The city will not create a committee to advise the Avalon Sheriff’s Station.
That was the outcome of a lengthy discussion among officials at the Tuesday, May 20, Avalon City Council meeting.
Instead, the city manager, the station commander and any individual City Council member will hold informal meetings as needed to address complaints about the local Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department station.
There was no formal vote on the matter.
The city will not create a committee to advise the Avalon Sheriff’s Station.
That was the outcome of a lengthy discussion among officials at the Tuesday, May 20, Avalon City Council meeting.
Instead, the city manager, the station commander and any individual City Council member will hold informal meetings as needed to address complaints about the local Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department station.
There was no formal vote on the matter.
Capt. Doug Fetteroll, commander of Avalon Station, encouraged the public to contact him if they had any complaints.
He said he was always open to any concerns the public had. He provided the public with a phone number to contact him: 310-510-1025.
The issue came up because at the May 6 council meeting, Council Member Joe Sampson asked for an agenda item to consider a Citizen’s Advisory Committee for Law Enforcement.
At the time, Sampson was concerned because he had received complaints from constituents about the way deputies handled a drug search operation.
Sampson elaborated on his concerns on May 20. He said the problem was that people are afraid to lodge a complaint about the Sheriff’s Department because they fear reprisal.
“It’s just a fear that people have,” Sampson said.
He said he had experienced and gotten over that fear over the years.
Yet Sampson also praised the Sheriff’s Station leadership.
“Mr. Fetteroll is definitely the best and most trustworthy LA County Sheriff that we have had in this community in the last 53 years I’ve lived here,” Sampson said.
Sampson said some members of the public had complained to him that they were not treated with respect and without the benefit of the doubt.
He said he had seen Fetteroll’s last six predecessors come and go—and each time, a pattern had developed that he wanted to avoid.
According to the Tuesday, May 20, staff report prepared by City Manager Ben Harvey and City Attorney Scott Campbell, Avalon had four options to address Council Member Sampson’s proposal.
One: use Fetteroll’s existing quarterly neighborhood outreach meetings, possibly making them monthly.
Fetteroll said they were quarterly because that was what the community wanted.
Two: create a new sub-committee of the council, with members informally appointed by the mayor. The committee would have to be created for a short time and for a defined purpose.
Three: create a new standing committee that exists outside of the city government.
Four: have the Sheriff’s Department create an independent committee to include several community leaders.
City Attorney Campbell said that if the council selected the second or third options, the members could not talk about any issues outside of the committee meetings.
Fetteroll said the Sheriff’s Department supports Citizen’s Advisory Committees. The committee members would have to go through DMV and criminal background checks. He said they could not be elected officials. He also said he would support drug checks for members of a Citizen’s Advisory Committee.
Sampson said he would like to continue with the informal meetings that he, Harvey and Fetteroll have had. He suggested the meetings take place as needed.
Harvey said he would instruct staff that if the need comes up, he would arrange a meeting with Fetteroll.
“Let’s extend out trust to each other and make this community better,” Sampson said.
Council Member Cinde MacGugan-Cassidy said she was against creating additional government. She said Fetteroll was always available.
The issue was not really a new one.
The Avalon City Council on Aug. 5, 2008, voted to form a law enforcement citizen advisory board to deal with law enforcement conduct.
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008 the Avalon City Council voted 4-1 to disband a law enforcement advisory board.
According to the Nov. 4 agenda, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Public Integrity Division sent the city of Avalon a letter arguing that CAB met in closed session, in violation of the Brown Act.
Staff recommended disbanding the agency. The council agreed by a 4-1 vote.
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