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 The settlement follows a scathing report on Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Office abuses cited by the Justice Department in 2013,
capping a two-year probe of policing practices in the Antelope
Valley, an area of Mojave Desert communities north of Los Angeles.
The report concluded that county sheriff's deputies, along with
authorities in the towns of Lancaster and Palmdale, routinely
targeted blacks and Hispanics in a "pattern and practice" of
unlawful traffic stops, raids and excessive force.
In particular, the report accused the sheriff and county housing
agency investigators of waging a discriminatory campaign of surprise
inspections and other actions against African-Americans living in
federally funded Section 8 affordable-housing units in the area.
 As part of the agreement, the county must pay $25,000 in penalties
plus up to $700,000 in restitution to people who can prove they were
targeted, Supervisor Michael Antonovich said in a statement.
Claimants may receive up to $20,000 each.
Some county and city officials defended their conduct at the time,
denying they engaged in discrimination and asserting that Section 8
compliance checks were necessary to ensure residents were abiding by
the terms of the public assistance program.
But high-ranking Justice Department officials said their probe had
substantiated allegations of bias and abuse, and the county
ultimately agreed to negotiate a settlement with the federal
government.
The agreement was approved by the Board of Supervisors by a vote of
4-1.
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Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said in a statement the
settlement called for 150 requirements that would implement
"constitutional policing and robust training models" along with a
measurement system to track progress.
"I welcome the watchful eye of our community to ensure that we meet
those standards," he said. Officer training on racial profiling and
Section 8 housing compliance had already begun, he said.
The Justice Department said in a statement the agreement does not
resolve its claims against the Housing Authority of Los Angeles
County or the cities of Palmdale or Lancaster.
"This agreement puts in place a structure that will foster lawful,
bias-free policing in the Antelope Valley," Vanita Gupta, who leads
the department's Civil Rights Division, said in a statement.
(Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Steve Gorman, Alison
Williams, Crispian Balmer)
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