However you choose to track your steps, there are a number of benefits of walking more, including losing weight, building muscle, and feeling less stressed. Inspired? Here’s what happened when I did the 12-3-30 treadmill workout every day for a month, plus the best walking workouts to add to your fitness routine.

“It is time to hear from the sheriff, and Undersheriff Murakami and the other LASD officials who have the authority to address deputy gangs,” Kennedy said. “The public has a right to know what is going on in this department. And this behavior is completely unacceptable.”

“The witness is aware of assaults upon deputies by Banditos, withheld back-up (support), demeaning and derogatory statements over the radio,” Deixler said. “Written statements on station walls naming deputies as weak or punks and removing lug nuts from the tires of disfavored officers.”

Attorneys have conducted multiple interviews with witnesses about the Banditos’ activities, but all have refused to testify publicly, even with promises of anonymity, Bert H. Deixler, special counsel to the commission, said during the second public hearing of the ongoing gang investigation. The commission’s first hearing was held in May.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission received more evidence from its attorney Friday, June 10, that a violent gang of sheriff’s deputies known as the Banditos controls virtually every aspect of the East L.A. Station, including scheduling and training, and intimidates those who refuse to follow orders.Attorneys have conducted multiple interviews with witnesses about the Banditos’ activities, but all have refused to testify publicly, even with promises of anonymity, Bert H. Deixler, special counsel to the commission, said during the second public hearing of the ongoing gang investigation. The commission’s first hearing was held in May.Witnesses are afraid to testify because they fear “career suicide” and physical harm, Deixler said. He then provided details of what witnesses would have shared with the commission had they been brave enough to testify.Rogue deputy gang“One witness with the familiarity of the operation of East L.A. has recounted the control of the station by the Banditos and how by control of scheduling and assignments the Banditos have superseded the official hierarchy,” he said. “The witness has said the behavior of Banditos mimics the behavior of criminal street gangs in their language, a discrimination against Blacks, against women and non-Mexican Latinos.”The witness also alleges the Banditos control training, assignments and duties at the East L.A. Station, where members are forced to pay expenses as directed by the gang, Deixler said.“The witness is aware of assaults upon deputies by Banditos, withheld back-up (support), demeaning and derogatory statements over the radio,” Deixler said. “Written statements on station walls naming deputies as weak or punks and removing lug nuts from the tires of disfavored officers.”Another deputy corroborated those claims by describing gang tattoos on “shot callers,” wrongful arrests to project satisfactory statistics at the station, and assaults on deputies who have fallen out of favor, according to Deixler.Additionally, a ranking LASD officer who has information about a deputy-on-deputy shooting has refused to testify because of fear of retaliation from Sheriff Alex Villanueva, he added. The Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. However, Villanueva has previously described the commission’s actions on social media as “wildly unconstitutional and bizarre theatrics.”Subpoena refusedCommission members said they are particularly troubled that Matthew Burson, a division chief who oversaw the Sheriff’s Department’s Professional Standards Division before his recent retirement, refused to comply with a subpoena that required him to testify Friday.While Burson publicly professed transparency in investigating subversive groups, logs show that privately in November 2018, he canceled interviews with the commission’s Office of Inspector General to escape questions about the gang at the East L.A. Station, according to Deixler.Deixler added that information from a witness indicates there was a Dec. 3, 2018, meeting between Burson and Villanueva.The commission voted Friday to compel Burson to comply with its subpoena and testify about the relevance of the meeting or face contempt charges in Los Angeles County Superior Court that could result in him being jailed.Burson’s refusal to testify is dismaying and telling, said Sean Kennedy, chairman of the commission.“We hear that the LASD official assigned by Villanueva to lead the investigation of deputy gangs … has failed to appear as required by law, and has really made no arrangements to explain why he has not appeared,” he said. “That the former head of the Professional Standards Division would conduct himself in this manner regarding a subpoena suggests that the department has something to hide.”The commission also voted to subpoena Villanueva; his chief of staff, Larry Del Mese; Undersheriff Tim Murakami; and Central Patrol Division Chief April L. Tardy, who is responsible for East Los Angeles, to appear at the next hearing on July 1.However, Kennedy isn’t optimistic they will show up, noting that Villanueva has refused previous requests to testify.“It is time to hear from the sheriff, and Undersheriff Murakami and the other LASD officials who have the authority to address deputy gangs,” Kennedy said. “The public has a right to know what is going on in this department. And this behavior is completely unacceptable.”

As I walked I used a manual clicker counter to measure my steps. Each time I took a step, I clicked, and this allowed me to swing my arms naturally. In previous challenges, I’ve used an app on my iPhone, but the clicker was a lot easier, as it looped around one finger as I walked. It cost me £4.99 on Amazon, and is the kind of gadget you’d see a bouncer using in a nightclub.

The commission voted Friday to compel Burson to comply with its subpoena and testify about the relevance of the meeting or face contempt charges in Los Angeles County Superior Court that could result in him being jailed.

The witness also alleges the Banditos control training, assignments and duties at the East L.A. Station, where members are forced to pay expenses as directed by the gang, Deixler said.

Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide's Fitness editor, which means she looks after everything fitness related - from running gear to yoga mats. An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past five years, so knows what to look for when finding a good running watch or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone. When she's not pounding the pavements, you'll find Jane striding round the Surrey Hills, taking far too many photos of her puppy.

“One witness with the familiarity of the operation of East L.A. has recounted the control of the station by the Banditos and how by control of scheduling and assignments the Banditos have superseded the official hierarchy,” he said. “The witness has said the behavior of Banditos mimics the behavior of criminal street gangs in their language, a discrimination against Blacks, against women and non-Mexican Latinos.”

Another deputy corroborated those claims by describing gang tattoos on “shot callers,” wrongful arrests to project satisfactory statistics at the station, and assaults on deputies who have fallen out of favor, according to Deixler.

The commission also voted to subpoena Villanueva; his chief of staff, Larry Del Mese; Undersheriff Tim Murakami; and Central Patrol Division Chief April L. Tardy, who is responsible for East Los Angeles, to appear at the next hearing on July 1.

Additionally, a ranking LASD officer who has information about a deputy-on-deputy shooting has refused to testify because of fear of retaliation from Sheriff Alex Villanueva, he added.

Witnesses are afraid to testify because they fear “career suicide” and physical harm, Deixler said. He then provided details of what witnesses would have shared with the commission had they been brave enough to testify.

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Once again, you can see from the data that the Garmin Epix Pro is pretty much spot on when it comes to calculating how many steps I’ve walked. Yet none of the others are wildly out, and all were within around 100 steps. I was surprised that the second closest was the cheapest fitness tracker on test — the $95 Fitbit Inspire 3, although, from a fitness perspective, this little tracker doesn’t have built-in GPS, so I wouldn’t recommend it over the others if you’re serious about running.

As a reminder, fitness trackers do a lot more than just tracking your steps, and counting steps alone isn’t the best metric when it comes to getting fitter and losing weight. That said, it’s a good place to start. While the target of 10,000 steps began as a piece of marketing in 1965 by a Japanese company that was about to introduce a device called a Manpo-kei (it means 10,000-steps meter), it is a useful goal — a review of 32 studies, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that “10,000 steps/day is a reasonable target for healthy adults.”

While Burson publicly professed transparency in investigating subversive groups, logs show that privately in November 2018, he canceled interviews with the commission’s Office of Inspector General to escape questions about the gang at the East L.A. Station, according to Deixler.

Commission members said they are particularly troubled that Matthew Burson, a division chief who oversaw the Sheriff’s Department’s Professional Standards Division before his recent retirement, refused to comply with a subpoena that required him to testify Friday.

“We hear that the LASD official assigned by Villanueva to lead the investigation of deputy gangs … has failed to appear as required by law, and has really made no arrangements to explain why he has not appeared,” he said. “That the former head of the Professional Standards Division would conduct himself in this manner regarding a subpoena suggests that the department has something to hide.”

Each swing counts for two steps. It doesn’t matter whether you wear your watch on your dominant or non-dominant hand, or whether you’re walking with your hands in your pockets, or holding something, the accelerometer should still measure your body’s movement.

As I have pretty small wrists, I wore two watches on each wrist — the Apple Watch and the Garmin Epix Pro on my left, and the Suunto Vertical and Fitbit Inspire 3 on the right. In total, I walked for 4,100 steps, at which point I noticed my Apple Watch was on 1%, so I quickly stopped all watches before I lost all the data.

I learned from my previous experiment with the Apple Watch and the Garmin that Apple makes it difficult to see your exact step count from an activity. Sure, you can see your daily total in the Fitness app, and you can find hourly step data in the Health app, but to make things a little less confusing, I downloaded the StepsApp Pedometer app on my Apple Watch.

Deixler added that information from a witness indicates there was a Dec. 3, 2018, meeting between Burson and Villanueva.

The Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. However, Villanueva has previously described the commission’s actions on social media as “wildly unconstitutional and bizarre theatrics.”

Next up in my series of counting steps, while measuring the accuracy of some of the best fitness trackers on the market — I strapped four different watches to my wrist, and set out for a walk. I’ve already compared the accuracy of the Apple Watch 8 to the Garmin Forerunner 265, and the Apple Watch 8 to the Fitbit Inspire 3, so this time I added a Suunto watch to the mix as well. Read on to find out what happened.

For this challenge, I wore the Apple Watch 8, the Garmin Epix Pro, the Fitbit Inspire 3, and the Suunto Vertical. All of the watches track how many steps you’ve taken by using an internal accelerometer, which measures the swing of your arm.