Last Thursday, Orange County Undersheriff John Scott was officially sworn in as interim Los Angeles County sheriff, following Sheriff Leroy Baca’s retirement. I would like to thank Sheriff Baca for his 48 years of public service and his commitment to keeping the communities and citizens of Los Angeles County safe. Right to the end, he was steadfast in his commitment to the department. I wish his family and him all the best in his retirement.
I am very pleased to welcome John Scott as our interim sheriff.
Sheriff Scott has over 40 years of experience in law enforcement and began his career with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in 1969. As a deputy, he patrolled the Lakewood Station area. In 1974, he was promoted to sergeant and held assignments at Firestone Station, the Special Enforcement Bureau and the Emergency Operations Bureau.
Following his promotion to the rank of lieutenant in 1984, Sheriff Scott took assignments at Men’s Central Jail, Carson Station, Field Operations Region II Headquarters, the Office of Emergency Management, Employee Relations, and was the executive aide to the assistant sheriff. In 1995, he took command of Carson Station following his promotion to captain. In June 2001, he held the rank of acting commander, leading the Custody Operations Division, North Facilities.
Since joining Orange County, Sheriff Scott has been instrumental in turning around a department that faced similar conditions to those we face today in Los Angeles County.
The Sheriff’s Department is at a crossroads, and Sheriff Scott has the necessary experience and skills to step in right away and lead in the interim.
I look forward to working with Sheriff Scott to aggressively implement the recommendations of the Citizens’ Commission on Jail Violence, while overseeing the thousands of men and women of our Sheriff’s department who put their lives on the line every day to keep our streets safe.
We have a lot of work to do, and I look forward to our new sheriff jumping right in and being focused on reform over the next 10 months before a newly elected sheriff takes over the department.
Don Knabe
L.A. County Fourth District Supervisor
