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Extracted from Consolidated Report

This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.

Contra Costa County Grand Jury • 2024-2025

Clayton: Small City, Big Concerns 2505

Published: January 01, 2026 12 pages

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⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.

⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.

Findings 36 findings

The CWS [community warning system] is used in response to Agree emergencies in the County.

About 30% of County residents have created a CWS account Agree and entered their contact data.

The approximately 70% of residents who haven't registered with Disagree CWS may not receive alerts in the event that other alerting tools not reliant on registration in the CWS—WEA [Wireless Emergency Alerts], radios and TVs—are not activated.

Additional redundancies in the processes and operation of the Agree CWS can increase the potential for more people to receive timely alerts.

To enable the redundancy of other altering tools—sending Disagree recorded voice messages to cell and VoIP [Voice over Internet Protocol] phones, text messages, and emails—the contact data for these devices must be registered in the CWS.

Phone numbers and associated physical addresses can be Partially loaded into the CWS for all businesses and residents in the disagree County from the various telecom providers that serve the County.

In an opt-out warning system, County residents and businesses Agree that do not want phone and/or email data in the CWS can request to have their data removed.

The reliance of the CWS on voluntary registration creates a Disagree risk that too few residents will register their phones and email in CWS.

An opt-out system would incur annual costs for data Disagree subscriptions on the order of $100,000. Page A1 of 14 Compliance and Continuity Report

F10

An opt-out system would incur an initial cost to educate Disagree residents and businesses of the CWS system change on the order of $500,000.

F11

Outdoor warning systems supplement other warning tools Agree by providing acoustic (voice or siren sounds) to people who are indoors.

F12

Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRADs) can broadcast audible Agree instructions to people outdoors when cell phones and other alert-receiving devices may not be working or heard.

F13

A sound study is needed to evaluate where, if at all, LRADs Agree might be effective in Contra Costa County.

F14

Sites where LRADs could be located would need to be Agree identified for any areas in which LRADs are found to be effective.

F15

The County would incur a cost for a sound study on the Agree feasibility to deploy LRADs within the County.

F16

There is no estimate of the cost for an independent, third party Agree to conduct a feasibility study for the use of LRADs within the County.

F17

LRADs would be part of the County's emergency response Partially warning tools. disagree

F18

Costs related to emergency response can be funded from Agree Measure X revenue.

F19

At all times, one of the three CWS employees is the designated Partially on-call duty officer who responds to requests for activation of disagree the CWS.

F20

In the event of disasters such as fast-moving wildfires, a Partially reasonable time for alerts to be sent to the public is within 20 disagree minutes of when the incident commander contacts the CWS duty officer. Page A2 of 14 Compliance and Continuity Report

F21

Once the CWS duty officer is contacted by the Sheriff's dispatch Agree center the CWS duty officer has up to 10 minutes to call the incident commander.

F22

In the event the CWS duty officer is not reached after two Agree attempts to contact them, the dispatch center attempts to contact a backup person to the duty officer.

F23

Additional time is required to contact CWS backup personnel Agree and have them get to a computer and establish a secure connection into the CWS.

F24

In the event the CWS duty officer is not reached after two Agree attempts but the dispatch center to contact them, the time required to contact backup personnel to the on-call CWS duty officer is uncertain.

F25

Reliance on a single person to operate the CWS, the on-call Partially CWS duty officer, creates a risk that alerts and notifications could disagree be delayed.

F26

Two evacuation drills in the city of Richmond in 2022 and 2023 Disagree resulted in half of the drill participants claiming they should have received a drill alert but did not, or received the alert hours later after the drill was completed.

F27

The CWS did not conduct any studies to verify or understand Disagree the claims Richmond evacuation drill participants made that they should have received a drill alert but did not, or received the alert hours later after the drill was completed.

F28

The CWS is not tested to determine the extent to which people Partially actually notice, read, or hear alerts sent by the CWS. disagree

F29

The CWS staff evaluates its systems and processes for risks. Agree

F30

The County has not engaged a firm with expertise in risk Agree analysis of community warning systems to conduct a comprehensive risk analysis of the CWS since the County took control of the system in 2001. Page A3 of 14 Compliance and Continuity Report

F31

The current process for improving the design and operation Agree of the CWS for alerts is not related to releases of hazardous chemicals resides within the Sheriff's Office.

F32

There is no formal body or process that brings together Disagree emergency response agencies in the County to focus and advise solely on the design and operation of the CWS.

F33

The functioning and effectiveness of the CWS can be improved, Disagree and operational risks reduced, with the implementation of a CWS advisory body.

F34

The Emergency Services Policy Board can create Partially subcommittees, such as a CWS advisory committee. disagree

F35

The CWS staff provides training materials to the fire districts, Agree fire departments, police departments, and dispatch centers in the County on the use of CWS, its tools, types of warnings, activation, and information needed by the CWS duty officer.

F36

The CWS staff does not have a process to determine if the Partially recipients of the training it provides to first responders of the fire disagree districts/departments, police departments, and dispatch centers who receive training materials on CWS have read and understood the training materials. Page A4 of 14 Compliance and Continuity Report Table 2 Report 2402 The Contra Costa Community Warning System Will Everyone Get a Warning in Time?

Recommendations 9

R1

By March 31, 2025, the Board of Supervisors should develop Implemented a plan to modify the CWS so that it automatically registers all available contact data for all County residents and businesses into its system and provides a mechanism for residents and businesses to opt out of the automatic registration process.
R2

By December 31, 2025, the Board of Supervisors should Implemented complete the plan to modify the CWS so that it automatically registers all available contact data for all County residents and businesses into its system and provides a mechanism for residents and businesses to opt out of the automatic registration process.
R3

By December 31, 2024, the Board of Supervisors should Further analysis commission a sound study by an independent, third party to determine the feasibility of deploying LRADs in any areas of the County.
R4

By June 30, 2025, the Office of the Sheriff should train Further analysis employees in the Sheriff's dispatch center to operate the CWS.
R5

By March 31, 2025, the Office of the Sheriff should implement Implemented a plan to conduct testing of the CWS to determine the causes of the failure of CWS alerts to reach all the intended recipients of test alerts within 10-20 minutes of the time the alert is sent.
R6

By June 30, 2025, the Board of Supervisors should execute a Further analysis contract with a third-party consulting firm to conduct a comprehensive risk analysis of the CWS, including its processes, procedures, contracts, hardware, and software. Page A5 of 14 Compliance and Continuity Report
R7

By March 31, 2025, the Board of Supervisors should direct the Not County's Chief Administrative Officer to establish a CWS advisory implemented subcommittee of the Emergency Services Policy Board.
R8

By June 30, 2025, the Office of the Sheriff should implement a Further analysis process to ensure that first responders in County agencies who take the CWS training certify they have reviewed and understood the training materials. Table 3 Page A6 of 14 Compliance and Continuity Report Report 2403 Construction-Related Accessibility Standards and the Department of Conservation and Development
R9

By July 1, 2026, the Board of Supervisors should consider directing the Human Resources Department and the Employment and Human Services Department to provide additional motivational, recognition, and wellness programs for social workers as an incentive in recruitment and retention, potentially using Measure X funds as a source of funding.

No Responses Found 1

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.

Contra Costa County County