Several Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies have been relieved of duty as part of a federal investigation, authorities said Tuesday night.
The sheriff’s department confirmed that the move was related to an investigation “involving the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” but declined to provide information on the exact number of deputies or the nature of the investigation.
Federal prosecutors declined to comment on the reports Tuesday night. An FBI spokesman said the agency neither confirms nor denies the existence of investigations “as a matter of longstanding policy.”
Multiple sources within the department — all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly — said one of the deputies who was relieved worked in the Bureau of Aeronautics, while the other two were detectives. One of the detectives had worked in the Safe Streets Bureau, which investigates street gangs, the sources said.
The department said it is cooperating with the investigation, which is ongoing.
