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| 6 officers fired in inmate beatings |
| By Mercury News |
| Published: 09/24/2004 |
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The California Youth Authority has fired six officers who were implicated in the videotaped beating of two inmates earlier this year -- a decision that some believe could signal a tough new stance for a state corrections system that previously has been accused of ignoring abuse. Youth authority Director Walter Allen ordered the firings after prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against any of the six. Allen has said he believes the beatings, first reported by the Mercury News in March, amounted to a criminal act. The officers have the right of appeal to the state personnel board, and their union has argued that their actions were provoked. On Thursday, a union official called the firings "a travesty." But several critics said it shows that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration is serious about cleaning up abuses in the state correctional system. "It's a strong departure from previous administrations," said state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, who is leading a legislative effort to overhaul the state's youth and adult prisons. "I hope it sends a signal that this is an era in which excessive force will not be tolerated." A videotape of the Jan. 20 incident shows two inmates and two officers in a fight that spills out of an office at the N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton. Officials say one of the inmates started the fight. The videotape shows one officer struck an inmate numerous times after he had been subdued and was lying face down, while the other officer kicked the second inmate after he was handcuffed. Internal affairs investigators reported that four other officers were present during the incident and later gave false or misleading statements about what happened. But the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office reviewed the case and declined to prosecute, saying it would be difficult to prove the officers had gone too far in defending themselves. |
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