April 29--A federal settlement made public Tuesday night prohibits Antelope Valley sheriff's deputies from routinely detaining people in the backseat of patrol cars and requires them to start most encounters by politely introducing themselves.
Sheriff's deputies in the high desert have been known for a harsh brand of policing that singles out blacks and Latinos, particularly those in subsidized housing.
That reputation attracted the attention of the federal government, which this week reached the settlement with Los Angeles County officials to ensure that deputies no longer discriminate against minorities.
Some of the changes have already been implemented, sheriff's officials and community members said, and complaints from minority residents are less frequent. Recipients of public housing vouchers are no longer subjected to raids by deputies that sometimes had the effect of forcing them out of their homes.
But the settlement, which includes a $700,000 payment for victims, has the force of law. Three law enforcement experts will serve as monitors, and a federal judge can step in if the Sheriff's Department is not fulfilling its obligations.
The settlement requires the Sheriff's Department to collect data on stops and searches to determine whether minorities are being unfairly targeted. It also governs the everyday interactions that deputies have with residents.
Where possible, deputies are to introduce themselves and state the reason for stopping and detaining someone, the agreement states.
Handcuffing people and having them sit in the backseat of a patrol car -- once a routine practice, according to federal authorities -- is not allowed during most traffic stops or domestic violence situations. If someone is detained in the backseat, the deputy should explain why "in a professional and courteous manner."
In its June 2013 report describing alleged civil rights abuses by the Sheriff's Department in the Antelope Valley, federal officials stated that 30 of 180 civilian complaints involved backseat detentions.
The report also found that deputies used unreasonable force against people who were handcuffed, including fist strikes to the head and face. Deputies retaliated with force against those who were disrespectful to them, the report found, in one case pepper-spraying a man who spit on them when he was already restrained.
Those practices are specifically prohibited by the settlement.
