EP 158: The Lynwood Vikings

About this episode

This episode discusses the Lynwood Vikings, a deputy gang within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the implications of their existence on community safety and law enforcement integrity.

This week on Hashtag History, we will be discussing the Lynwood Vikings, one of many deputy gangs of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Deputy gangs are gangs, formed and founded, by deputies of the LASD. And, like most gangs, they involve tattoos and racism and acts of violence as a form of initiation into the gang. But unlike other gangs, these are gangs made up of law enforcement officers who are meant to serve and protect the community. These gangs enact violence on the community and – because they all believe in maintaining the blue wall of silence (AKA not snitching on another cop), their misconduct goes with them to the grave. Not only all of that: Members of these gangs have been responsible for horrific crimes, including but not limited to: beating up inmates and then filing false reports to cover it up, retaliating against whistleblowers, and even murder. As of 2021, there were 24 known and active deputy gangs within the LASD. As of right now when we’re recording this in 2025, there continue to be at least six that we know of. It goes without saying, but this is unacceptable. In the 2023 report that a special oversight committee put together to combat this…

People in this episode

Host: Hashtag History

Topics covered

• deputy gangs
• law enforcement misconduct
• community violence
• gang culture
• blue wall of silence
• Lynwood Vikings

Keywords

• Lynwood Vikings
• deputy gangs
• LASD
• law enforcement
• excessive force
• blue wall of silence
• community violence
• tattoos
• racism
• initiation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, LASD

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