Probe launched into Los Angeles sheriff stops of Latinos

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles County inspector general is investigating whether county sheriff’s deputies racially profiled drivers when they stopped thousands of innocent Latinos in search of drugs on a major freeway.

The Los Angeles Times reports Monday that the investigation was launched following the newspaper’s report that 70 percent of drivers stopped between 2012 and 2017 as part of an enforcement operation were Latino.

The newspaper also reported that two-thirds of the Latinos had their cars searched, a rate far higher than other racial groups.

Saying the report “warrants a deeper investigation,” county Supervisor Hilda Solis asked the inspector general and a civilian oversight commission to review of the department’s Domestic Highway Enforcement Team.

Sheriff Jim McDonnell says he’s proud of the team and takes questions about its procedures “very seriously.”

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Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/