Politics & Government

County Supervisors Name Head of Public Corruption Division

A corruption-tackling prosecutor was officially named today as head of a new agency that will scrutinize the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

A corruption-tackling prosecutor was officially named today as head of a new agency that will scrutinize the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and have the power to conduct investigations inside troubled jails and elsewhere.

After months of searching, the Board of Supervisors offered the job Tuesday to Deputy District Attorney Max Huntsman, a supervisor in the district attorney's public corruption division. He has been among the lead prosecutors in the trial of Bell city officials.

"Max Huntsman is uniquely qualified for this position," Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said. "He has shown that the power of the people will catch officials who abuse power. He has not only won convictions against police officers, he also has successfully prosecuted officials in Bell, Vernon, Compton and Los Angeles. This appointment is a much-needed step in the right direction."

Find out what's happening in Claremont-La Vernewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Creating the office of inspector general was one of the key recommendations last year of a blue-ribbon commission that investigated allegations of violence inside the nation's largest jail system. The commission, which included several former judges and a police chief, concluded there was a pattern of excessive force by deputies in the county jails.

The panel called for an inspector general who would report to the Board of Supervisors and provide independent oversight of the Sheriff's Department, conducting its own investigations, monitoring jail conditions and reviewing the department's audits and inspections.

Find out what's happening in Claremont-La Vernewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Huntsman is a graduate of Yale Law School and earned his bachelor's degree at UC Santa Cruz. He will be paid $204,423 a year.

-- City News Service


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Claremont-La Verne