What to Know
- The top executive staff at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is being replaced.
- Villanueva confirmed those retirees are Robert Olmsted and Ray Leyva, who both served as commanders.
- Villanueva said the moves perhaps appeared sudden because transition period was so short.
The top executive staff at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is being replaced as Sheriff-elect Alex Villanueva prepares to be sworn-in next week.
"We're replacing the command staff at the top, as every new Sheriff has done," Villanueva told NBC4 Wednesday. "We're bringing people from within the organization up, and bringing two retired people back."
Villanueva confirmed those retirees are Robert Olmsted and Ray Leyva, who both served as commanders. Villanueva said the moves perhaps appeared sudden because the transition period was so short, and said more staff changes would be made in the coming months. He'll be sworn-in December 3.
"As the Sheriff-elect promised, he's cleaning house, and that doesn't just mean fire everybody with the wave of a wand, it means going in and meticulously reviewing every position, effort, and reform, for expedience, accountability, and effectiveness," said Villanueva spokesman Danny Leserman.
Some of the current Department executives have opted to retire rather than demote to lower-ranking positions, a senior Sheriff's official said. Members of the executive staff above the rank of commander are appointed by the sitting Sheriff, so they can be reassigned at will, according to LASD officials familiar with the Department's staffing rules.
A section of the County charter says whenever someone elevated to one of the appointed jobs is removed, they return to their previous non-appointed role, typically of commander or captain.
