Community Blowback Follows CoCo Sheriff's Support for Convicted Deputy
DANVILLE (KPIX) -- Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston sent an e-mail to his staff supporting former deputy Andrew Hall after he had been sentenced to six years in prison. Family members of the shooting victim and community activists say the sheriff's words are shocking and offensive.
"Since this is a felony conviction, California law requires that he no longer serve as a peace officer. We are compelled to give him a reluctant farewell," Sheriff Livingston said of Hall in the e-mail.
Hall was convicted of assault with a firearm in the shooting death of Laudemer Arboleda, who was fatally shot during a 2018 slow-speed police pursuit in Danville. Arboleda suffered from mental illness and was unarmed at the time of the shooting.
"Very disgusting and a straight bullet to our family's heart," Arboleda's sister Jennifer Leong told KPIX Sunday. "It's putting a danger to my family and just not believing in our justice system."
Leong said she is troubled by the sheriff's letter and his focus on the day Hall lost his job and not the day her brother lost his life. She also highlighted the case of Tyrell Wilson, who died in a March, 2021 shooting involving Hall. Charges have not been filed in that case.
"The real issue is professional standards. Every profession has standards by which they operate," said Veronica Benjamin, co-founder of Conscious Contra Costa. She has advocated for justice in the cases of both Arboleda and Wilson. "I think there should be more public outcry that the sheriff is incapable of holding his officers to account."
Sheriff Livingston challenged the judge's decision on sentencing in Hall's case and the actions of Contra Costa district attorney Diana Becton. Staff for the D.A. did not respond to a request on Sunday for comment.
"For our district attorney to charge a deputy sheriff or any peace officer for a crime based on a split-second tactical decision is abhorrent," the sheriff's e-mail said.
Leong thinks Hall's decisions disqualify him from keeping his job and she does not agree with the sheriff's defense of the former deputy. She added that her family has loved ones in law enforcement and they respect the job but not the actions of this officer.
"He killed two people. I mean, just that in itself is already showing he should not be on the streets, he should not be in law enforcement," she said. "Andrew Hall should not have been a police officer if he could not make those decisions."
The sheriff went on to say that he would continue to support department employees as long as they did their job and followed the law. That statement troubled critics.
"Despite these odd times, please remember I appreciate the work all of you do; I respect your sacrifice and commitment to the community we serve and, most importantly, I have your back," Livingston added in his e-mail.
Conscious Contra Costa plans to keep the attention on these cases and hopes the letter will bring more scrutiny to the sheriff's office.
"We're watching and we don't have confidence in you and your ability to fulfill the duties of your office," Benjamin said of Livingston.
"The sheriff should live up to his office and ... those who work for him to live up to the duty and responsibility that they have to the public."
KPIX asked the sheriff's office on Sunday to speak to Livingston about the letter but did not hear back.
E-mail from Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston:
Today is a sad day for the Sheriff's Office, the community we serve, and law enforcement in general. This morning superior court judge Terri Mockler sentenced Andrew Hall to six years in state prison. This is an unusually long sentence by any measure especially since the official Probation Department report recommended probation. Since this is a felony conviction, California law requires that he no longer serve as a peace officer. We are compelled to give him a reluctant farewell.
During his years of service, he served with honor and distinction. He handled thousands of calls for service, as many of you have, and was well received by the citizens of our county. After an extensive internal investigation, he was found to be within departmental policy when he was forced to use deadly force to protect himself and others on that fateful day. I was proud to support him publicly and privately after the events of November 3, 2018, and I support him today.
For our district attorney to charge a deputy sheriff, or any peace officer, for a crime based on a split-second tactical decision is abhorrent. It is even more abhorrent for that same district attorney to later repost photos on her reelection campaign social media that show her smiling and proclaiming that she "charged the officer." Despite these odd times, please remember I appreciate the work all of you do; I respect your sacrifice and commitment to the community we serve, and most importantly, I have your back. I may not be able to impact the decisions of other elected officials, or the courts, but I definitely can impact what happens in our organization. Do your job with honor, follow department policies, and obey the law. If you do that, I will proudly stand with you – regardless of your job assignment, your rank, or your duties. Never forget that and never doubt that.
I'm proud to be your Sheriff, and I thank you all.
David Livingston
Sheriff-Coroner