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Thursday, January 2, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Hired Unfit Officers

     The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department hired dozens of officers even though background investigators found they had committed serious misconduct on or off duty…The department made the hires in 2010 after taking over patrols of parks and government buildings from a little-known LA County police force. Officers from that agency were given first shot at new jobs with the Sheriff's Department. Investigators gave them lie detector tests and delved into their employment records and personal lives…

     Ultimately, about 280 county officers were given jobs, including applicants who had accidentally fired their weapons, had sex at work, and solicited prostitutes…

     For nearly 100 hires, [background] investigators discovered evidence of dishonesty, such as making untrue statements or falsifying police records. At least 15 were caught cheating on the department's own polygraph exams.

     Twenty-nine of those given jobs had previously been fired or presumed to resign from other law enforcement agencies over concerns about misconduct or workplace performance problems. Nearly 200 had been rejected from other agencies because of past misdeeds, failed entrance exams or other issues. [So much for hiring the best and the brightest in law enforcement. The fact that governmental agencies conduct job candidate background investigations means nothing if they hire the losers anyway.]

Robert Faturechi and Ben Poston, The Los Angeles Times, December 1, 2013



     

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