Jump Out Boys, A Secret Gang For LA Deputies Who Have Shot Gang Members, Prompts Probe (VIDEO)

LA County sheriff's detectives have launched an investigation into an alleged secret officer clique called the "Jump Out Boys." Deputies gain membership by shooting gang members, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The department is investigating a pamphlet, described as a code of conduct, that distinguishes between deputies who have and have not been in deputy-involved shootings, CBS reports. The pamphlet implies the shootings are a badge of honor.

Another gang-like club, "The 3,000 Boys," was exposed within the Sheriff's department in December of 2010. As depicted in the video above, the clique used gang-like hand signs and would “earn their ink” by breaking inmates' bones.

Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Steve Whitmore told CBS that a probe of the alleged "Jump Out Boys" is underway and that appropriate actions would be taken in necessary. He also said, however, that the whole thing may be a "fantasy."