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Justice System Integrity Division
- Review of Peńa Shooting - LAPD November 27, 2006
- Charge Evaluation Report LAPD Officer John Hatfield Feb. 3, 2005
- Police Misconduct Referral Protocols
- Officer-Involved Shootings & In-Custody Deaths
No one is above the law, especially those who are sworn to uphold it. Those who are charged with enforcing the laws of the State of California must themselves scrupulously obey the law. They must lead by example, and that example must be based on principles of honesty, integrity, credibility and accountability.
When judges, attorneys, police officers, and others working in the justice system break the law, they must be held accountable for their actions. The District Attorney created the Justice System Integrity Division (JSID), a team of highly experienced prosecutors and investigators, to ensure just that. JSID – with enhanced cooperation from local and federal agencies – provides the resources to detect, investigate, and prosecute criminal misconduct among those sworn to uphold the law.
By doing so, JSID deters criminal wrongdoing and helps raise confidence in law enforcement, the courts, and the justice system in general.
The Justice System Integrity Division investigates and prosecutes any allegation of criminal misconduct by a judicial officer. A judicial officer is defined as a judge, commissioner, referee, or administrative law judge hearing criminal or civil matters, whether active or retired.
"Criminal misconduct" includes conduct directly attributable to his or her official duties, or any conduct outside of those duties. This includes felony and misdemeanor violations of the law.
JSID investigates and prosecutes any allegation of criminal misconduct by an attorney practicing civil or criminal law. This applies to crimes directly attributable to his or her fiduciary duties (Example: theft from a client’s trust fund), as well as criminal acts that bear no relationship to his or her role as an attorney (Example: illegal drug possession). JSID responsibilities also include cases of attorneys who practice law while disbarred, suspended or otherwise ineligible to lawfully practice law.
Criminal Misconduct Among Law Enforcement Officers
Peace officers are critical to public safety and perform an important role in the justice system. It is crucial that their conduct – especially when it involves allegations of abuse – be carefully reviewed, both by their agency and the District Attorney’s Office.
JSID is responsible for investigating and prosecuting any allegation of criminal misconduct committed by a peace officer as defined by Penal Code Section 830.1 et seq. This pertains to crimes committed while either on or off duty. Parole and probation officers also come within the scope of this policy.
Police Misconduct Referral Protocols
To ensure that allegations of criminal misconduct are appropriately investigated and prosecuted, the District Attorney has established clear guidelines for their referral:
Officer-involved Shootings (OIS) and In-custody Deaths
Matters involving the use of force, especially when death or serious bodily injury occurs, are often the most scrutinized matters involving a peace officer. The community has a right to know whether or not an officer lawfully used deadly force in the application of his or her duties. It is incumbent upon the District Attorney’s Office to investigate officer-involved shootings and deaths that occur while a person is in the custody of a peace officer.
To that end, the District Attorney’s Office has established the District Attorney Response Team (D.A.R.T.). Whenever a law enforcement shooting within the County of Los Angeles injures or fatally wounds a person, an experienced deputy district attorney and a senior investigator respond to the scene and conduct an independent investigation into the matter. The District Attorney’s Office also conducts independent investigations whenever force has been used against a person who is in the custody of a law enforcement officer and it appears that the force may have been the proximate cause of death.
Justice System Integrity Division
Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
210 West Temple St., Rm. 17-1114
Los Angeles, CA. 90012
Phone: (213) 974-3888
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Site updated: 28 Nov 2006
