LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission on Dec. 19 established a new committee to evaluate and reform how the Sheriff’s Department handles complaints from residents about deputy misconduct.

The nine-member commission unanimously approved the creation of the Complaints Ad Hoc Committee, tasked with recommending policy and procedural changes to simplify the process for residents to file complaints against Sheriff’s Department personnel and address related issues.

Commissioners Arthur Calloway II, Luis Garcia, James Harris and Hans Johnson will serve on the ad hoc committee. They are expected to review best practices from other large law enforcement agencies and propose reforms to improve the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s (LASD) complaint handling processes.

The committee also aims to ensure complaints are investigated promptly, appropriate disciplinary actions are taken and complainants receive timely updates.

“For too long, we have been told by members of the public that the LASD complaints process is broken; that it is not working,” Robert Bonner, the chair of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Civilian Oversight Commission, said in a statement.

“It is time for the commission to take a hard look at how the Sheriff’s Department handles complaints of misconduct against its deputies,” he added. “If the LASD is going to investigate its own, it is imperative that there be effective oversight and visibility into the process.”

The committee was partly created because the oversight commission has been denied access to information about LASD’s complaint process, with officials citing county counsel’s advice that such details are confidential, despite repeated requests from commissioners.

“When residents file a complaint, whether to the LASD, to the commission, or to the Office of Inspector General, it is important that we all—individually and collectively—have a seamless process as this is critical to ensuring a solid foundation for building trust between our communities and law enforcement,” Calloway said in a statement.

According to Sharmaine Moseley, executive director of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, the committee will explore creating an online complaint form and developing a database or dashboard for tracking complaint data.

The Complaints Ad Hoc Committee will meet in January. Experts, residents, and other stakeholders are encouraged to attend the meeting to share their experiences related to LASD’s complaint practices and processes.