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By Joanna Putman
Police1
LOS ANGELES — The widow of a Los Angeles County deputy who died by suicide has filed a claim against the department, alleging that excessive mandatory overtime and lack of department support led to her husband’s death, KTLA reported.
Michele Atilano told KTLA that her husband, Arturo Atilano-Valdez, fatally shot himself in their home. He had been struggling with work-related stress after working long hours at the county jail.
“The public is not safe,” Michele said. “All you have are a bunch of deputies who are zombies – zombies walking around tired, always tired. They’re not even there. How are they going to save lives?”
Arturo was one of four current and former LASD employees to die by suicide within a 24-hour span, according to the report. Eight suicides have been reported within the department this year.
“The deputies are working so much overtime that it’s literally causing death,” said Brad Gage, Michele’s attorney. “[The department’s] conscious disregard of the safety and rights of the employees is part of the lawsuit.”
Sheriff Robert Luna has stated that he’s prioritizing mental health services and introducing a multi-phase plan to reduce overtime, according to the report.
The lawsuit comes as the family of Ryan Clinkunbroomer, an LASD deputy who was killed in the line of duty in September, have also claimed that excessive overtime contributed to his death.
“Disregarding the safety of his troops, Sheriff Luna continues to force his deputies to work mind-numbing overtime, resulting in Ryan’s death and the likely death of other deputies,” the Clinkunbroomers’ lawsuit claims.