Free Republic

LOS ANGELES - The county Sheriff's Department is in the process of distributing new identification cards to 5,000 volunteers after the head of a "Homeland Security Support Unit" created and distributed unauthorized ID cards bearing Sheriff Leroy Baca's signature. Media reports about the actions of Gary Nalbandian, a reserve deputy who issued the laminated cards to members of the group, prompted a county investigation. As a result, county supervisors on Tuesday directed a revision of the County Badge Ordinance, which includes policies for identification cards. The Homeland Security Support Unit, according to a county report discussed Tuesday, is designed to...

On paper, Gary Nalbandian would appear to be an influential figure in Southern California law enforcement. He has served as director of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homeland Security Support Unit, the Riverside County Sheriff's Executive Council and the Bureau of Justice for the San Bernardino County district attorney's office. But Nalbandian is not a professional cop. The only paid law enforcement position he has held is as a volunteer reserve deputy with the Los Angeles County sheriff — salary, $1 a year. His real job is running a tire store in Glendora. He is, however, a major political fundraiser...