Body scanners, canines: Los Padrinos to increase drug screenings
Supervisor Hahn during Tuesdeay's meeting of the LA Couinty Board of Supervisors. (LA County photo)
DOWNEY — Following the recent arrests of two people suspected of smuggling narcotics into county juvenile halls, the Board of Supervisors Tuesday directed the Probation Department to strengthen drug screening of people entering the facilities.
Under an emergency motion introduced by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Lindsey Horvath, the county Probation Department was instructed to install airport-style body scanners -- at least one each at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall and Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall -- and increase round-the-clock drug- detecting canine presence.
On June 10, a deputy probation officer was accused of smuggling alprazolam into Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall. On June 30, a contract employee hired to tutor youth allegedly attempted to smuggle more than 170 white pills into the Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall.
On July 2, multiple people -- including youth and staff -- where taken to hospitals from Los Padrinos due to a possible overdose or exposure to an unknown substance.
While all those individuals were eventually discharged from the hospital, Hahn said the incident hinted at a larger substance abuse problem within the system. Hahn said the Probation Department was "experiencing a drug and contraband crisis" like she had never seen before.
"As long as there are jails, there will be a market for contraband and drugs," Hahn said.
Multiple incidents of substance abuse have been reported within the county's probation halls over the years, including a death tied to fentanyl- laced narcotics at Nidorf Hall two years ago, Hahn said.
The county has taken steps to prevent the entry of drugs, such as limiting physical interaction of visitors, raising structural boundaries and adding canine presence in juvenile facilities.
Horvath said those efforts were still not enough to mitigate the drug issue.
The emergency motion introduced by Horvath and Hahn was approved on a 4-0 vote, with Supervisor Holly Mitchell abstaining.
The board also asked the Probation Department to collaborate with the Department of Youth Development to reevaluate background check and training processes for contract providers and for employees to be educated on contraband prevention.
The motion also called for policy updates to restrict the number of items allowed inside the facilities in transparent bags.
Hahn also called for termination of the county's contract with Student Nest, which employed the tutor who was arrested at Los Padrinos. She said the move would send a message to other contract organizations to strengthen their background checks of employees being sent to juvenile halls.
The board also called for offering substance use disorder treatments in its facilities, along with preventative services.