Allegations that deputies belonged to violent, racist subgroups—reinforced by visible tattoos—sparked widespread public concern and eroded trust in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. While department leaders eventually adopted clearer messaging and policy reforms, the delayed response and lack of early public communication left space for fear and speculation to grow. In this case, visual identifiers within a government agency functioned like public symbols, embodying institutional values or harms in the eyes of the public. Later reforms became more difficult to implement because the lack of early, transparent communication had allowed mistrust to grow. Clear, proactive messaging may have helped the department respond more effectively to public concerns and begin rebuilding trust.

On June 18, 2020, an 18-year-old man began his evening shift as an unlicensed security guard at an auto body shop in Gardena, California. While he was speaking to someone in a vehicle that was blocking the driveway entrance to the body shop, two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) Deputies stopped him, reportedly because he was speaking to someone in a vehicle blocking the driveway entrance. It was only minutes later that the security guard lay dead in the parking lot, the result of six gunshots to his back.

The facts surrounding the shooting death are highly disputed by witnesses and the deputies. According to the officers, the security guard held a gun and ran when the officers approached him. He eventually got on his knees and put his hands behind his head. A witness to the shooting reported, “I turned around and saw two male white officers running up into the body shop where not even less than a second later I heard rapid gunshots, about four to five shots fired. Never heard them say ‘freeze.’ I never heard them say ‘stop.’ Nothing like that.” To this day it is unclear what truly transpired, as no footage of the shooting was recovered from security cameras at the shop. While officers claimed the cameras were not working at the shop, the shop-owner reported that the police removed the cameras from the walls and took the digital visual records without a warrant. The killing sparked protests in the community. Around 500 protesters gathered on June 21, 2020, to march to the LASD Compton Station. Officers met the protesters at the station dressed in riot gear and fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the crowd, which has increased tension. This instance sparked recurring and robust community activism as families and advocates have demanded accountability from law enforcement officials.

Following this death, there was renewed interest in investigating the decades-long history of violence in the LASD. A social media hashtag emerged, urging users to “#GoogleLASDGangs” (i.e., Google LASD Gangs). In 2021, a local journalist partnered with an independent media organization to publish a 15-part investigative series titled, “Tradition of Violence” and a podcast by the same name.^[3] The Los Angeles County Civilian Oversight Commission tasked a special counsel with issuing a report on deputy gangs within the sheriff’s department.^[4] A 2021 RAND Report collected survey data from over 1600 LASD Deputies and nearly 20% of the survey group responded that, “engaging in specific behaviors, such as being aggressive about making arrests” and looking “the other way when others engage in improper or unethical behavior” are criteria for membership in LASD deputy subgroups.^[5] The RAND Report also found that 15% agreed that being invited to join a deputy subgroup was tied to behavior that violates LASD policy.”

A deputy in the department spoke out as a whistleblower reporting that a deputy “gang” called “The Compton Executioners” was responsible for the June 2020 killing.^[6] In 2018, a deputy admitted under oath to having a tattoo on his calf depicting a flaming skeleton holding a rifle and wearing a Nazi helmet bearing the letters “CPT” (Compton).^[7] According to a report published by Loyola Law School’s Center for Juvenile Law and Policy, the LASD has struggled with the presence of at least eighteen (18) identifiable gangs within its ranks with names like “Grim Reapers,” “Banditos,” and “Little Devils.”^[8] The report finds that there are likely more gangs that have yet to be discovered because of a “culture of denial and secrecy within the LASD.”^[9]

This account illustrates how an assessment of the context of the tattoos –- bringing to light and providing evidence for fear that there were violent gangs within law enforcement — led to addressing the core concerns, if not the particular symbol. A RAND Report found that 47% of LASD respondents agreed that behavior associated with subgroups has “negatively impacted perceptions of LASD.”^[10] The current Sheriff has vowed to eradicate all deputy gangs and is said to be cooperating with state Civil Rights Investigators toward a settlement.^[11]