Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall Places Eight Officers on Leave

The LAC Probation Department suspends eight officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall amid misconduct allegations involving juveniles.

An undisclosed “significant incident” has led to the Los Angeles County Probation Department placing eight probation officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall on administrative leave.

The eight probation officers allegedly committed misconduct with multiple juveniles who are detained at the criticized juvenile detention facility in Downey. This incident occurred in December.

The Probation Department, refraining from providing further details, maintained that its internal affairs unit would not handle the investigation to preserve the inquiry’s integrity. Instead, Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa has sought assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for an external investigation.

In a news release on Wednesday, Viera Rosa emphasized the importance of publicly sharing this information as a step toward bringing new leadership, accountability, and transparency to the Probation Department. He expressed his commitment to establishing a safe and secure environment for the youth in their care, offering a clear path to rehabilitation.

Before becoming chief of L.A. County’s Probation Department, state leaders appointed Viera Rosa as the “chief strategist” for the county’s juvenile operations amid intensely critical reviews of facility conditions. Throughout his tenure, he has committed to “wiping the slate clean” and rejuvenating the county’s approach to juvenile detention.

A significant change during his leadership involved relocating hundreds of detained juveniles from aging facilities to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, which had recently undergone renovation. However, challenges persisted, including a riot resulting in one inmate escape, the discovery of a gun within the facility, and another juvenile escape months later.

While details of the recent incident remain unclear, Viera Rosa affirmed his commitment to reforming L.A. County’s juvenile detention system. He stated the department’s active efforts to identify and remove individuals not aligning with standards and core values to eliminate negative influences within the organization.

The Los Angeles County Probation Oversight Commission meets every second Thursday of the month, so the next meeting is set for the day after they announced the officers’ suspension.

Source: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/8-probation-officers-placed-on-leave-at-embattled-l-a-county-juvenile-facility/