DUTTON: The sheriff's department was recently criticized for what appeared to be a confusing and out-of-control shooting in Compton. The department was accused of racial insensitivity, that such event could not have occurred in Beverly Hills or Bel-Air. What is your response to such allegations? And what was your approach in dealing with this crisis? And has it affected your policy?

BACA: Thirty days ago, the deputies were involved in a pursuit of an individual who was believed to have been involved in a drive-by shooting, which that proved to be erroneous. The deputies pursued the individual for about 12 minutes and then, upon stopping that person, approached their vehicle – the person’s vehicle. The person put the vehicle in reverse. The tires screeched and was backing into three deputies who were behind the vehicle. That started a series of events of firing weapons that ten deputies ultimately did do. They fired 120 shots, and it was broadcast nationally and it was, quite frankly, excessive. So quickly, the question is: How much damage did we do? How much impact did it have in the neighborhood? And what were we going to do about it?

First thing that I needed to do is to listen to what the problem truly is, find out where the shots went, who shot them, start investigation. So we did. We immediately began internal affairs investigation. We have a system in Los Angeles County where the Office of Independent Review is a separate body of civil rights attorneys that look at the investigation from start to finish and engage in recommendations regarding corrective action, whether it’s discipline or training, either one. We did town hall meetings with the local officials, the mayor and the city council. Mayor Perridin ?? was very strong in his leadership. We went to churches, the park nearby where the shooting occurred. We listened to the neighbors talk about their frustrations and their anger and their fear. We went to every door in the neighborhood itself and knocked on those doors, gave claim forms to every citizen that had bullet holes either in the walls or in their fences, windows and the like, and there was a total of 17 rounds that hit structures of various places. And we brought psychologists into the community to help the community that was traumatized in any way. And then said clearly this: We can do better. We can change our policy regarding shootings at vehicles. We did. Today, 30 days later, I announced what the policy is. We changed our policy regarding approaching vehicles where the suspect, after stopping, refuses to get out of the car. We’re going to have our special weapons teams come in and not have patrol deputies with pistols try and take on a car. You can’t do it. We changed our shooting policy so that you don’t shoot at moving vehicles thinking you can stop them. It’s dangerous. It’s not practical. So this has been a long 30-day journey, but finished the internal affairs investigation, changed the policies for pursuits, for shooting at vehicles, put forth the tactical requirement that things be done tactically and don’t rush into danger, and beefed up our training. And finally, disciplined 13 people involved, from written reprimands to 15 days suspensions. All in 30 days. That’s what we’re noted for. Admit you committed a problem, admit you made a problem – which I did and the deputies did as well – correct the problem through training and corrective action discipline, and then go out there and do your best never to do it again. And finally, institute a stronger community-based policing program in the neighborhoods that you traumatized. So this Saturday we’re going door to door and asking the neighbors what would they like us to do to make their neighborhood safer.

DUTTON: The term “contagious fire,” by the sound of it alone sounds as if it’s a reaction. Was it fear, do you think, on the part of the deputies, that there was some anticipation of fear?

BACA: Well, fear as a rationale for shooting your gun is always one of the primary reasons why you will. Fear for the life of another or fear for your own. I think what happened in the particular case where 120 shots were fired at a car with a suspect who we later discovered was unarmed is a reaction that happens so quickly that it’s both a combination of reaction to someone else’s fear, your own fear – even though you may not be possibly hit by this car, you think someone else will be. So there’s a whole convergence in an intense 15 seconds that causes what we eventually witnessed.

DUTTON: What do you think is going to be the liability for this incident? Do you have any assessment or any idea?

BACA: Well, yes. The incident itself, interestingly enough, the suspect was shot four times – not fatally and not seriously, and thus, his particular medical needs have been met and he’s out of the hospital. A deputy was shot in the vest. God bless the fact that that is only what happened because had that round gone a little higher, we may not have a live deputy. We, unfortunately, exposed the public to a lot of gunfire, which thank goodness no one was hurt from the public end. The suspect himself was leading the deputies in this chase and having fun in doing so. He would – where the shooting occurred, come to a stop and others were seeing him in the front yard and cheering him, and then he’d take off again. And so he was kind of leading a parade. He certainly has a responsibility in some of this – I’m not saying all of it – but a lot of it was because of him and his erratic behavior and using his vehicle in a very careless way that could harm others. So in the end, there is no lawsuit right at the moment that anyone has filed, but a lot of that is because I went back to the neighborhood and spoke to the community, listened to their concerns, went to four community meetings, and did not get defensive, and basically believe that they are entitled to be outraged, entitled to be angry, entitled to be fearful of what went on, because they get exposed to too many drive-by shootings by criminals, and the last thing they want to have is a big shooting by their own deputies who they respect and admire.

DUTTON: The individual who caused this whole event, would he have any liability?

BACA: Well, the individual suspects never have liability in the sense of civil lawsuits. I mean, basically they don’t have anything to take if you sue them, and governments don’t tend to sue people who commit crimes, and generally victims don’t even sue the criminals when they commit crimes against them. This is the sad part of the system, that the minute anything is done wrong, the police and the government can have a deep pocket, but the individuals who kill other individuals, the individuals who hurt and rape people and cause such misery to others, they rarely are held accountable beyond just the criminal sentences that they serve.