By Brian Hews
The campaign for Los Angeles Sheriff took a dramatic turn on Wednesday when former commander Bob Olmsted, 62, announced that he will be a challenger against Sheriff Lee Baca in 2014.
Hews Media Group-Community News was alerted that Olmsted would indeed be challenging Baca via campaign advisor John Thomas.
“Sheriff Lee Baca’s mismanagement is to blame for numerous corruption scandals and federal investigations. Change has to come from the top,” Olmsted told HMG-CN.
“Bob Olmsted is a proven reformer. As a commander, he was unafraid to call attention to the corruption in the men’s central jail system. After his retirement, he was willing to talk openly about the widespread dysfunction and corruption that has resulted in multiple federal investigations and a long string of departmental scandals,” Thomas said in a statement.
“Now Olmsted wants to take his over 32 years of experience as a highly-regarded supervisor, as a teacher of criminal justice and, most importantly, as a law officer with the courage to stand up for what’s right, and use it to bring back honor and good policing to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s department,” the statement continued.
“On Wednesday the Olmsted campaign launched a web video highlighting Lee Baca’s record of mismanagement and corruption while introducing Olmsted to members of the media and public,” Thomas said.
Above is a copy of the video.