L.A. Times report exposes favoritism in L.A. County Sheriff’s Department

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca granted special treatment to friends and relatives of the police department in its hiring program, according to employment records and interviews gathered and reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.

Records showed that high-ranking L.A. County Sheriff’s Department officials injected themselves into the hiring process to lobby for favored candidates, some of who received jobs despite troubled histories.

The program was called “Friends of the Sheriff” and has been operating for at least eight years, the newspaper reported Wednesday.

Officials consistently denied claims that they give preferential treatment to friends and family.

Shortly after being presented with the L.A. Times’ findings, officials told the newspaper that the special hiring program was being eliminated.