L.A. officials approve jail measures to stop abuse

One of the measures will see the creation of a seven-member oversight commission that would offer independent reviews of inmate complaints and look into the extent of inappropriate use of force in the jails.

"There has been a shattering of public confidence in the Sheriff's Department and the jails in particular," Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said.

Although the commission would have no legal power to compel Sheriff Lee Baca to act, it could draft recommendations that federal authorities may end up enforcing, said Yaroslavsky's spokesman, Joel Bellman. The jails already are the subject of at least one FBI probe.