Award to Head of Troubled Agency Sparks Controversy

In a decision that has sparked controversy, the head of Los Angeles County’s troubled child support program has been named that agency’s prosecutor of the year by the Los Angeles County Assn. of Deputy District Attorneys.

The selection of Wayne Doss by the association’s 20-member executive board has angered some prosecutors not only because he is in top management, but because his Bureau of Family Support has been roundly criticized as the worst in California and perhaps the nation.

“Personally, I think it is an outrage,” said veteran Deputy Dist. Atty. Sterling Norris, himself a former criminal prosecutor of the year. “Here we are the worst office in probably the history of child support in the country and he is the man in charge of it.”

Doss, who has headed the child support program since 1991, said he was honored to receive the award and declined to address any controversy over his selection.

“I can’t second-guess the motivations of any of the people who gave the award,” Doss said. “But I am very pleased that despite all the hoopla that has taken place in the last several months, that they feel they can recognize good work and achievement. And I think there are a lot of deputies in this bureau who deserve this honor as much or more than I.”

Association President Albert MacKenzie, another former criminal prosecutor of the year, said the award went to Doss because he had the strong support of a nominating committee.

A separate committee nominated Anne Ingalls as criminal prosecutor of the year and its choice was ratified by the association’s board. Ingalls successfully prosecuted Mikail Markhasev for the slaying of entertainer Bill Cosby’s son.

MacKenzie said that while choosing Doss as family support prosecutor of the year “obviously” sparked debate, the board deferred to the nominating committee because its three members felt strongly that Doss should be honored.

“There was certainly discussion about the nomination and different points of view,” MacKenzie said. “But my view is that we had a committee . . . and I think they came up with a conscientious choice.”

Committee member Patricia Doyle, a former family support attorney, said she endorsed Doss because she felt he deserved recognition for his work in the child support area.

“He is a gentleman. He is honest. He is hard-working. He is dedicated,” Doyle said.

“[And] we picked him partly because the family support deputies in general would support his selection.”

Doyle said that running the bureau “is a thankless job.”

“I don’t think you can blame him for the problems . . . the problems are so complex,” Doyle said.

But some prosecutors said they were troubled about the award.

“I can tell you there was a lot of debate among the board members and there was not a unanimous feeling that this was the choice we should make,” said association secretary James Bozajian.

“I don’t think it should go to someone who is management,” he said.

“And I think this bureau clearly has a number of problems, and inasmuch as he is in charge, I just question whether this was the right time to give him the award.”

Still, Bozajian said he voted for Doss out of deference to the committee.