Three unnamed probation officers at the East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility used excessive force during an altercation with a ward, with one of the officers slamming the boy’s head into the concrete floor, according to the San Diego County Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board.
In a report that was made public late last month, the civilian oversight board said the probation officers violated the department policy against using excessive force.
Board also said one officer who grabbed the boy’s head and “smashed it down on the concrete floor” no longer works for San Diego County. Because the officer is no longer employed by the county, the review board has no jurisdiction over that part of the case, the report said.
The report mirrors comments that the boy’s mother made in the public session of the review board late last month.
Sharon Kalish pleaded with the board to investigate what happened to her son while he was in custody at the East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility last August.
She said her son is developmentally disabled and was unable to process what he was being told by officers. Her son was prone on the floor when the officer grabbed the boy’s head and slammed it to the floor, she said.
“I don’t know any circumstance where that is OK for anybody to do that to anyone, let alone to a minor in custody,” Kalish told the review board.
Two county spokespersons declined to respond to questions about the allegations.
In their initial review, the review board staff recommended that their investigation be closed with a “not sustained” finding, which would mean there was insufficient evidence to prove or disprove the allegations.
But following a closed-session debate, the board changed the finding to “sustained” — the classification reserved for cases it finds are ed by sufficient proof.
“The evidence s the allegation and the act or conduct was not justified,” the board said.
It’s not clear why Kalish’s son was detained at the juvenile facility last August, or whether he remains in the facility today. The extent of any injuries to the boy or subsequent treatment also was unclear.
In her public testimony before the review board, Kalish said her son has difficulty processing orders from probation officers.
“He doesn’t pick up on social clues. He has a hard time with transitions, so when they are talking about going from a video game to a meal, it’s hard for him,” she said. “He has a developmental disability, and it keeps getting ignored.”
