In a move to swiftly to address rising concerns about misconduct within its ranks, the Los Angeles County Probation Department has placed 66 officers on leave since January, officials said Monday. They're under scrutiny for a range of alleged offenses from excessive force to sexual abuse, in a crack-down intended to restore faith in the department's ability to manage both adult and juvenile probationary programs.
Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa addressed the issue, as stated by the County of Los Angeles, California, "We are releasing this information in the spirit of greater transparency and to assure our stakeholders — especially the families of youths in our juvenile facilities — that we will not tolerate anything that impedes our mission to provide a safe, nurturing and structured environment for those entrusted to our care."
Among the officers sidelined, 39 were tied to general misconduct which covers suspected excessive force, child endangerment, possession of contraband, and negligent supervision. Additionally, NBC News reported that the department has seen 18 of its officers put on leave for suspected sexual misconduct and another nine for arrests that were not related to their employment.
The information released by the department details a small portion of its workforce, suggesting that these 66 officers represent a minority of the nearly 2,800 sworn personnel. "It is out of respect for the majority of our officers, who perform their duties each day with integrity, that we moved quickly on these cases," Viera Rosa said, according to the County of Los Angeles, California. "It's not right that the majority should be tarnished by the misconduct of a few. We will not tolerate anything that is an affront to our mission and a disgrace to the important work we do."
