POST revokes certification of former LA County deputy Braulio Robledo for dishonesty in internal affairs investigation

The Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training on March 6, 2025, adopted an advisory board recommendation to revoke the POST certification of former Los Angeles County deputy Braulio Robledo by a recorded vote of 10 in favor and 3 opposed.

Investigators presented evidence that, they said, showed Robledo lied to supervisors and during internal affairs interviews about conducting a traffic stop near the Commerce Casino on Jan. 2, 2020 and about subsequent inquiries by supervisors. Robbie Bringolf, presenting the division's investigative summary, said the evidence included a unit-history report showing the respondent ran the complainant's license plate, GPS tracking placing the deputy's patrol car at the stop location and video surveillance confirming the patrol car made the stop. Bringolf said an MDC (mobile data computer) message trail and a recorded call to an East Los Angeles station deputy further supported the division's conclusion that Robledo knowingly denied the stop and later gave false statements in IA interviews.

Bringolf told commissioners the division considered prior personnel history and prior sustained findings for dishonesty, and that POST investigators had closed other related investigative threads with no further action where the evidentiary standard for serious misconduct was not met. The division recommended revocation under California Penal Code section 13510.8(b)(1) and POST regulation 12.05(a)(1) (dishonesty).

Robledo's counsel, Elizabeth Gibbons, disputed the division's presentation. She told commissioners selected transcript excerpts were misleading, said the complainant's original account changed over time and pointed to the complainant's inconsistent statements about the presence of cash and chips; she also argued supervisors' recollections were imperfect and that publicity about the matter years later affected memories. Gibbons said at least some of the statements reflected ordinary routine patrol events and recalled that a district attorney review and subsequent publicity complicated memory and evidence.

Several commissioners voiced concern about the scope of materials included in the division's executive summary and asked for fuller transcripts and records. Commissioner Gordon and others requested more complete interview transcripts for their review before final determinations. The commission debated whether the division appropriately included prior non-sustained investigations and how strongly the MDC and recorded-line evidence established receipt and reading of messages. The division responded that POST staff are required to consider prior conduct under Penal Code section 13510.8(c)(5) and that investigators judged the available evidence met the clear-and-convincing standard for dishonesty in the IA interviews.

After closed-session consideration, the commission voted to adopt the advisory board recommendation to revoke Robledo's POST certification. The recorded vote listed 10 ayes and 3 nays; the motion carried.