Nearly 20 current and former L.A. county sheriff's deputies were expected to be arrested on Monday in connection to a two-year federal probe into corruption and inmate abuse in the Los Angeles County jail system, according to law enforcement, NBC News reported.
18 deputies, many of whom are still active in the department, were "either arrested without incident or surrendered Monday to agents with the FBI, according to law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation. Two others had not yet been arrested by Monday afternoon. None of those arrested by Monday afternoon. None of those arrested ranked higher than lieutenant," NBC News reported.
"Four grand jury indictments and one criminal complaint allege the unjustified beating of inmates, unjustified detention and a conspiracy to obstruct a federal investigation," according to news reports.
"The five cases allege a wide scope of illegal conduct. This investigation started by focusing on misconduct in county jails, and we uncovered examples of civil rights violations that included excessive force and unlawful arrests," said André Birotte Jr.
"Our investigation also found that these incidents did not take place in a vacuum - in fact, they demonstrated behavior that had become institutionalized. The pattern of activity alleged in the obstruction of justice case shows how some members of the Sheriff's Department considered themselves to be above the law," Birotte added.
Retired sheriff's Cmdr. Bob Olmsted said in a statement Monday that the arrests "underscore the high level of corruption that has plagued the Sheriff's Department," he said.
"I knew I had to act, and as a result, I notified the FBI of the department's culture and acceptance of excessive force, inmate abuse, sheriff's gangs, and corruption," Olmsted added.
"The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Sheriff's Department in 2012 claiming the sheriff and his top commanders had condoned violence against inmates. The organization released a report documenting more than 70 cases of misconduct by deputies," The AP reported.
