Repeat

Billups receives and interesting letter, the investigative team looks into prosecutors and a special recommendation. 

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department inspector general tells his people to listen to the podcast and look into questions raised. Sheriff Jim McDonnell is up for re-election, and Deputy Mike Coberg supports his opponent. Tennell Billups is transferred to another prison. 

It often falls to local law enforcement to decide what use of force is reasonable and when officers cross the line. Acceptable conduct can differ depending on where you live. In California, much of the work of police accountability — from the internal investigations to details of the findings — is kept hidden from public view, some of it by state law. There are some who believe the public is not equipped to understand police behavior. But are these secretive laws protecting officers and their public employers from scrutiny? Reporter Annie Gilbertson takes what she’s learned about Deputy Gonzalo Inzunza to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials, who promise to review his conduct. Annie does her own review, looking for clues that may point to how officials have determined what level of force is acceptable.

Retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Anthony Forlano fired his gun in seven incidents, grisly experiences he says stems from working busy patrol areas and regularly encountering armed suspects. Sheriff’s department lore holds that certain deputies are magnets for specific types of crimes — so-called “shit magnets” — such as frequently finding suspects with guns. Reporter Annie Gilbertson finds the sheriff’s department is tracking deputies with multiple shootings, and she raises the question: should repeat shooters remain on patrol? 

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigates its own officers’ shootings —a common practice in California. Officials are adamant that their investigations into police shootings are impartial, highly supervised and beyond reproach. Reporter Annie Gilbertson talks to an investigator assigned to one of Deputy Gonzalo Inzunza’s shootings about discrepancies in the case. Along the way, she discovers some troubling details.