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Findings and Recommendations 15 findings
F1
At the April 7th, 2015 Board of Supervisors meeting the Sheriff reported on the past five years of expenditures from the IMWT, not annually as required by penal code. This potentially qualifies as misfeasance on the part of the Sheriff.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Beginning with FY2015-16, per State law, the Sheriff must submit annual budget reports detailing expenditures of the inmate welfare fund.
F2
The Sherriff is in charge of a number of departmental budgets but was unaware that the IWF budget is required by law to be annually reported to the BOS. The Sheriff failed to direct department staff accordingly. Commissary
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
The Sheriff should include a justification to the Board of Supervisors for the expenditures of IMWT funds that are left to his discretion – such as mattresses, food carts and clothing. While these items can be considered legitimate expenditures of IMWT monies, their approval should be documented along with the annual budget as discretionary expenses. Commissary
F3
The current IWF financial services system, such as the processing of commissary orders, is outdated and inefficient requiring significant staff time to maintain.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
The Business Manager should develop and implement a new efficient commissary and inmate fund accounting system. Policy/procedures
F4
The commissary markup is inconsistent between various commissary items. Policy/procedures
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
An annual financial audit and time study of the Inmate Welfare Fund should be completed.
F5
County Policy does not reflect state law requiring the Department to report an annual budget to the B.O.S.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
The Business Manager should consider combining the existing accounts related to the Inmate Welfare Fund, the IMWT and Trinity County IMW accounts, to streamline IWF accounting.
F6
Department employees do not have time to update, refine or overhaul current policies and procedures in order to maximize department procedure efficiency. However, some Department employees have taken the initiative to develop, refine and implement a few specific procedures that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of departmental processes.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
The Sheriff should consider developing committees, comprised of department staff, to investigate, research, develop and report out on methods to improve department policies and procedures.
F7
While early in the plans development process for the new jail facility, there are currently no specific plans for modifying the IMWT and commissary procedures in the new facility. Contract
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
The Sheriff, or undersheriff, as head and chief deputy of the department respectively, should take a lead role in developing, overseeing and assigning staff to committees to pursue cost saving and efficiency improving policies and procedures.
F8
While utilizing the service for all commissary orders, it is unclear whether a contract currently exists with Swanson Services Corporation.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
Because improvements in departmental policies and procedures directly relates to the cost efficiency and effectiveness of the Department, the Sheriff should allocate funds for the purpose of developing committees to improve Department policies and procedures.
F9
There are currently plans to explore the use of a new vendor to simplify the IMWT and commissary procedures. However, staff time is limited to research and develop this potential vendor option. Expenditures/account/management
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
In conjunction with the ongoing development of plans for the new jail facility, the Sheriff and his staff should develop plans to improve the efficiency of the commissary and the expenditure of the IMWT for the benefit of inmates. This could include space for GED test taking, a library, meeting rooms for club activities and television viewing which IMWT could subsequently help support financially. Contract
F10
Two separate accounts are used for Inmate Welfare Fund revenues and expenditures; the IMWT account and the Trinity County IMW account.
Related Recommendations (1)
R10
The Business Manager should review and/or update the current contract with Swanson Services Corporation to verify compliance. Other vendors should be researched and contracts pursued if deemed an improvement over the existing contract. Expenditures/account/management
F11
In 2014, IMWT monies totaling $6,199 were used to purchase a custom made heated food cart for the commissary. In FY 12/13 mattresses ($2,010.19) and inmate clothing ($1,868.62) were purchased with IMWT funds.
Related Recommendations (1)
R11
The IMW funds should be used to eliminate any cost overruns in the IMWT to avoid impacting Departmental budgets - currently averaging $566.49 per year.
F12
A total of $102,420 has been transferred from the IMWT account to the Trinity County IMW account. 64% of the IMW account procured from the IMWT (commissary funds) was used for staff time while 35% has been spent on inmate support and care supplies.
Related Recommendations (1)
R12
The Board of Supervisors should conduct yearly visits of the jail facility and inspect corrections procedures and policies – including commissary practices and inmate welfare. Training
F13
B.O.S. visits to jail facilities are rare. Training
Related Recommendations (1)
R13
Efforts to provide staff training should continue.
F14
While financial services staff is competent and professional, training for department financial services staff is infrequent.
Related Recommendations (1)
R14
The Sheriff should assure that all employees are familiar with departmental policies, updates to policies and that employees have a means to locate policies – either in hard copy or digital form.
F15
Department staff is not fully aware of County policies, at times without a hard copy on hand or specific knowledge of how to look up policies online.
No recommendations for this finding
Commendations 1
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CM1 Page 8The personnel of the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office should be commended for their continuing dedication and service to the people of this county. With a difficult job, limited budget, and a challenging geography, these individuals exemplify service and commitment to their communities. To their credit, some individuals recognized the need to address deficiencies prior to the Grand Jury inspection. Individuals highlighted past innovations and improvements to procedures and alluded to plans for future training. REQUEST FOR RESPONSES Pursuant to Penal Code section 933.05, the Grand Jury requests responses as follows: From the following individuals: Sheriff Bruce Haney o Findings 1 through 15 o Recommendations 1 through 14 Trinity County Board of Supervisors o Findings 1 and 13 o Recommendations 1, 2 and 12 Reports issued by the Grand Jury do not identify individuals interviewed. Penal Code section 929 requires that reports of the Grand Jury not contain the name of any person or facts leading to the identity of any person who provides information to the Grand Jury.
No Responses Found 2
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
Trinity County Board of Supervisors
Elected County Office
Trinity County Sheriff
Elected County Office