Possible juvenile hall abuse to be probed

To comply with federal Justice Department requirements, the county Probation Department will hire an independent investigator to review possible incidents of child abuse in juvenile halls, the Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday.

Robert Spierer, a retired head of the Sheriff’s Department’s Internal Affairs Division, will contract with the county for at least one year starting June 1 at a salary of $150,000.

Spierer will evaluate internal child abuse investigations triggered by deputies’ use of force against youths or other incidents, and then make recommendations to the department.

Probation officials estimate that Spierer will consider 40 to 75 incidents a year.