The L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a request from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department for $220,000 in expected overtime pay for officers participating in a federally designated task force targeting northern L.A. County.
That money, according to the memorandum of understanding approved by the board Tuesday between the Sheriff’s Department and the FBI, would then be reimbursed by the FBI.
That task force, the Los Angeles County-North County Safe Streets Task Force, is “aimed at identifying and prosecuting criminal enterprise groups engaged in drug trafficking, money laundering, violent crimes,” according to the Sheriff’s Department.
The MOU stipulates the Sheriff’s Department will provide 10 deputies for participation in the task force. Overtime per officer is limited to $22,155.25 throughout federal fiscal year 2025.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district covers northern L.A. County, including the Santa Clarita Valley, said in a prepared statement that public safety remains a top priority for the county.
“This partnership brings critical federal support to our local law enforcement efforts. By working hand-in-hand with our federal partners, we are expanding our capacity to respond to crime and ensuring that public safety remains a top priority,” Barger said in the statement. “The residents and businesses I represent in North County deserve safe communities.”
Included in the MOU is an “investigative exclusivity” subsection, which includes a provision that work once designated to the NCSSTF task force would exclusively be handled by that detail.
“It is agreed that matters designated to be handled by the NCSSTF will not knowingly be subject to non-NCSSTF law enforcement efforts by any of the participating agencies,” according to the MOU. “It is incumbent on each agency to make proper internal notification regarding the NCSSTF’s existence and areas of concern.”
The NCSSTF’s efforts are intended to be concentrated in a handful of cities, according to the Sheriff’s Department, including Santa Clarita. In the MOU, the Sheriff’s Department said that a lack of funds was stifling investigative efforts.
“In the northern region of the county — including Lancaster, Palmdale, and Santa Clarita — limited investigative resources have challenged efforts to manage rising violent crime,” according to the letter.
Lancaster has seen a year-over-year surge, with 20 homicides since Jan. 1, 2025, according to county officials.
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station reported a drop in overall crime in Santa Clarita this past fall, down 13% year-over-year as of November.
Santa Clarita had four murders in 2025 — one more than in 2024 — including an Oct. 31 shooting outside a Halloween party that left two dead. No suspects have been publicly identified or arrests made, according to Homicide Bureau officials.
