Facts

The federal government filed a complaint against the County of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept., seeking declaratory or equitable relief. The matter concerned practices in the Antelope Valley

PLAINTIFF'S CONTENTIONS:
Plaintiff accused defendants of engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprived individuals of their constitutional rights and of engaging in housing discrimination particularly in the area of Lancaster and Palmdale in the Antelope Valley. Plaintiff alleged, among other things, that the LASD's Antelope Valley stations detained individuals without legal authority, used unreasonable and/or retaliatory force against restrained detainees, and largely stopped and searched African Americans and Latino residents. Plaintiff also alleged that the LASD's enforcement of the Housing Choice Voucher Program reflected bias and violated the Fair Housing Act and the Fourth Amendment.

Result

The parties reached a $725,000 settlement. As part of the settlement, LASD agreed to, among other things, ensure that all investigatory stops, seizures and searches are conducted within the laws and are adequately documented. To ensure this, the LASD is required, among others, to implement certain procedures outlined in the settlement agreement, including, among others, requiring the defendants not to use race, color, ethnicity, national origin or other suspect class as a factor in establishing reasonable suspicion or probable cause, except where otherwise allowed. The LASD also agreed to implement accountability and supervision practices in the Antelope Valley. Furthermore, LASD agreed not to violate the FHA by making unavailable or denying a unit to any person based on their race or interfering, intimidating, or coercing a person for aiding another in the exercise or enjoyment of their rights under the FHA. Additionally, the LASD must implement a Housing Non-discriminatory Policy and revise existing policies to comply with the FHA.