The Civilian Oversight Commission has expressed concerns regarding a previously undisclosed deputy subgroup within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Norwalk station. A memo obtained by The Times reveals that the group utilizes a logo featuring Nazi-like imagery, raising questions about its association with white supremacist connotations. The unnamed subgroup, which has been confirmed by five department sources, employs a symbol consisting of a skull with blood-red eyes pierced by a jagged lightning bolt.
The memo, authored by longtime commission member Sean Kennedy, describes the group as “currently active” and notes its occasional conflicts with a pre-existing Norwalk subgroup identified by a Wile E. Coyote logo. Sources within the department, who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation, suggest that the newer subgroup has been in existence since at least the 1990s and operates under the leadership of a “shot caller,” similar to a prison gang structure.
Kennedy’s memo dismisses claims that the skull logo represents a mere “station tattoo,” emphasizing that its imagery bears little resemblance to the official Norwalk station logo. He writes, “The logo of a skull with blood-red eye sockets and lightning bolts does not inspire confidence that the subgroup values de-escalation and constitutional policing.” The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, in response to the commission’s inquiry, stated that it was previously unaware of any alleged subgroups at the Norwalk station and confirmed an ongoing investigation into the matter.
The commission’s investigation into the subgroup was initiated following an incident involving a Norwalk deputy who was captured on camera assaulting a transgender man in a 7-Eleven parking lot last year. The victim, Emmett Brock, was later declared innocent by a judge after prosecutors dropped the case. Kennedy’s memo reveals that his interest in the incident led him to discover the existence of the subgroup within the Norwalk station.
While the exact nature of the subgroup’s activities and any potential misconduct remain unclear, Kennedy’s memo raises concerns about the implications of its logo. He highlights the historical association of lightning bolts with white power groups, including Nazi organizations such as the Schutzstaffel (SS) and the Hitler Youth, as well as contemporary neo-Nazi groups. Similar symbols have previously sparked controversy, such as a patch used by the Arizona corrections department that bore resemblance to prison gang imagery.
This revelation is not the first time that a deputy subgroup within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has been linked to white supremacist groups or their imagery. In the past, federal judges have described groups like the Lynwood Vikings as “neo-Nazi, white supremacist gangs” employing “terrorist-type tactics” to violate civil rights. The Executioners, a subgroup based in the Compton Station, have also been associated with a logo featuring a gun-toting skeleton wearing a Nazi-style helmet.
Commission members Sean Kennedy and Hans Johnson express concerns about how a tattooed subgroup within the Norwalk station may have influenced the station’s culture and contributed to incidents of violence, such as the assault on Emmett Brock.