WitnessLA

A new deadly year begins in LA County’s Jails

Yesterday, Tuesday, January 13, 2026, the third person died in Los Angeles County’s jail system since the calendar year ...
Witness LA

Youth Diversion Programs in LA and SF Offer Kids Accused of Serious Crimes a Chance to Make Things Right

For a little over six months, kids accused of some serious crimes in Los Angeles County have the opportunity to avoid incarceration, court, and convictions through a special youth diversion program ...
Witness LA

New Report Says LA County’s Deputy Gangs Promote a “secretive, violent, us-against-them” police culture

The last week wasn’t an easy period for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and some of the community members they were policing. Over the weekend, an Instagram video went viral of an ...
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Deconstructing the Conviction of Mark Ridley-Thomas: Part 10 – The U.S. Government changes its story

On May 30, of this year, the conviction of former President Donald Trump by the Manhattan District Attorney prompted a renewed discussion on the importance of the rule of law in the U.S. A reminder of ...
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To end domestic violence, heal the abusers, say those who do the healing

In the world of family violence, the focus is on healing victims. The survivors. This means a strong emphasis on raising funding for domestic violence shelters, thousands of research projects, state ...
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AERO BUREAU NOIR: The Strange Case of the LASD’s Missing Helicopter Engines

Misconduct and brutality at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has resulted in criminal convictions for 21 department members, including former Sheriff Lee Baca. Now that the string of high ...
Witness LA

LASD whistleblower takes her case to trial, while Villanueva testifies that deputy gangs don’t exist, & Sheriff Luna says there’s a new deputy gang

Wednesday, civil rights attorney, Alan Romero presented closing arguments in the whistleblower lawsuit brought by LASD Captain Angela Walton, against the County of Los Angeles, and former LA County ...
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Is it time for the feds to investigate wrongdoing in the LA County’s jails—again?

On December 9, 2013, slightly more than a decade from today, the The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, filed five criminal cases for a total of 18 indictments against ...
Witness LA

Does Memo From LA District Attorney’s Office Tell Cops How to Get Around New Law Protecting Kids’ Constitutional Rights?

On October 11, 2017, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law SB 395, a bill requiring that youth 15-years-old or younger cannot be questioned in what is known as a custodial interrogation, without first ...
Witness LA

ACLU Sues Lancaster and the LASD for Criminalizing Poverty With $500 and $1,000 Citations

In Lancaster, a desert city in the northern part of Los Angeles County, local officials have come up with an unconstitutional “scheme” to punish unhoused people and other low-income residents with ...
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Deconstructing the conviction of Mark Ridley-Thomas: Part 5 – Alleged Quid Pro Quo Contracts & MRT’s Prison Sentence

The sentencing of Ridley-Thomas was originally set to take place on Monday, August, 21. But by Friday, August 18, as residents of Los Angeles County were nervously eyeing a the approach of a hurricane ...
Witness LA

#MeToo Behind Bars: Will Proposed $1 Million Settlement on Case of Alleged Sexual Assault of Girl by LA County Juvenile Probation Officer Help Push Department Reform?

Last September, Los Angeles County Deputy Probation Officer, Oscar David Calderon Jr., then 33, was sentenced to one year in county jail after pleading guilty to two felony counts of assault under the ...