ALADS Vice President Robert Sass was appointed to fill a vacant seat at the first meeting of the L.A. County Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Safety on October 30, 2017. ALADS sought this position to ensure law enforcement's perspective was included as the commission considered the impact of changes in the criminal justice system and potential solutions for better outcomes.
In August,
ALADS issued a
statement
supporting the
motion
introduced Tuesday, August 15, 2017 by Supervisor Kathryn Barger and co-authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn to establish the Blue Ribbon Commission to explore innovative solutions to criminal justice challenges resulting from statewide reforms.
The commission was created in the wake of the
murder of Whittier Police Officer Keith Boyer
by a parolee who had violated probation and who faced little consequence. The commission's goal is "to examine challenges facing law enforcement resulting from changes in the statewide criminal justice system, provide solutions to increase public safety, and integrate inmates back into society."
ALADS, representing more than 7,900 frontline deputy sheriffs and district attorney investigators in the county, requested a seat at the table.
While the commission has representatives from various portions of the criminal justice system - judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement supervisors, and crime victim advocates - there was no representative for rank-and-file law enforcement.
As the labor appointee to the commission, ALADS is partnering with other unions that represent sworn officers such as the L.A. County Deputy Probation Officers Union, AFSCME Local 685 to assure that their voices are heard and their rights in this process are respected.
We look forward to working with and being an active participant of the Blue Ribbon Commission to ensure that it will provide recommendations that include the highest level of public safety and suggest workable re-entry and rehabilitation programs. The appointment of ALADS Vice President
Robert Sass
to the commission furthers those goals and will provide the important perspective of rank-and-file law enforcement personnel.
The Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS) is the collective bargaining agent representing more than 7,900 deputy sheriffs and district attorney investigators working in Los Angeles County. Like our Facebook page
