Lawmakers want the state Department of Human Services to explain why juvenile injuries at a northern Colorado youth detention facility were not reported to police for possible investigation.

Rep. Jim Kerr, a Littleton Republican, said he is asking the House Health and Human Services Committee to convene a hearing on incidents at the Platte Valley Youth Services Center that were reported by The Associated Press.

Betty Boyd, a Democrat from Lakewood who chairs the Senate Joint Health and Human Services Committee, said an examination on camp security procedures is needed "to get at the root of what's going on."

The Department of Human Services, which has jurisdiction over Platte Valley, said it has discretion over whether to report youth camp incidents to police.

In June, a security guard using thumb restraints broke a girl's wrists in two places while trying to calm her down. A day later, a developmentally disabled youth claimed he was injured while handcuffed for refusing to obey orders.

Neither youth was immediately taken to a hospital for treatment - a possible violation of state policy.

A third youth at Platte Valley nearly lost an eye when he was beaten by other detainees because they believed he was a snitch. State officials said they took that youth to a hospital in a state vehicle because his injuries were not life-threatening.

Counselors, who asked that they not be identified for fear of retribution by their supervisors, said an ambulance wasn't called to avoid alerting police.