LAKE COUNTY ? The U.S. Department of Justice does not have an open investigation on the Lake County Sheriff”s Office for allegations of racial profiling and discrimination, the department reported Friday.
The Department of Justice looked into allegations but has not launched an investigation, Spokesman Alejandro Miyar of the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ said. Miyar said the department takes racial profiling claims seriously but there”s a difference between checking allegations and more intensively investigating a case. Miyar could not say whether the department has ever investigated the sheriff”s office.
A Dan Noyes KGO-TV ABC report aired Thursday that alleged Lake County Sheriff”s officers pulled drivers over based on race, called Mexicans “Jose” and used racial epithets against a deputy.
Sheriff Rod Mitchell said the sheriff”s office launched an internal affairs investigation into the allegations.
“Our department looks forward to being able to provide the public with the information that will prove the allegations against the good men and women of this department are malicious and false,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell provided Record-Bee staff with the 27-minute DVD interview between him and Noyes. The broadcast cut information, affording almost six minutes to the allegations and about one minute of response from Mitchell.
The sheriff said he could not comment further on the allegations or the investigation.
Mitchell plans to run for reelection next year, he said.
Deputy Francisco Rivero of LCSO is running for sheriff against Mitchell, but said he filed complaints of racial profiling before he considered running for office.
Rivero said he saw sheriff”s officers pull people over and search their vehicles based on race. He said officers called Hispanic people “Joses, no habla and no licencias.”
“I”m upset about the mistreatment of our public and the targeting of certain members of our community,” Rivero said.
Rivero said he couldn”t comment on the racial profiling complaint he filed.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors heard the complaints in closed session in April, but Chairwoman Denise Rushing could not comment on the subject.
Rivero didn”t file complaints that other LCSO officers called him racial slurs such as “wetback,” he said.
Contact Katy Sweeny at ksweeny@record-bee.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
