California police chief says department will be vindicated in civil rights probe

HUNTINGTON PARK, California (CNN) -- Responding to allegations of civil rights abuses within his department and an FBI probe investigating those allegations, the police chief of Huntington Park said Tuesday his department has nothing to hide.

"We do not fear the FBI conducting an investigation," said Police Chief Randy Narramore in a prepared statement. "As a matter of fact, we embrace and pledge to fully cooperate with them and look forward to a complete vindication of our department."

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The accusations were made by officers and civilian employees who no longer work in the department, which is located in a Los Angeles suburb. They contend an alleged pattern of misconduct against blacks and Hispanics.

Narramore denied any wrongdoing and added that "the former officers making these allegations are disgruntled individuals who did not rise to an acceptable level of performance required for this department."

The FBI's probe of the Huntington Park police adds to an already heightened state of police investigation in Southern California. The city of Los Angeles is facing the worst police corruption scandal in its history. At least 70 LAPD officers are under investigation amid accusations of planting evidence, lying under oath and beating, framing and shooting innocent people. Nearly 100 convictions have been overturned as a result of that scandal.

Huntington Park is one of the most densely populated cities in California. Geographically, it comprises only three square miles, but about 100,000 people live there, mostly Latinos. The Huntington Park Police Department employs about 70 uniformed officers, and 70 civilians, according to a police spokesman.

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The Huntington Park Police Department

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