FBI probes alleged abuse of inmates by deputies at West Valley Detention Center

FBI probes alleged abuse of inmates by deputies at West Valley Detention Center
By Doug Saunders, The Sun
and Joe Nelson, The Sun
Posted: 04/11/14, 7:18 PM PDT|
RANCHO CUCAMONGA >> The FBI is investigating the alleged abuse of inmates at the West Valley Detention Center involving at least three San Bernardino County deputies no longer working for the Sheriff’s Department, officials said Friday.
Sheriff John McMahon ordered an administrative investigation after allegations surfaced March 5 by his ranking commanders about the possible abuse of inmates at the jail, according to a sheriff’s news release.
“I will not tolerate any misconduct by department personnel,” McMahon said in a statement. “These allegations are being taken very seriously and this department is determined to get answers.”
 During its internal investigation, the Sheriff’s Department learned the FBI had received a similar tip about the alleged abuse.
Both agencies are cooperating with each other to ensure a comprehensive investigation, according to a sheriff’s news release.
As of Thursday, the three deputies assigned to the jail were no longer employed by the department. No other information was disclosed about them.Sheriff’s Cpl. Randy Naquin said the FBI is conducting the criminal investigation.
The FBI is investigating possible civil rights violations of inmates at the jail in March, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.
She said the case will ultimately be submitted to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles for consideration of criminal charges.
Naquin could not say how extensive the investigation will be or if any other deputies or jail staff had been accused of similar conduct.
“We want to make sure the integrity of the investigation is intact,” Naquin said.
The news comes in the wake of a jail abuse scandal in Los Angeles County in which 18 current or former sheriff’s deputies have been accused of abusing inmates at the Men’s Central Jail. U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. said the alleged incidents did “not occur in a vacuum” and that the pattern of behavior of which the defendants are accused had become “institutionalized.”
 In 2008, a grand jury investigation revealed dysfunction and disarray at Orange County’s Theo Lacy Jail, where a deputy exchanged text messages and watched the television show “Cops” as a 41-year-old inmate was beaten to death by other inmates over a 50-minute period, according to published reports.
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