California Atty. General Jerry Brown announced he would seek a court order to reform the Maywood Police Department, following a 16-month investigation that revealed "gross misconduct and widespread abuse," the Los Angeles Times has reported.

The tiny department, which polices the cities of Maywood and Cudahy southeast of downtown Los Angeles, has been under an audit by Brown's office since April 2007. The probe began, after the newspaper published a story calling the department "a haven for misfit cops."

The story revealed that a third of the officers on the 37-member force had been forced from other law enforcement jobs or ran afoul while at the department.

Brown's report found breakdowns in the screening of officers prior to being hired and a lack of training or supervision while on the job, the newspaper reported.

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