At least 170 Los Angeles County Probation Department employees have
committed misconduct — including cases of excessive force and abuse —
but have so far escaped punishment because there is not enough staff to
mete out discipline, officials said Tuesday.
"We have too many cases and not enough staff," interim chief Cal
Remington said in an interview with The Times. "I’m not happy with the
time it takes to complete an investigation and determine the
discipline."
Department investigations have concluded that the employees committed
misconduct and should face discipline ranging from written reprimands
to terminations, Remington said. Of the 170 employees, most are sworn
officers and about half the cases involved allegations of abuse of
juvenile probationers. Most of the employees remain on the job, and it
was unclear if they ultimately would be punished.
The disclosures come after a Times story revealed that juvenile
probation officers in recent years have been convicted of crimes or
disciplined for inappropriate conduct involving current or former
probationers, including several cases of officers molesting or beating
youths in their care.
Read The Times’ investigation here.
–Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Richard Winton