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Sheriff Lee Baca launches probe of former head of troubled jail

The investigation of Capt. Daniel Cruz is the first significant action against a high-ranking official since public scrutiny of the L.A. County jails intensified

By Robert Faturechi and Jack Leonard
The Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials have launched an investigation into the performance of a captain who until recently supervised the troubled Men’s Central Jail, a source confirmed Wednesday.

The probe into Capt. Daniel Cruz represents the first significant action against a high-ranking sheriff’s official since public scrutiny of the department’s jails intensified in recent weeks.

In an interview Wednesday, Sheriff Lee Baca declined to detail why Cruz was put on leave. “I’m looking into a few matters,” Baca said. “In order to do that, I felt it would be best that he be relieved of duty in the interim.”

Full Story: Sheriff Lee Baca launches probe of former head of troubled jail