The department in charge of overseeing the many individuals under probation in Los Angeles County is requesting local authorities to assume responsibilities from its officers due to a lack of supervision for high-risk probationers amid staff shortages.
Probation Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa reached out to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) in December, seeking assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and local police agencies to carry out compliance checks on probationers for a year.
The request came after Rosa reassigned field officers to the county juvenile halls to cover for staffing shortages there.
In 2024, the Probation Department dismissed over a dozen high-ranking officials following reports of violence and injuries at the county’s juvenile facilities. During the same period, 66 sworn probation officers were suspended for various alleged misconduct, including incidents tied to youth violence at Los Padrinos.
Nearly 40 probation officers were accused of general misconduct, which includes suspected use of excessive force, child endangerment or abuse, possession of contraband, and negligent supervision.
In a Feb. 3 letter to probation officers that was provided to Fox News Digital, the L.A. County Deputy Probation Officers’ Union said of the mutual aid request that “it doesn’t make any sense to force Field DPOs into the Juvenile Halls where they haven’t worked for years, then seek outside assistance to cover the work that Field DPOs have expertly provided day in and day out for years.”
The department has come under scrutiny in recent years over accusations that it failed to supervise probationers. A 2023 report from the Los Angeles County Office of Inspector General said a convicted gang member who killed two El Monte police officers before killing himself was only contacted six times over 16 months.
Justin Flores only met with a probation officer once, in December 2021, according to the report. Probation staff left voicemails for Flores ordering him into the office but never received a reply.
Los Angeles cityscape at dusk. (iStock)
In addition, the mother of Flores’ girlfriend called the department days before the killings saying he was on drugs, had been physically abusive with her daughter and that he “always has a gun,” the report states.
Like Flores, the lack of proper staffing results in lax supervision, which has public repercussions, said Mundo.
“The most worrisome are sexual offenders. They’re not being visited because of the deployment,” he said. “I’ve seen the department at its worst and it’s never been like this.”
