Los Angeles County has put 66 probation officers on leave since Jan. 1 for misconduct, including sexual abuse
Sixty-six sworn probation officers in Los Angeles County have been placed on leave since Jan. 1, pending investigations for a range of alleged offenses, including some related to sexual misconduct and youth-on-youth violence, officials said Monday.
The county Department of Probation said the figures include 14 — two more than previously announced — officers placed on leave related to youth-on-youth violence at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey.
Those cases are being investigated by the office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Another 39 probation officers are accused of general misconduct, which includes suspected use of excessive force, child endangerment or abuse, possession of contraband, and negligent supervision.
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In addition, 18 were placed on leave for suspected sexual misconduct and nine for arrests unrelated to their employment.
"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," probation agency chief Guillermo Viera Rosa said in a statement.
Those placed on leave were assigned to the department's adult and juvenile operations, Rosa said. Bonta;s office declined to comment on the investigation to Fox News Digital, citing efforts to protect the integrity of the probe.
Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall reopened last year to replace two other facilities after authorities closed it in 2019.
In February, the California Board of State and Community Corrections declared Los Padrinos and another youth facility unsuitable to house youthful offenders. The body gave the facility 60 days to rectify any issues or else it could be ordered to close its doors.
In April, the board reversed its finding after determining that improvements had been made. In its Monday announcement, the Probation Department did not reveal any details about the latest violence at the facility.
Karen Pank, the executive director of the Chief Probation Officers of California said it was imperative to hold all probation officers to the highest standards.
"Probation professionals across California demonstrate outstanding work daily, striving for safer communities through effective accountability and rehabilitation," Pank told Fox News Digital. "We have a zero-tolerance policy for misconduct and support thorough investigations to ensure that any officer who deviates from these standards is held accountable."
Rosa said all the officers placed on leave account for a small minority of the department's 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," he said. "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."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Probation Department.
Original article source: Los Angeles County has put 66 probation officers on leave since Jan. 1 for misconduct, including sexual abuse
