Los Angeles County leaders are turning up the pressure on the sheriff’s department after a deadly start to the year inside local lockups. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved a motion that orders more naloxone on jail floors, tighter monitoring of cameras and more rigorous safety checks as in-custody deaths continue to climb.
The measure, authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn, passed with four votes in favor and one abstention. It is aimed at speeding up changes at Men’s Central Jail and other county facilities after county officials reported that roughly 10 people have died in the jails in the first two months of 2026, a number that has rattled advocates and supervisors alike.
Under the motion, county departments have 120 days to roll out a slate of changes and must report back on their progress on a set timeline. The motion directs the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and Correctional Health Services to increase access to naloxone throughout housing units, make sure CCTV cameras and scanners are working and actively monitored, inventory and inspect AEDs, and update Title 15 safety-check procedures and logging practices. It also instructs the Auditor-Controller and Office of Inspector General to audit compliance and publish monthly mortality metrics so the public can track what happens next.
Sheriff Robert Luna did not sugarcoat the situation, saying 2026 "was not off to a good start" and pointing to an older, sicker population coming into the jails as well as a need for better screening. In an interview with ABC7, Luna said the department is piloting wristbands that monitor vital signs, is rolling out body-worn cameras in custody and is expanding medical screening at the Inmate Reception Center. County reporting shows about 10 deaths in the first two months of 2026 and 46 in 2025, up from 32 in 2024, according to the Los Angeles Times.
What supervisors want the sheriff to do
The new directive calls for tighter intake searches for narcotics, wider use of scanners and more random safety checks so people inside cannot predict when deputies will come by. It also requires improved training and staffing plans, including the possible use of custody assistants to help with safety checks. The motion asks for an electronic movement and appointment system designed to catch medical conflicts and cut down on delays that can put people at risk.
Board documents lean heavily on accountability. If cameras are found to be inoperable or if footage goes missing, the board motion says those incidents must be thoroughly investigated and followed by corrective action, rather than quietly written off as glitches.
State lawsuit and outside oversight
The timing of the board’s push is no coincidence. Los Angeles County is already facing a state lawsuit that alleges "inhumane" jail conditions, including infestations, broken plumbing and delays in medical care that the attorney general says have contributed to a high rate of preventable deaths. Attorney General Rob Bonta filed the complaint in September 2025, seeking court-ordered reforms.
His office’s investigation found systemic problems that go beyond day-to-day decisions inside the jails, according to CalMatters. In response, the board’s motion specifically instructs oversight agencies to track corrective actions and measure whether they actually bring down fatalities, not just look good on paper.
What’s next
Supervisors have set explicit reporting deadlines and demanded cost estimates and staffing plans to show how the changes will be carried out. The stated goal is to produce visible improvements within months instead of years, a tall order in a system this large but one the board now says is non-negotiable.
Public callers at the meeting urged supervisors to accelerate the long-delayed closure of Men’s Central Jail, a political and legal flashpoint for years. Supervisor Kathryn Barger abstained on the vote, arguing that the county needs a modern replacement facility focused on treatment, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
County agencies now face a test of follow-through. The motion requires written progress reports, formal audits and a 90-day independent review by the Auditor-Controller, with the Office of Inspector General tasked with monitoring monthly mortality indicators. For families and advocates who have pushed for reform for years, the next round of reports will reveal whether this board action marks the start of real change or ends up as yet another set of promises filed away.
