was due to a lack of detention officers. To reopen the temporarily closed jails would require 62 additional detention officers; in addition, 75 police officer IIs currently back- fill for the vacant detention officer positions at other stations. LAPD’s jail division is currently holding a detention officer academy class, and a second class was planned for June 2015.

At one Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department courthouse lockup inspected by the committee, deputies described the process of handling prisoners in a manner that would prevent the spread of staph bacteria called Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). When prisoners arrive, they are attached to a chain by individual handcuffs. Wearing gloves, the deputies detach prisoners from their handcuffs and chain. The deputies apply and clean the hardware with a specially designed disinfectant spray to kill MRSA.1

Staff at Northeast (LA/Eagle Rock) Station stated that there are potential environmental issues in the soil of the Northeast Police Station. A new facility will be built on the same site.

Some of the jails/holding areas the committee inspected were unsatisfactory: Bell Gardens Police Department: The inspection revealed peeling paint. There were locks on cabinets holding detainees’ belongings, but there were no keys. One cell was not useable because of broken plumbing pipes. Bellflower Courthouse Jail: Radio dead zones exist in some areas within the courthouse. The refrigerator registered at an unsafe temperature. Staff stated the gun lockup needed to be upgraded and the sally port needed to be enhanced. Alarm systems for exit doors were not operable. Compton Courthouse Jail: The building was very old. There were scratches throughout the facility. The walls and ceilings in the cells were in poor condition. There was low water pressure in cells and in the lock-up area. Walls and ceilings throughout 1 According to research by the Mayo Clinic, MRSA is spread by skin contact. It affects healthy people in settings where skin contact is likely, such as contact sports, or groups living in crowded and unsanitary conditions. LOS ANGELES COUNTY 2014–2015 CIVIL GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT the facility needed to be painted. Food for inmates was left unrefrigerated and out in the open. East Los Angeles Courthouse Jail: The turn-out gear does not fit staff and had never been used. There was graffiti all over floor of holding cells. The staffing level was in flux due to court consolidation. There were no defibrillators at this facility. Inglewood Juvenile Courthouse Jail: The facility was built in 1976 and had not been properly maintained (graffiti and peeled paint on the wall, and the floor tile needed to be repaired). The sally port was inadequate, having a narrow path from outside of the building to the courthouse. Packaged food for inmates was delivered and stored in a portable cooler rather than refrigerated. The health inspection was done roughly five months ago, and the facility did not pass. In case of an emergency, a deputy at the detention facility needed to call the dispatcher first before connecting to the 911 Call Center. Men’s Central Jail: The facility was old but was clean. The old section was built in 1963 and the new section was built in 1973. There were ongoing plumbing problems. The kitchen operation was running well and it was clean. It serviced roughly 20,000 meals per day—mainly packaged food for Central Jail and Twin Towers. A chapel on- site performs services multiple times daily. Staff stated pest control and plumbing were the major issues. The facility was overcrowded. Redondo Beach Police Department: Cameras within the facility were installed but were not yet operational. LOS ANGELES COUNTY 2014–2015 CIVIL GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT