L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. didn't investigate misconduct

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department failed to investigate 800 claims of deputy misconduct dating to 1993, a civilian oversight panel has found.

The report by the Office of Independent Review found department officials routinely failed to investigate allegations of misconduct outlined in civil claims, which are filed with the county prior to a lawsuit, the Daily News of Los Angeles reported Sunday.

The report is scheduled to be released Thursday.

, follows increased pressure on the department by county officials to reduce its soaring litigation costs.

"Unfortunately, in the past, the Sheriff's Department has largely viewed civil litigation as a realm exclusively for its defense lawyers and has not thoroughly exploited this valuable information source," Michael Gennaco, chief attorney for the panel, wrote in the report.

Sheriff Lee Baca said the findings reinforce his concerns about the department's legal bills, which have soared from $11.9 million in 1999-2000 to $26.7 million for 2001-2002.

About 1,100 claims are filed against the department each year, Gennaco said.