Marie McCain

The Desert Sun

Two Indio police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of ongoing administrative and criminal investigations into allegations of misconduct that may have occurred during a Sept. 12 arrest, Indio police announced Thursday.

The names of the officers have not been released, but one was described as a four-year department veteran, while the second has been with the department for seven months.

The investigations stem from the officers' actions during an arrest that took place in the early hours of Sept. 12.

Exactly what the officers are accused of doing during the arrest was not included in a department news release issued Thursday.

However, the release did state that "during the course of the administrative investigation, the Indio Police Department requested the Riverside County Sheriff's Department conduct an independent investigation into any possible criminal conduct by the involved officers, the findings of which will be forwarded to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office for review."

"We take these allegations seriously and appreciate the trust and confidence the reporting party has in the Indio Police Department to report their concerns to us. We have a duty and responsibility to investigate allegations and that process began immediately," said Indio police Chief Richard Twiss in Thursday's news release.