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END SHERIFF VIOLENCE
Rooting Out Injustice, Reclaiming Community Power
From in-custody deaths to sheriff deputy gangs, the LASD operates with nearly zero oversight and outsized power.
DPN is working alongside directly impacted families to demand independent oversight, justice for those harmed, and system changes to prevent future deaths at the hands of law enforcement.
Together, we are building a future rooted in care, accountability, and community power—not fear and unchecked violence.
HISTORY OF THE FIGHT
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WHERE WE ARE NOW
Civilian Oversight Committee
DPN supports amending the County Charter to ensure the Commission has the legal authority and resources to investigate misconduct, subpoena records, and enforce accountability without Sheriff Department interference. Community trust means common-sense checks and balances on the people entrusted with the power to police.
In-Custody Deaths and Coroner’s Reports
LASD deputies are present during Medical Examiner determinations, and families are left in the dark with delayed, incomplete, or misleading coroner’s reports when their loved ones die in custody.
We are fighting to change that in partnership with UCLA’s Carceral Ecology and BioCritical Studies (BCS) labs. In 2023, The BCS lab, DPN, and JusticeLA, published a report scrutinizing LA County’s in-custody deaths. A few months later, the County coroner/medical examiner changed its name, stating “The removal of ‘coroner’ was needed to reinforce the department’s role as an unbiased and independent investigative agency, unattached to any law enforcement agency,”
Deputy Gangs / Check the Sheriff
We are helping lead the charge to expose and eliminate these gangs. Through the Check the Sheriff Coalition, we are educating the public, uplifting survivor stories, and supporting legislation and policy change that holds deputies accountable and dismantles these criminal networks from within the department.
WHERE WE ARE NOW
Hear directly from community members and leaders who have endured the harm of sheriff violence and are fighting for care-based alternatives. Their voices shape this campaign—and inspire us to push for system change.
helen jones
“So many families have been given the wrong cause of death in the autopsy reports they receive, written by the Los Angeles County Coroner Department. My 22-year-old son John Horton is one of the many victims that was killed and was given a false cause of death in his autopsy report.
He was murdered in Men’s Central Jail on March 30th, 2009 by the 3000 Boys deputy sheriff gang members. They operate on the 3000 floor of the dangerous, deadly, toxic, outdated jail where Black and Brown men have been killed over a decade before and after John was killed and they will continue to die. Men's Central Jail must be shut down to save lives.”
Community Organizer, Dignity and Power Now
It’s Time to End Sheriff Violence—Now.
The best way to engage in this campaign is to be in community with us. Join us at actions, share your story, or spread the word. Together, we can dismantle harmful systems of incarceration and pretrial incarceration—and build something better.
A lot of the work we do to end sheriff violence happens in the Check The Sheriff Coalition. To get up to date on the coalition’s work and ways to get involved, click the button below. .
Support the Fight to End Sheriff Violence
DPN has been a leading voice alongside families and communities impacted by violence within the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
Ending this violence requires sustained organizing, legal advocacy, and community power—and we can’t do it without your help. Your donation fuels grassroots campaigns, pushes policy changes, and amplifies survivor voices demanding justice and accountability.
Every contribution helps us challenge corruption and build safer futures.
Elevating Survivor Voices and Building Community Power
The Coalition has collectively:
- Advocated for Strengthened Civilian Oversight:
Pushed for County Charter amendments to empower independent oversight with real authority to investigate and hold the Sheriff accountable. - Exposed Deputy Gangs Within LASD:
Helped bring public attention to violent deputy gangs operating inside the department and pressured elected officials to act. - Demanded Transparency in In-Custody Deaths:
Championed policies requiring timely, independent investigations and accurate reporting to families affected by deaths in custody. - Built a Movement for Systemic Change:
Through community organizing, policy advocacy, and coalition-building, DPN and partners continue to push LA County toward true abolition and beyond policing.