LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to pass two motions (Item 52-A and Item 52-B) spearheaded by Supervisor Hilda L. Solis in response to the Office of Inspector General’s quarterly report on the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

In the Office of Inspector General’s most recent quarterly report, “Reform and Oversight Efforts: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department—January to March 2023,” acknowledged a troubling issue that Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s patrol deputies did not routinely carry nor were they mandated to carry Narcan, a well-known medication that can block the effects of opioids and revive a person experiencing an opioid-related overdose.

“At a time in which illicit drug use is, unfortunately, rampant and with drug overdoses ever increasing in Los Angeles County, to not readily have Narcan readily and adequately accessible appears to be antithetical to the role and responsibility of a first responder,” said Supervisor Solis. “It is incumbent that the Sheriff’s Department takes the necessary steps to make certain that Narcan is readily available and accessible to all staff, including mandating the carry of Narcan.”

Additionally, the report highlighted the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s reprehensible practice of not providing thermal undergarments to people in custody despite complaints of freezing temperatures in Los Angeles County jails.

“While people in custody are in the care of the Sheriff’s Department, it is incumbent that they are treated humanely and that includes ensuring that they have access and are provided clothing appropriate to temperature and that facilities maintain appropriate temperatures,” added Supervisor Solis.

“The Office of Inspector General greatly appreciates the Board’s support for our recommendations regarding thermal underwear and Narcan. Both motions have the potential to save lives,” said Max Huntsman, Los Angeles County Inspector General.

The motions, which were approved today in a 5-0 vote, move forward with mandating the carry of Narcan by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department patrol deputies and also request the agency to provide all people in custody who request a thermal undergarment, with a thermal top and bottom.

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