There is a long-standing urban legend in Los Angeles County.

The Sheriff's Department is the biggest gang on the streets.

They've got matching tattoos, they steal from people, brutally beat them, even kill them.

This is a tradition of violence, a podcast investigating the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's deputy gangs.

Is there a culture of violence inside the Sheriff's Department?

Well, these guys are violent. I mean, they'll kill you.

There's a deep cancer that's seeped into the department.

It's going to really be hard to get rid of.

These gangs have badges, unlimited resources paid for by you, the taxpayer.

My name is Cerise Castle, and I'm a local LA reporter.

I grew up here, and I've been curious about deputy gangs ever since I learned about them as a kid.

Over the past two years, I've continued to search for the truth behind these

gangs. A few journalists before me uncovered stories confirming that these gangs existed,

despite what the sheriff says. While I was covering a protest in response to George Floyd's

death, I was shot by a police officer with a rubber bullet. I was pretty badly hurt,

and my doctors told me to stay on the couch for the next few months. But I didn't feel right

just sitting still. So I decided to use the time to finally investigate, and what I found

deeply disturbed me. Over the past two years,

I've uncovered 20 different deputy gangs

inside of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

They're all over,

from the deputy level,

...