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Report: LA Sheriff Staff Knew About Jail Violence

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Confidential memos show Sheriff Lee Baca's command staff raised red flags nearly two years ago about deputy misconduct and brutality against inmates at Los Angeles County jails.

A Los Angeles Times report published Sunday says internal Sheriff's Department documents detail cases in which deputies used unnecessary force, then escaped punishment because of shoddy investigations by supervisors.

One report outlines more than 100 violent encounters with inmates and found that jailers invented narratives "dramatized to justify" force.

Another document shows that serious injuries to inmates were not documented by deputies or medical staff.

Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore says the memos prompted the department to provide additional use-of-force training to jail managers.

The department has come under criticism since the American Civil Liberties Union released a report last month alleging abuse by deputies. Federal officials are investigating.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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