REPORT: Improperly Vetted Hires Caused Troubles in Sheriff's Department

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has identified 15 cases in which employees who got jobs during a controversial mass hiring in 2010 went on to be disciplined for violating department rules, according to a new sheriff department report cited today.

The report comes a month after the Los Angeles Times reported that the sheriff's department hired dozens of officers even though background investigators concluded that they had committed serious misconduct, including falsifying records, stealing and soliciting prostitutes.

The department is contracted to patrol and protect several areas including Lynwood, Artesia and areas around Baldwin Park, Cerritos, Claremont, La Verne and Long Beach.

The Times found that three of those employees faced new accusations of misconduct after joining the department.

The misconduct findings resulted in suspensions, reprimands and in one case, a deputy retiring in lieu of being punished, the department report said, according to The Times. Of the 15 cases, 13 involved sworn deputies and the other two involved non-sworn officials.

Nearly a dozen additional misconduct investigations involving employees hired in 2010 are still pending, officials said.

The study, which was submitted to the Board of Supervisors this week, marks the first time that Sheriff Lee Baca has acknowledged that some of those hires committed new wrongdoing in his department, according to The Times.

The employees were among about 280 officers hired from a small L.A. County police force called the Office of Public Safety that patrolled county facilities and parks. The OPS was disbanded as a cost-savings measure, with the sheriff's department taking over its responsibilities.

— City News Service