The U.S. Department of Justice has ordered the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and others to pay $12.5 million to Antelope Valley residents it says were victims of harassment and intimidation by deputies.
The demand follows Friday's announcement that a two-year probe uncovered widespread unlawful detentions and searches of blacks, Latinos, and other residents of subsidized housing.
The money would go to residents of Section 8 housing whose Fourth Amendment rights were violated when deputies inspected their homes to ensure they were complying with requirements.
The funds would be paid by the sheriff's department, the county housing authority and the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale. Sheriff Lee Baca's spokesman told the Los Angeles Times the department adamantly disagreed with the DOJ findings.
