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LA County Sheriff's Department Investigating Elite Gang Unit

MONTEREY PARK (CBS) — An internal investigation was underway Thursday at the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, looking into whether their gang enforcement unit formed a gang of their own, KCAL9 News confirmed.

There are reports that members of a club, called the Jump Out Boys, gain entrance by shooting gang members.

Sheriff's Department spokesperson Steve Whitmore declined to comment on camera, but he did confirm that the investigation was underway.

Detectives were investigating a pamphlet, described as a code of conduct, for an alleged gang called the Jump out Boys, a secret click of deputies, who reportedly gain more respect after being involved in a shooting, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.

The pamphlet revealed distinctions between deputies, who have and have not been in deputy-involved shootings, suggesting shootings as a badge of honor, the Times reported.

The allegations were the latest trouble for the department.

Earlier in the month the ACLU recommended closure of Men's Central Jail, as well as other changes to the L.A. County jail system.

In March an attorney sued the department on behalf of clients, who said they were targeted because of race.

Following a holiday party fight back in December of 2010, revelations surfaced that jail deputies ran a type of gang within the Sheriff's Department called The 3,000 Boys. The group reportedly used gang-like hand signs and would "earn their ink" by breaking inmates bones.

Whitmore said that they were taking the latest investigation very seriously and that appropriate actions would be taken if necessary once it was complete. He added that it may all be a fantasy.

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