New LA sheriff vows accountability, integrity for department

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County, the nation’s most populous, is getting a new sheriff. Robert Luna took a ceremonial oath of office Saturday to head the county Sheriff’s Department. He promised to focus on integrity and collaboration. Luna takes charge after the turbulent single term of Alex Villanueva, which was marked by clashes with members of the county Board of Supervisors and criticism that he downplayed allegations of ganglike groups of deputies running amok within the agency. Luna was elected last month. His term officially begins Monday. With nearly 10,000 sworn deputies, LA’s is the largest sheriff’s department in the country. The county is home to about 10 million people.