POST revokes certification of former LA County deputy Sifredo Cano for abuse of power and dishonesty

The California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training on Nov. 17 voted unanimously to revoke the peace-officer certification of former Los Angeles County Deputy Sifredo A. Cano after the POST division presented evidence it said met the clear-and-convincing standard for abuse of power, alleged sexual coercion, and dishonesty.

POST law enforcement consultant William Emboden told commissioners the division’s investigative summary and findings established that, following a May 13, 2021 DUI arrest, Cano used his position to initiate repeated, unsolicited contact with the arrestee, exchanged about 100 text messages between May and July 2021, and—while on duty—met with the woman and used a patrol-vehicle computer to run confidential checks, then shared the results with her. Emboden said one instance involved Cano telling the arrestee he could make her DUI “go away” if she agreed to a date, and that event and other corroborating evidence—text messages, GPS timelines and witness statements—supported POST’s dishonesty finding because Cano initially denied the contacts and only admitted some interactions after investigators produced documentary evidence.

Emboden described the conduct as abuse of power and said it met the definition of a sexual assault under Penal Code section 832.7 when alleged sexual activity was conditioned on an official favor or leniency. He told the commission the advisory board had considered the evidence and unanimously recommended revocation.

Cano’s counsel argued the available record did not meet the “clear and convincing” standard and disputed some characterizations, noting consensual text messages and that the alleged victim had pleaded to a reduced charge in the underlying criminal case. Counsel asked the commission to consider the record’s limitations at this phase.

After discussion, the commission moved and voted to revoke Cano’s POST certification; the chair announced the motion passed unanimously.

The division presented multiple evidentiary points at the hearing: GPS logs showing prolonged meetings between Cano and the victim on May 21 and May 23, 2021; audit records showing patrol-unit computer queries run under another deputy’s login while Cano was using that vehicle; text-message exchanges the division said show persistent solicitation and attempts to influence the victim’s criminal case; and corroborating statements from the arresting deputy and a deputy district attorney. The division said Cano was repeatedly untruthful during initial compelled interviews and changed or admitted details only after being confronted with documentary records.

The commission’s revocation is a state-level certification action; it does not itself impose criminal penalties. POST staff said the revocation followed the advisory board’s unanimous recommendation and the division’s request that the commission adopt that recommendation.

The record presented to the commission included the investigative summary and findings, the advisory board transcript and attachments from the advisory-board hearing on Oct. 17, 2024.