Task force targets fentanyl in LA County juvenile institutions

DOWNEY – A new task force will investigate and prosecute attempts to smuggle fentanyl and other contraband into Los Angeles County juvenile detention facilities, officials announced Monday.

The Juvenile Safety and Welfare Task Force will be run out of the county Probation Department and staffed with members from different agencies who are experts in ensuring facility security, investigations, enforcement and prosecution, according to county Probation Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa.

The unit will focus on the trafficking of contraband into youth detention facilities and combating efforts to undermine the safety of detained youth. The task force will also offer information to inmates, parents and caregivers about the risk of vaping, use of illegal drugs, and what constitutes a contraband-related crime, Rosa said.

"The opioid fentanyl epidemic has affected so many in a variety of detrimental ways, and we want to do our part as public servants to put a stop to it," Rosa said in a statement. "Through the formation of this task force, we are dedicated to ensuring that those who contribute to the distribution of illegal substances to our youth within the detention facilities are held accountable."

A state inspection recently found deficiencies in operations including shortcomings in safety standards at two Los Angeles County youth detention facilities -- the newly reopened Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey and the Barry J. Nidorf Secure Youth Treatment Facility in Sylmar.