Department of Juvenile Justice officials say workers who were suspended over unfinished investigations were warned at least twice that they were not in compliance with department protocol.

Department Commissioner Avery Niles said Tuesday that an executive staffer warned investigators in May that their failure to close unfinished probes into reports of sexual misconduct and abuse at state youth detention centers was out of line with department policy.

Department spokesman Jim Shuler has said internal investigations are supposed to be concluded within 45 days. The unresolved cases were filed in 2012.

In mid-June, 19 investigators and their supervisor were suspended in the wake of a U.S. Department of Justice report that listed four of the state's detention centers among the worst in the country in terms of detainee sexual abuse.

Tags: Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, Avery Niles, sexual assault, youth detention centers