Sheriff Warns Deputies About Activist’s ‘Stings’

Sheriff Sherman Block has warned Los Angeles County deputies to beware of a former Hawthorne police officer whose videotaped “stings” of officers have angered law enforcement agencies.

Block, in a memorandum to sheriff patrols, alerted deputies about any “contact with Don Jackson” after the activist attempted to conduct a sting operation last Friday against sheriff’s deputies in the Lennox area.

Jackson, 31, who says police often use excessive force against minorities, confirmed Wednesday that he and a passenger armed with a videotape camera drove through that area in the early morning to see if deputies would stop them without cause.

Instead, Jackson said he was stopped that night by California Highway Patrol officers who accused him of weaving across the double-yellow line. Jackson said he was stopped illegally--a claim that a CHP spokesman later disputed. Jackson was given a field sobriety test before being released.

That incident prompted Block’s memorandum warning deputies of Jackson’s activities.

Jackson said he intends to continue his efforts to “send a message to law enforcement that these illegal stops will not be tolerated.”

Jackson gained national attention last January when an NBC television news crew surreptitiously photographed a white Long Beach policeman as he appeared to slam Jackson’s head through a shop window after a traffic stop.