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PREV. COVERAGE: CA orders Los Padrinos juvenile Hall to comply or close
A state regulatory board Thursday deemed two Los Angeles County juvenile detention centers "unsuitable" to house youth detainees, beginning a 60-day clock for the county to rectify issues of noncompliance, after which the board could order the facilities to close.
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County Probation Department Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa ordered four more sworn peace officers be placed on leave after an internal review identified additional incidents of youth-on-youth violence at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall.
Viera Rosa said his actions are part of a comprehensive push to root out departmental staff responsible for perpetrating a culture of violence, drugs, or abuse in County juvenile institutions.
"While these incidents involve a small number of our staff, they violate our core values and undermine our ability to do our duty to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the rehabilitation of the youth placed in our care," Viera Rosa said.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Officials address sex abuse allegations in LA County juvenile probation camps
- 2 LA County juvenile detention centers deemed 'unsuitable' to house youth, officials say
"My commitment to dig deeper into potential wrongdoing, to take immediate action, and to publicly disclose my actions should make it clear that we will not tolerate anything that creates or contributes to a culture of violence in our juvenile facilities," he said.
Since January, the Chief has put 12 officers from Los Padrinos on leave pending investigations of the youth-on-youth violence incidents, all of which are now being investigated by the California Attorney General. He announced on January 10th that he put eight other officers on leave after viewing a video of an incident that took place December 2023 in a unit of Los Padrinos.
Viera Rosa said he decided to refer the incidents to outside law enforcement to ensure a fair, independent, and thorough investigation while the Probation Department restructures and professionalizes its Internal Affairs Unit.