New LAPD watchdog fights for immigration; Trump vows to “release” police

As a young immigration lawyer in Central Valley, Matthew Barragan cuts off his teeth to defend the rights of poor workers facing deportation.

He was responsible for civilian oversight of the Los Angeles Police Department a decade and a half later, when concerns were high about strengthening federal immigration enforcement.

Barragan, 51, was appointed inspector general of LAPD last month. His office is independent of 8,700 officials departments, monitors complaints of misconduct and conducts audits and researches as requested by the police commission and conducts internal reviews.

The activists warn that the Trump administration can access sensitive data collected by LAPD's license plate readers and other technologies, citing Chief Jim McDonnell's willingness to interact with immigration agents is a further cause of concern.

On Monday, President Trump signed an executive order that the White House said it would “release U.S. law enforcement to pursue criminals” and guide federal agencies to release a list of “sanitary cities” that do not work with immigration agents.

McDonnell, who served as Los Angeles County sheriff during Trump's first term, said he handed over only the most dangerous prison offenders to federal authorities for deportation and compliance with the law. He has pledged to commemorate the long-standing LAPD rules to cover up sensitive information about witnesses and victims of crime, and a policy that prohibits arrests for immigration reasons only.

The department’s engagement with federal authorities will be one of many issues the police commission is counting on for Baragan. Barragan is a relatively unknown person in the LAPD circle, unanimously replaced Florence Yu by a five-member civilian group, an office veteran who served as interim inspector general after Mark Smith left last spring.

Baragan said his background as a civil rights lawyer and federal prosecutor – defending the rights of those trampled by the criminal justice system and law enforcement officers discriminated against by his own department – gave him a unique view on policing issues.

He told The Times that he intends to spend his first few weeks working to speed up community and department expectations while finding ways to make offices more transparent.

“It is important that our communities feel that these complaints, audits or systemic issues will be addressed and believe that this will be achieved through the perspectives of various communities living in the area,” he said.

Baragan said he was shaped by his upbringing in the small town of Delano, Kern County.

At the same time, the socially conservative rural community could also be an isolated place for young Latino, he recalls, who was gay for life. He faces ridicule for “having a different style of speaking or sexual orientation.” He eventually left the university and received his bachelor's degree and law degree from UCLA.

He got a career start in the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund for Latino Civil Rights organizations, eventually becoming an intern and eventually hired as an employee attorney.

“I represent individuals I fully agree with in many ways,” Balagan said. “As I mentioned, they come from my background – sexual orientation, transgender – I feel comfortable working with that community.”

One of his early cases was defending a Latino professor who challenged term discrimination at her school. He also filed a lawsuit against the Westminster Police Department on behalf of three Latino police officers who said they were treated unfairly based on their racial racially.

“I think we can signal Westminster to make some changes to the department,” Baragan said.

He is part of a team that successfully sued the Baldwin Park Police Department for violating the Trust Act, a 2013 state law that prohibits police and sheriff’s officials from detaining people who may be deported unless they are charged with a serious crime.

Baragan said he was proud to overcome early obstacles and entered the legal world “where it might have meant to me.” He served as a federal attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Central California and joined in 2017.

“To be able to enter the court and say ‘For Matthew Barragan of the United States of America’ is a big moment for me, it’s the gravity of my representative and my family, whose father immigrated from Mexico and whose family worked in the fields.”

He has dealt with civil rights cases, including involving the San Luis Obispo County Jail System because of its issues related to the use of force and suicide prevention.

At the time, Barragan impressed his boss, former American Atty. E. Martin Estrada praised his handling of the case, where “you need to do a lot of investigation and dig out the problem and persevere.”

“He is a great lawyer, but at the same time, a true leader and someone who cares closely about the community,” Estrada said.

Estrada said Baragan also played an active role in the office’s community outreach efforts, including “Unified Against Hate,” which educates people on how to report hate crimes.

In the LAPD circle, the overall position of the ombudsman is seen as a difficult task, requiring proficiency in politics and institutions to achieve results in departments that have long resisted external oversight. The office is often called the eyes and ears of the police commission.

Some past inspector generals faced charges of being too aggressive or too comfortable under department leadership. The office has conducted an extensive review of LAPD's programs and practices, reviewing high-profile discipline systems and on-site training programs for new officials, although there have been fewer reports in recent years.

Late last month, within an hour of his first police commission meeting, long-term department observers rose during public comments, bluntly asking Barragan to audit LAPD's “If You See Something, Say Something” program, which encourages residents to report suspicious terrorist activities.

Police officials said the campaign has helped ensure the city’s safety, but it has attracted the attention of civil liberals and Muslim groups. Citizens concerned hope that the department’s new watchdog knows that the department has stopped publishing statistics about the program.

“Balagan, you will have to work hard to do this,” the speaker said.

Supporters of Baragan said he has been fighting for the interests of marginalized communities.

Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel for the Mexican-American Foundation for Legal Defense and Education, said his former employees are well suited to deal with future battles.

“It is very important that people like him know (immigration rights) and why they must be defended and protected in today's national context,” Saenz said.