Four Los Angeles County probation officers have been placed on leave due to “youth-on-youth violence” at a Downey detention center, officials announced Friday.
The disciplinary action comes after eight officers working at the Los Padrinos juvenile prison were placed on leave for allowing a group of youths to beat a teenager in December. The involvement of four other sworn peace officers may indicate that disturbing incidents of guards standing by while youths attack each other are more widespread than previously thought.
Los Angeles County Probation Department Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa said the disciplinary actions against the four additional officers, which came after an internal review, were “part of a comprehensive campaign to eliminate the department personnel responsible for perpetrating a culture of violence, drugs or abuse in the county.” establishments for minors.
“My commitment to investigate potential wrongdoing more deeply, take immediate action, and publicly disclose my actions should make clear that we will not tolerate anything that creates or contributes to a culture of violence in our juvenile facilities,” said Viera Rosa in a press release, without giving details of what happened.
The incidents were turned over to the California Attorney General’s Office to investigate, according to the probation department.
The Times obtained footage of the December incident earlier this month showing at least six youths assaulting a 17-year-old while guards stood by, laughing and, at one point, shaking the hand of an attacker. The 17-year-old suffered a broken nose, according to his public defender, Sherrie Albin.
The video raises questions about whether the violence was coordinated, with one county supervisor calling the conduct “organized fighting.”
California Daily Newspapers
