Leroy David Baca (born May 27, 1942) is a former American law enforcement officer and convicted felon who served as the 30th Sheriff of Los Angeles County, California from 1998 to 2014.

He was criticized for proposing a half-percent sales tax increase in 2004 to hire more deputy sheriffs, placing friends on the payroll, taking of gifts, and for releasing inmates from the Los Angeles County Jail.

[1] On May 12, 2017, Baca was sentenced to three years in federal prison for his role in a scheme to obstruct an FBI investigation of abuses in county jails.

[5] In 1960, Baca graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School, located in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

[7] On January 7, 2014, Baca resigned facing a tough re-election campaign, amid a prison-abuse scandal that eventually led to his conviction three years later.

The policy was also applauded by then Redondo Beach City Attorney Michael W. Webb, who said, "Defendants will no longer be able to routinely turn down offers that involve alternative sentences such as Cal Trans or other forms of community service.

Some members of the Sheriff's Department said they were worried that the program would be abused, particularly by those seeking a backdoor way of securing a concealed weapons permit in Los Angeles County.

[12] Within a month of Baca swearing in his first new celebrity reserve deputies, one of his recruits, Scott Zacky, had been suspended and relieved of duty for brandishing a firearm in a confrontation outside his Bel-Air home.

[13] On July 28, 2006, actor Mel Gibson was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) while speeding in his vehicle with an open container of alcohol.

[19] Upon questioning by The Los Angeles Times about charges of celebrity favoritism, Baca denied that his department tried to cover up Gibson's behavior.

[21] On June 3, 2007, celebrity Paris Hilton surrendered herself to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to serve a 45-day sentence as ordered by Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer.

She was allowed to return home, and her sentence was converted to 40 days of house arrest amid rumors of a medical condition, which later emerged to be psychological.

[24] Though the judge chose not to pursue any action against Baca, he did reverse the decision and returned Hilton to jail while reaffirming the original sentence length.

[27] During Baca's time in office, he publicly endorsed and supported Narconon, a drug rehabilitation organization owned and operated by the Church of Scientology.

[28] On a number of occasions, Baca allowed his name and image to be used in advertising and promotional materials for the Los Angeles-based orgs of the Church of Scientology.

[29] In the days after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Baca, as head of the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, led a series of interfaith meetings between Jews, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs and others whom he had handpicked to attend.

The next took place on September 20, in which California Governor Gray Davis, County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and 70 others of a variety of religious beliefs participated.

On October 14 another meeting took place at the Islamic Center in Northridge, which hosted the Kol Tkvah synagogue of Rabbi Steven Jocobs.

This led to a monthlong scheme to obstruct the investigation, which included members of the conspiracy concealing the informant from the FBI, the United States Marshals Service and the grand jury.

Members of the conspiracy also engaged in witness tampering and harassing the FBI agent.After Baca's February plea, California Attorney General Kamala Harris decided to reopen and investigate another inmate abuse case involving Mitrice Richardson.

She was a young Black woman released in the middle of the night without any means of returning home safely, and was found months later deceased not far from Malibu Sheriff station.

[44] He was due to report to jail on July 25, 2017, to begin carrying out his three-year sentence,[44] but a stay was granted the day prior pending an appeal.

[50] On February 5, Baca began serving a three-year prison sentence at Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna, Texas.

[57] Baca was honored by the Southern California Public Affairs Council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2013 for his inclusive service to the Los Angeles community.