Feds arrest LA County deputies, alleging abuse, misconduct in jails

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (C) and LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck (R)

Photo by Reuters/Patrick Fallon

Federal authorities have indicted 18 current and former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials after an investigation into allegations of abuse and misconduct in one of the nation’s largest jail systems.
Four grand jury indictments and a criminal complaint released Monday say deputies beat inmates and visitors without justification, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Officials arrested 16 of the 18 defendants Monday.

“Our investigation also found that these incidents did not take place in a vacuum — in fact, they demonstrated behavior that had become institutionalized,” the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, Andre Birotte Jr., said in a statement, according to the Los Angeles Times.