Today in profoundly maddening police news, we bring you to the bizarre Southern California tradition surrounding the ominously named Leadership Empowerment and Discipline (LEAD) Boot Camp at Camp San Luis Obispo. The camp, purportedly aimed at rehabilitating at-risk youth, is now embroiled in a troubling legal battle centered on the abusive practices of participating police officers and other law enforcement officials.
In a recent press release, the San Louis Obispo County Sheriff's Office confirmed the arrest and subsequent charging of four LEAD drill instructors:
According to KTLA reporters, the details surrounding this widespread abuse are gruesome. "These officers would pull these kids into ‘the dark room,'" says attorney Gregory Owen, "and, in the dark room, they would take these children by the neck, push them up against the wall, then they would strike them. They would beat them in the side, in the stomach, in the ribs, and in the face.” The children were reportedly given towels after each beating to remove blood from their skin and clothes before returning to public campgrounds.
Detective Marissa Larios and officer Patrick Nijland of the Huntington Park Police Department were arrested and charged alongside South Gate Police Department officers Carlos Gomez-Marquez and Edgar Gomez, with all four suspects quickly released after posting their respective $20,000 bail. The charges range from suspicion of willful cruelty to a child to battery and abuse under color of authority.