L.A. County sheriff’s deputies implicated in towing thefts, bribes

By Cindy Chang / LA Times News
January 12, 2015

Three Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were relieved of duty last week for allegedly accepting bribes from drivers and stealing items from towed vehicles in the Lynwood area, the Sheriff’s Department announced Monday.

In addition to the three deputies, a parking control officer was relieved of duty. They will continue to be paid until the department’s internal investigation is complete.

A department spokeswoman declined to name the employees, saying the case remains a personnel matter unless criminal charges are filed.

The four, who worked at the Century Station in Lynwood, allegedly took payments from drivers who wanted to avoid having their vehicles towed or impounded. No other sheriff’s officials were involved, the department said, and the four are believed to have acted independently, not as a team. They are also alleged to have stolen both cash and valuables from towed vehicles.

Century Station deputies patrol the city of Lynwood as well as the unincorporated areas of Florence/Firestone, Walnut Park, Athens Park, Rosewood and Willowbrook.