In what seems like a very bad development for Los Angeles County, which already has more than its fair share of crime to deal with, CBS News is reporting that the county’s Sheriff’s Department is infested with gang members. The secretive groups operate under the covers, getting gang tattoos and engaging in damaging behavior. The multiple gangs of deputies have colorful names such as the Banditos and Executioners. Now the office of the County Inspector General has sent out letters to most of the field offices seeking information to help them root out all of the members.

The Los Angeles County Office of Inspector General is expected to start questioning deputies who may have information on the possible gangs operating within the sheriff’s department.

“The Office of Inspector General is investigating law enforcement gang participation and police misconduct at the Sheriff’s Department pursuant to Penal Code section 13670(b),” Inspector General Max Huntsman wrote.

In the letter, which was dated May 12, the IG said that the sheriff’s department possessed evidence that the two gangs were “exclusive, secretive” and the department could not provide them with a list detailing the membership of each group. This shortcoming prompted the office to conduct “witness interviews” to determine how many deputies are in the Banditos and Executioners.

This story was a bit confusing at first (at least to me) because it initially sounded as if there were members of the street gangs who had somehow been admitted to the police academy, or perhaps formerly law-abiding deputies who had gone out and joined MS-13 or the Latin Kings. But reading the full story, you learn that these are apparently legitimate Sheriff’s Deputies who have gotten together to form their own new gangs.

But is it really illegal for deputies to get together, pick a name for their “club” and get matching tattoos if they are still doing their jobs? Probably not, but it was questionable job performance that put the IG on their trail to begin with. The gang members are reportedly accused of excessive force on a regular basis, both out on the streets and inside the jails. Claims and lawsuits from victims of excessive force add up to tens of millions of dollars that the city has to pay out annually.

The gangs are also aggressive inside the Sheriff’s Department. In a separate report, CBS Los Angeles learned that there are some patrol stations that are effectively run by the gangs rather than the sergeants, lieutenants, and captains who are ostensibly in charge.

A just-released report by the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission found that deputy gangs or cliques are active in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and many of the county’s patrol stations are “run” by these deputy gangs.

While not addressing the report directly, Sheriff Robert Luna said Friday he was elected to “bring new leadership and accountability” to the department and has created an office for “constitutional policing,” led by former U.S. Attorney Eileen Decker.

This report also reveals that there are more deputies gangs than just the two listed above. Others include the Regulators, the Spartans, the Gladiators, the Cowboys and the Reapers. (Simply charming, isn’t it?)

I suppose this situation isn’t nearly as bad as having deputies signing up with MS-13 and fighting gang wars in their spare time. But it’s still fairly disturbing. Our law enforcement officers are supposed to be battling the gangs, not emulating them. And if they are willing to engage in (and even brag about in some cases) excessive force, what else might they be willing to do? There should clearly be a concern that they might be cutting deals with the street gangs and helping them evade justice.

That’s apparently what the IG’s office is seeking to find out. It’s bad news either way. If the county winds up needing to clean house, they would end up losing a lot of officers when they are already shorthanded and having trouble recruiting qualified personnel. Of course, that was one of the key storylines in the HBO series, The Wire. If the police spend too much time out among the criminals, at some point it starts getting difficult to tell them apart.