November 22, 2018 

By FRED SHUSTER 

City News Service 

A former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy was sentenced today to 17 years and six months in prison for his role in a scheme to oversee the delivery of narcotics and other contraband in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars in cash.

Kenneth Collins was arrested by FBI agents Jan. 16, along with two others, after they arrived in Pasadena to provide a “security” escort for the transport of nearly 45 pounds of cocaine and more than 13 pounds of methamphetamine to Las Vegas.

Collins, 51, pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana. Prosecutors agreed not to recommend more than about 20 years in prison in exchange for Collins’ guilty plea, court papers show.

During the FBI’s undercover investigation, Collins agreed that he and his team would accompany the narcotics and take steps to prevent legitimate law enforcement from intercepting the drugs — in exchange for payments as high as $250,000, prosecutors said.

Collins and two co-defendants — both of whom have also pleaded guilty in the case — provided security in November for the transport of what they thought was 13 pounds of methamphetamine, as well as marijuana and counterfeit cigarettes, according to the indictment.

In justifying the high fees for his services, Collins, a 15-year veteran of the sheriff's department, told an undercover FBI agent “we’re cops” and “all of our transports make it through,” according to the indictment.

After Collins' arrest, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department issued a statement noting that it brought the allegations of criminal misconduct against Collins to the attention of federal investigators several months earlier, and since then, had “been directly cooperating” with the Department of Justice and the FBI “during all aspects of the investigation.” He was placed on administrative leave, according to the sheriff’s department.

Collins was most recently assigned to the County Services Bureau.

Prosecutors said the FBI began investigating Collins in relation to a scheme to accept cash payments in exchange for providing security for illegal marijuana grow facilities, as well as assisting in the distribution of controlled substances.

An undercover FBI agent “who was posing as a family member of a wealthy investor looking to finance an illegal marijuana grow house” first met with Collins more than a year ago, according to court documents. 

November 22, 2018 

City News Service 

With hundreds of illegal cannabis shops operating in Los Angeles, a City Council committee made a move today toward getting the different agencies responsible for cracking down on them more organized and better funded.

The Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee approved a report which recommended that the city establish an information- sharing platform for reporting any complaints about illegal cannabis businesses.

The joint report from the Office of the Chief Legislative Analyst and the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer noted that the Department of Cannabis Regulation currently maintains a cannabis complaint portal, but that the Los Angeles Police Department, the Office of the City Attorney and other departments may receive complaints that are not shared in that system.

“This results in cannabis-related complaints being handled in a piecemeal fashion,” the report said. “A common complaint platform would allow all city departments and offices to upload complaints to be sorted through by DCR, which could then ensure that complaints related to unlicensed businesses are flagged.”

The committee also voted to have the CLA and CAO to report on illegal cannabis enforcement budget needs, and for DCR, with the assistance of the city attorney, to report on creating a program to send cease and desist or warning letters to businesses suspected of engaging in illegal cannabis activity.

The CLA/CAO report, which was issued on Nov. 9, also said that according to the LAPD, this year the department has executed 143 search warrants against locations used in illegal cannabis activity. There have been 435 arrests for illegal cannabis activity within the city, 185 of which were felony arrests, and the LAPD has recovered 67 firearms, seized $604,899 and approximately 34,852 pounds of cannabis, the report said.

There currently are 169 cannabis-related business currently operating legally in the city, according to the DCR, but LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in September that there are hundreds believed to be operating illegally. 

November 15, 2018

By Cora Jackson-Fossett 

Staff Writer 

African Americans were victims of 50 percent of hate crimes in Los Angeles County in 2017 with anti-Black assaults rising by 15 percent over 2016, from 112 to 129.

The troubling statistics were revealed in the annual Hate Crimes Report issued by the L.A. County Human Relations Commission. The data was compiled from information collected from the law enforcement agencies in the county as well as some colleges, school districts, community-based organizations and victims.

A total of 503 hate crimes were reported in 2017, a 5 percent increase over the 482 incidents tallied in 2016.  In fact, hate crimes in the county have grown by 32 percent since 2013.

Blacks were attacked at a rate far exceeding their 9 percent population in the county in regards to racial, homophobic and anti-transgender crimes.  Also, Blacks have consistently been the most targeted group over the past 10 years, according to the report.

“We are truly alarmed at the continued over-representation of African Americans in racial hate crimes and the extremely high rates of violence directed against gay men, lesbians and transgender victims,” said Commission president, Jarret Barrios. 

Several summaries of actual hate crimes against Africans Americans were cited in the report.  They ranged from a Black male discovering his home burglarized with swastika graffiti on the walls to a Black teen approached by two Latinos in Lakewood, who hollered, “F*** n*****s! Get him!” While running away, the victim heard gunshots, but wasn’t hit.

Another incident, which occurred in May 2017, mentioned a Black school employee locking the parking lot gate when a young Latino male brandished a gun and shouted “Get out of here before something happens to you, n*****!” The employee drove away in his car.

Reviewing the ethnicity of victims and suspects, the report noted that the aggressors in crimes against African Americans were committed by Latino/as in 49 percent of the incidents and by Whites in 43 percent. Conversely, Blacks targeted Latino/as in 50 percent of the confrontations followed by Whites in 44 percent.

As for anti-Asian hate crimes, Whites were the perpetrators in 42 percent of incidents, Blacks in 33 percent and Latinos in 17 percent.

Other significant findings detailed in the report include:

• Hate crimes against Latinos: crimes increased 16 percent, from 62 to 72 with suspects using anti-immigrant slurs in 40% of the cases.

• Anti-LGBTQ attacks fell 2 percent, but comprised 21 percent of all hate crimes.

• Religious crimes numbered 101 with 72 percent described as anti-Jewish.

• The rate of violence declined from 61 percent to 56 percent, but aggravated assaults rose 47 percent.

• Nine hate crimes were reported where suspects referenced President Donald Trump’s name.

• Hate crimes occurred throughout Los Angeles County, but the largest number took place in the San Fernando Valley, followed by the Metro region that stretches from West Hollywood to Boyle Heights.  The highest rate of hate crimes occurred in the Metro region, followed by the western part of the county that includes a number of affluent beach cities.  

“Putting an end to hate crimes is a top priority for the county of Los Angeles,” said board of cupervisors chair, Sheila Kuehl.  “We live in one of the most culturally diverse places in the world with more than 200 languages and cultures enriching the region. Hate violence, white nationalism, misogyny, and all forms of intolerance are not welcome here.”

To view the complete report, visit wdacs.lacounty.gov or lahumanrelations.org.