LOS ANGELES —A Los Angeles County deputy who was convicted of excessive force continued to collect a paycheck for months even though he was barred from carrying a badge in California, according to Sheriff's Department officials and county records.

A federal jury convicted Trevor Kirk in February 2025 of a felony after he was recorded throwing a woman face first onto the ground outside a supermarket in Lancaster.

Kirk, 33, was sentenced to four months in prison and had his certification as a law enforcement officer revoked by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, in effect banning him from working as a police officer in the state.

But Kirk remained employed with the Sheriff's Department for months afterward, collecting benefits and a six-figure salary. After he was relieved of duty in 2023, Kirk was off the streets and had no other duties assigned in the department, a department spokesperson said.

Now, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Civilian Oversight Commission is tasking the Sheriff's Department to draft a policy to determine how to handle the firing of deputies who have been decertified and can no longer serve as peace officers in California.

Kirk's attorney, Tom Yu, did not respond to a request for comment.

Kirk was relieved of duty in July 2023. In a recording that surfaced weeks earlier, Kirk was seen responding to a report of a robbery and being approached by a woman outside a WinCo Foods supermarket.

The woman was recording deputies with her cellphone as they handcuffed a man matching the description of a suspect. Kirk then approached the woman, tried to grab her cellphone and threw her to the ground, video showed. Kirk pinned her down with a knee to her back and used pepper-spray, twice, to her face.

Kirk was charged by federal prosecutors with a felony but offered a misdemeanor plea deal before the case went to trial. Kirk declined and was convicted by a jury in February 2025 of one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law.

After the election of President Donald Trump, the new top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, Bill Essayli, made the highly unusual and controversial decision to offer Kirk a post-conviction plea deal.

U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson rejected the move, writing that prosecutors presented no new evidence or circumstances to justify circumventing the jury's verdict.

Kirk remained employed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department a year after his conviction while his attorneys appealed his case.

According to a Sheriff's Department spokesperson, Kirk was relieved of duty July 10, 2023. But he continued to be employed and collect a salary.

According to county data, Kirk received a total compensation of $201,062 in 2023, including benefits and overtime. He took home an additional $170,000 in 2024.

Salary data for Kirk for 2025 was not immediately available from the county, but a Sheriff's Department spokesperson said Kirk remained with the agency until February 20, 2026.

The spokesperson declined to say why Kirk left the department, citing peace officer personnel record confidentiality laws.

State records indicate that Kirk remained employed with the Sheriff's Department three months after California Commission on Peace officer Standards and Training revoked his certification, making him unable to work as a law enforcement officer in the state.

According to the state agency, known as POST, Kirk's certification was suspended Oct. 9, 2025, because of his trial. It was officially revoked Nov. 13, 2025, due to his conviction.

Under a state law enacted in 2021, all peace officers must be certified by POST. A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Department said individuals can work in support roles and other nonsworn capacities without certification.

Nick Wilson, spokesperson for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Professional Assn., an organization that provides deputies with legal representation, said POST decertification does not automatically mean termination.

"Deputy Kirk maintained his employment status while those legal and administrative processes continued to unfold," Wilson said. "That is not unusual in complex cases involving ongoing appeals, potential clemency review, and administrative proceedings."

Wilson said his organization continues to support Kirk in his effort to appeal his conviction, raising money for him and writing a letter asking for Trump to intervene in the federal case.

"Deputy Kirk used a level of force that deputies across this country are trained and authorized to use when taking a resistive suspect into custody," Wilson said. "There was no allegation of deadly force and no allegation of malicious intent."

L.A. County employees are allowed to appeal disciplinary measures and decisions of being fired to the Civil Service Commission.

Kirk's departure from the Sheriff's Department last month came as the Civilian Oversight Commission sought to create a policy to ensure termination of Sheriff's Department employees who have been decertified.

The motion on the commission's Feb. 19 agenda, which passed unanimously, did not name Kirk's case, but it was on the minds of both supporters and critics of the now-former deputy.

Wilson spoke against the motion and called Kirk's conviction "one of the biggest injustices against any member of the department."

"Every deputy right now is watching whether leadership stands for fair procedure or proceeds with political theater," Wilson said during the meeting.

Hans Johnson, chair of the Civilian Oversight Commission, said he found it troubling that the department still needed to create a policy since state law has required peace officers to be certified since the law was enacted in 2021.

"It is concerning to us," Johnson said. "There is still ongoing effort to challenge or second-guess clear state policy based on some understanding, or misunderstanding, of labor law."

Kirk's attorneys are still seeking to overturn his conviction in federal court.

Kirk initially was ordered to surrender Aug. 28 of last year to begin his prison sentence, but on Aug. 15, U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson ruled that Kirk could remain free on bond pending his appeal.

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