Thursday, January 21, 2010
San Bernardino County needs to make public a report on an investigation into District Attorney Mike Ramos’ behavior. No county – particularly one with a history of high-level scandal – should tolerate secrecy about official conduct. And total openness the best way to avoid clouding an ongoing county corruption probe in irrelevant distractions.
One of Ramos’ employees last summer accused him of harassment and retaliation, and the county hired an outside law firm to vet the allegations. The county last week received the results of the investigation, which began in August. But officials released only a three-page summary of the 186-page document, saying the prob e cleared Ramos of misconduct. The county is still weighing whether to release the full report.