L.A. County fights release of deputy photos

Testing state's open-records law, Sheriff's Department warns of facial-recognition misuse in a dispute mirroring LAPD's — a battle that could set rules for releasing officer images

- BY CONNOR SHEETS

A JOURNALIST is seeking headshots the Sheriff's Department won't release.

Los Angeles County is attempting to block a journalist from obtaining the photographs of about 8,500 deputies and other sworn personnel employed by the Sheriff's Department.

The legal dispute centers on a public records request filed in April 2023 by journalist Cerise Castle. Castle asked county officials to release the names and official headshots of all deputies not working undercover, then sued last summer after her request was denied, alleging a violation of California's open-records law.

Castle has argued that releasing the images would boost transparency and improve the public's knowledge of law enforcement activity.

The department released the deputy names to Castle but has maintained in court filings that the images are not public records and that they "do not substantially relate to the conduct of the public's business."

L.A. County Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant rejected the county's position, writing in a July decision that its lawyers are "confusing the public's general lack of access ... with whether official photographs are a public record."

The county has also claimed that deputies' personal privacy, "personal safety and effectiveness in their roles" could be harmed by the release of the images.