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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.
Santa Barbara County Grand Jury
• 2019-2020
Detention Facilities in Santa Barbara
⚠️ 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 8 findings
F1
Page 24
Ensuring critical cyber security tasks and activities are properly executed on a timely basis requires a designated individual to be accountable and responsible.
F2
Page 24
Most public entities within Santa Barbara County have an inadequate understanding of what communication and electronic systems they use and what data they maintain, and do not fully understand the risks, security issues and costs associated with the destruction of systems or loss of data.
F3
Page 24
Some public entities within Santa Barbara County do not have a written cyber security plan.
F4
Page 24
Nationally, cyber-attacks on governmental organizations have been successful for many years and are occurring with more frequency and sophistication.
F5
Page 24
Cyber-attackers use a number of methods to install malicious software on systems including access through backdoors, staff or employee carelessness, and known bugs in software.
F6
Page 25
If data is lost or compromised for any reason, including cyber-attack, mechanical failure or error, the most cost effective and expedient way to recover is to have current data backups and a plan to reinstall it.
F7
Page 25
Some public entities within Santa Barbara County do not have any, or adequate, cyber insurance.
F8
Page 25
A cost-effective method to address cyber risks and concerns is to form an information sharing and learning consortium.
Recommendations 14
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R1Page 24That each public entity within Santa Barbara County designate an individual to be accountable and responsible to oversee cyber security.
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R2Page 24That each public entity within Santa Barbara County complete a full inventory of their data, electronic and communication systems and determine the related security risks.
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R3Page 24That each public entity within Santa Barbara County establish a written cyber security plan.
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R4Page 24That each public entity within Santa Barbara County take substantial steps to protect data from internal and external attacks or threats.
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R5Page 33That the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department review camera coverage to make sure that each camera is providing the custody deputies full views of the cells.
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R5aPage 24That each public entity within Santa Barbara County install and maintain current antivirus software to detect malware and other threats. 16
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R5bPage 25That each public entity within Santa Barbara County install and update all operating software regularly.
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R5cPage 25That each public entity within Santa Barbara County periodically train employees and then test their cyber security awareness.
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R5dPage 25That each public entity within Santa Barbara County periodically ensure electronic system- related contractors have been trained for cyber security awareness.
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R6Page 33That the Board of Supervisors and Sheriff consider funding for upgrade and replacement of the inmate transportation fleet within two years. 1.2 Santa Barbara County Northern Branch Jail The Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria is being built to alleviate the overcrowding of the Main Jail as well as improving transportation efficiency. The Northern Branch Jail is an improvement in the County’s detention space, and the extra 376 beds should reduce the County’s current inmate overcrowding. A staff of 90 custody deputies will monitor the inmates. It will provide an environment that addresses safety, promotes ADA compliance, and also provides enhanced medical and mental health facilities. Construction of the new Jail was approved by the Board of Supervisors in June 2016. The Jail was originally scheduled to open in September 2018. At the time of this report the construction completion date was estimated to be May 2020, a 20-month delay. This significant delay was due to a combination of factors including a delay in the signing of the earth-moving contract, unusually wet weather, design and regulatory changes, the bankruptcy of the lead architectural firm, delays in contractor work execution, and quality deficiencies. Inmate occupancy must take place of the facility opening. The facility is currently planned to accommodate 376 rated beds with a staff of 90 custody deputies. Once occupied, this additional inmate capacity should ease the Main Jail overcrowding problem. The construction costs for the Northern Branch Jail were originally budgeted at $67 million on March 31, 2016. Amoroso Construction was awarded the winning bid of $77,720,000 on April 7, 2016.16 In June 2016, the Board of Supervisors approved the current budget of $110,857,243, to be offset with $80.0 million from the State of California. Due to project delays, unanticipated change orders, and other issues, “the final total costs of the project are now estimated to increase from the original amount of $110.8 million to a total ranging between $119.0 million and $121.0 million, which is an increase of $8.2 million to $10.2 million or 7% to 9% increase in overall project costs.”17 16 Kitchell – Construction Management and Commissioning, Northern Branch Jail Project - Bid Package 1, April 7, 2016 17 Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Agenda, March 17, 2020, D1) Hearing - Consider recommendations regarding Northern Branch Jail (NBJ) Construction Costs, 25 In May 2013, Rosser International, Inc. (Rosser) entered into a Professional Services Agreement with the County to provide architectural, engineering and related professional design services for the Northern Branch Jail Project. In June 2019, Rosser informed the County that it was going out of business, stopped working on the project, and ceased all performance of its contracted duties for the Northern Branch Jail Project. In July 2019, the County filed cost recovery litigation against Rosser to recover or mitigate the related added project costs. Overall, the Grand Jury found the facility to be impressive, with a modern architectural plan taking advantage of current technologies. The Northern Branch Jail is designed with thermal and recycled water efficiencies. While the new Jail has adequate backup plans in the event of power failures, the facility does not have a solar system that could provide longer-term coverage and cost savings. The building is designed to help normalize social relations by direct supervision. A custody deputy will be in the housing unit with the inmates. The deputy can model positive behavior and intervene quickly and effectively if there is trouble. The Jury noted that the exercise facilities for cell modules were limited in size. Considering the potentially long sentences for some inmates, these small enclosures are inadequate. The inmate entrance to the facility will have a body scanner system capability planned to reduce contraband. Personal visitations will be performed exclusively via video screens from booths. There will be larger rooms available for a family unification process planned to prepare inmates for reentry into society once sentences are completed. When inmate sentences are completed and they are released, there is no transportation available to a Santa Maria city center location, which is more than ten miles away. This is important considering the 24-hour release schedule and the distance from the Northern Branch Jail to the Santa Maria city center. The Sheriff’s Office liaison, County General Services managers, and escort custody deputies were enthusiastic, well-informed, courteous, professional and optimistic about the positive impact this new state-of-the-art facility will make for the County. 26
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R6aPage 25That each public entity within Santa Barbara County create and implement a full backup and recovery plan.
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R6bPage 25That each public entity within Santa Barbara County regularly update and test their backup and recovery plan.
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R7Page 25That each public entity within Santa Barbara County secure adequate cyber insurance.
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R8Page 25That each public entity within Santa Barbara County that is unable to allocate adequate funds for cyber security develop a cybersecurity working group to establish best practices and share costs for education, expertise, and insurance. 17
Conclusions 17
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CL1 Page 24Ensuring critical cyber security tasks and activities are properly executed on a timely basis requires a designated individual to be accountable and responsible.
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CL2 Page 24Most public entities within Santa Barbara County have an inadequate understanding of what communication and electronic systems they use and what data they maintain, and do not fully understand the risks, security issues and costs associated with the destruction of systems or loss of data.
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CL3 Page 24Some public entities within Santa Barbara County do not have a written cyber security plan.
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CL4 Page 24Nationally, cyber-attacks on governmental organizations have been successful for many years and are occurring with more frequency and sophistication.
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CL5 Page 24Cyber-attackers use a number of methods to install malicious software on systems including access through backdoors, staff or employee carelessness, and known bugs in software.
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CL6 Page 25If data is lost or compromised for any reason, including cyber-attack, mechanical failure or error, the most cost effective and expedient way to recover is to have current data backups and a plan to reinstall it.
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CL7 Page 25Some public entities within Santa Barbara County do not have any, or adequate, cyber insurance.
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CL8 Page 25A cost-effective method to address cyber risks and concerns is to form an information sharing and learning consortium.
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CL9 Page 23The 2019-20 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury determined that cyber-attacks and related threats are an ongoing reality and that all public entities within Santa Barbara County need to take prompt and aggressive steps to prevent significant disruption from these attacks. When cyber- attacks are successful, the costs to respond and recover can be in the millions of dollars. While 15 Wany Zhao and Gregory White, “A collaborative information sharing framework for community cyber security,” published in Homeland Security (HST), 2012 IEEE Conference on Technologies for Homeland Security (HST), November 13-15, 2012 15
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CL10 Page 24some local public entities are taking steps to protect themselves from these risks, many are not adequately prepared. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Finding 1 Ensuring critical cyber security tasks and activities are properly executed on a timely basis requires a designated individual to be accountable and responsible. Recommendation 1 That each public entity within Santa Barbara County designate an individual to be accountable and responsible to oversee cyber security. Finding 2 Most public entities within Santa Barbara County have an inadequate understanding of what communication and electronic systems they use and what data they maintain, and do not fully understand the risks, security issues and costs associated with the destruction of systems or loss of data. Recommendation 2 That each public entity within Santa Barbara County complete a full inventory of their data, electronic and communication systems and determine the related security risks. Finding 3 Some public entities within Santa Barbara County do not have a written cyber security plan. Recommendation 3 That each public entity within Santa Barbara County establish a written cyber security plan. Finding 4 Nationally, cyber-attacks on governmental organizations have been successful for many years and are occurring with more frequency and sophistication. Recommendation 4 That each public entity within Santa Barbara County take substantial steps to protect data from internal and external attacks or threats. Finding 5 Cyber-attackers use a number of methods to install malicious software on systems including access through backdoors, staff or employee carelessness, and known bugs in software. Recommendation 5a That each public entity within Santa Barbara County install and maintain current antivirus software to detect malware and other threats. 16
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CL11 Page 25Recommendation 5b That each public entity within Santa Barbara County install and update all operating software regularly. Recommendation 5c That each public entity within Santa Barbara County periodically train employees and then test their cyber security awareness. Recommendation 5d That each public entity within Santa Barbara County periodically ensure electronic system- related contractors have been trained for cyber security awareness. Finding 6 If data is lost or compromised for any reason, including cyber-attack, mechanical failure or error, the most cost effective and expedient way to recover is to have current data backups and a plan to reinstall it. Recommendation 6a That each public entity within Santa Barbara County create and implement a full backup and recovery plan. Recommendation 6b That each public entity within Santa Barbara County regularly update and test their backup and recovery plan. Finding 7 Some public entities within Santa Barbara County do not have any, or adequate, cyber insurance. Recommendation 7 That each public entity within Santa Barbara County secure adequate cyber insurance. Finding 8 A cost-effective method to address cyber risks and concerns is to form an information sharing and learning consortium. Recommendation 8 That each public entity within Santa Barbara County that is unable to allocate adequate funds for cyber security develop a cybersecurity working group to establish best practices and share costs for education, expertise, and insurance. 17
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CL12 Page 26REQUEST FOR RESPONSE Pursuant to California Penal Code Sections 933 and 933.05, the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury requests each entity or individual named below to respond to the enumerated findings and recommendations with the specified statutory time limit: Responses to Findings shall be either: Agree Disagree wholly Disagree partially with an explanation Responses to Recommendations shall be one of the following: Has been implemented, with brief summary of implementation actions taken Will be implemented, with an implementation schedule Requires further analysis, with analysis completion date of no more than six months after the issuance of the report Will not be implemented, with an explanation of why Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors – 90 Days Findings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 Recommendation 1, 2, 3, 4, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 6a, 6b, 7, 8 City of Buellton – 90 Days Findings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 Recommendation 1, 2, 3, 4, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 6a, 6b, 7, 8 City of Carpinteria – 90 Days Findings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 Recommendation 1, 2, 3, 4, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 6a, 6b, 7, 8 City of Goleta – 90 Days Findings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 Recommendation 1, 2, 3, 4, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 6a, 6b, 7, 8 City of Guadalupe – 90 Days Findings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 Recommendation 1, 2, 3, 4, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 6a, 6b, 7, 8 18
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CL13 Page 27City of Lompoc – 90 Days Findings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 Recommendation 1, 2, 3, 4, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 6a, 6b, 7, 8 City of Santa Barbara – 90 Days Findings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 Recommendation 1, 2, 3, 4, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 6a, 6b, 7, 8 City of Santa Maria – 90 Days Findings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 Recommendation 1, 2, 3, 4, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 6a, 6b, 7, 8 City of Solvang – 90 Days Findings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 Recommendation 1, 2, 3, 4, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 6a, 6b, 7, 8 19
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CL14 Page 28THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY BLANK 20
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CL15 Page 29DETENTION FACILITIES IN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY 2019-20 GRAND JURY INSPECTIONS Publication of the 2019-20 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury April 27, 2020 21
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CL16 Page 30DETENTION FACILITIES IN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY 2019-20 GRAND JURY INSPECTIONS INTRODUCTION Under California Penal Code Section 919 (b), the Grand Jury is required to “inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county.” The 2019-20 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury visited all detention facilities in the County, consisting of the two principal County jails, the Lompoc City jail, the various police, sheriff and Superior Court holding facilities, the two juvenile detention facilities, the County Coroner’s Bureau and the Sobering Center - a total of twenty facilities. The Grand Jury was generally satisfied with the current management and condition of the detention facilities in Santa Barbara County. Many of the facilities were built 20 to 50 years ago, and while the Jury found them to be generally safe and serviceable, significant maintenance and renovation investments will likely be required in the future. The most noteworthy findings were the current overcrowding in the Main Jail, the significant schedule and cost overrun of the new Northern Branch Jail, a new proposed approach to inmate management for the new jail, the significant shortage of critical body scanning equipment in the facilities to address the drug contraband problem, the need for improved camera coverage, and serious Sheriff and police staff shortages directly impacting public safety. OUTLINE The facilities that the Grand Jury inspected are listed below. 1.0 Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Jails 1.1 Main Jail 1.2 Northern Branch Jail (under construction) 2.0 Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Substations 2.1 Isla Vista Foot Patrol 2.2 New Cuyama 2.3 Solvang 2.4 Lompoc Valley-Harris Grade 2.5 Carpinteria 3.0 Santa Barbara County Probation Facilities 3.1 Los Prietos Boys Camp 3.2 Susan J. Gionfriddo Juvenile Justice Center 4.0 County of Santa Barbara Superior Court Holding Facilities 4.1 Santa Maria 22
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CL17 Page 314.2 Santa Barbara 4.3 Lompoc 5.0 City Jails 5.1 Lompoc City Jail 6.0 City Holding Facilities 6.1 City of Santa Barbara Police Department 6.2 City of Santa Maria Police Department 6.3 City of Guadalupe Police Department 7.0 Santa Barbara Sobering Center
Observations 3
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OB1 Page 21The responses to the Grand Jury’s survey showed most entities were deficient in one or more critical areas. Many of those surveyed reported that they had no cyber security plan, had never performed a security audit and carried no cyber insurance. Clearly, many public entities within Santa Barbara County are not fully prepared to withstand a cyber-attack. 13
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OB2 Page 22Important Concepts and Best Practices: As a result of its investigation, the Grand Jury found the following important concepts and best practices should be implemented as soon as possible to lower an organization’s risks from cyber threats and damage: Identify someone to be in charge. Organizations should appoint a designated individual with the proper expertise who is granted authority to be accountable and responsible for all cyber security, including managed service providers.14 Identify the nature of the organization’s data and the electronic systems employed and understand the security risks. Organizations should understand what type of data they maintain and use in the execution of their mission and the electronic systems employed that do, or could, allow access to the data. How is the data handled and protected to prevent unauthorized use? Who has access to that data and under what circumstances? What are risks related to unauthorized access or, in the worst case, destruction of the organization’s data? Establish a written cyber security plan. A cyber security plan adds a layer of protection to an organization’s important resources. Protecting important data and related systems is important, not only for the organization, but also its customers. Cybercrime is escalating and having a strong defense and recovery plan helps protect the organization’s reputation. A well written plan should not only detail the preventative steps the organization needs to take to prevent an attack, but also provide a recovery plan in case the data is attacked, corrupted or otherwise compromised. Protect data from internal and external threats. Data can be attacked or compromised from many sources, whether intentional or by accident. Protecting an organization’s data and systems from an external threat and intentional attack is not enough—they also must be protected from unauthorized internal access, accidental corruption or destruction. An organization’s plan needs to identify and address all possible threats and should require periodic changing of all passwords and making sure sensitive systems are contained in a secure environment with controlled access. Have strong firewalls, appropriate authorization and access controls, and effective antivirus software. Strong firewalls prevent unauthorized outside access to an organization’s systems and data. If an attacker cannot get into the system, it is harder for them to disrupt operations or damage or steal data. Having an appropriate authorization and access control system helps, among other things, assure that employees and authorized contractors can access only the systems and data they require to properly execute their duties and helps prevent unauthorized activities, theft, corruption or destruction of data. Antivirus software helps prevent software viruses, worms, “Trojan Horses,” spyware or malware from being downloaded to an organization’s electronic systems, as well as increasing protection from phishing attacks. 14 Edward Gately, “ESET: MSPs Not Proactive Enough with Cybersecurity”, ChannelFutures.com, February 7, 2020 https://www.channelfutures.com/channel-research/eset-msps-not-proactive-enough-with-cybersecurity. (Last visited 02/10/2020) 14
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OB3 Page 23 Install and update software regularly. Using the correct software and keeping it updated frequently is a strong step to help prevent attacks. Software providers are continually updating and improving their products to not only make it more effective but to address flaws that are discovered that could be used to attack an organization’s systems or data. Old and out-of-date software is much more vulnerable than current software. Software should not only be updated on internal equipment but also on all portable devices that have access to the organization’s systems. Maintain cyber security awareness and training for all employees. A system is only as strong as the people who are using it. While there are many ways to attack a system electronically, one of the easiest ways to get access to a system is to trick someone to open the door for you. This “social engineering” is cheap, effective and quicker than trying to break into a system through other means. Employees and contractors with access to the system should be made aware of the dangers of social engineering and phishing scams, and be trained how to prevent access through these means. This awareness and training should focus not only on electronic devices provided by the organization but also personal and portable electronic devices that have access to the organization’s system via Wi-Fi, email or the internet. Create a recovery plan. While planning and prevention is a vital component to strong cyber security, the reality is that things can go wrong, attackers can succeed, and things break. Therefore, it is very important that an organization have a detailed and documented recovery plan. This plan, among other things, should include periodic backups, and safe offsite storage of backup data and system software. Regularly update and test the plan. Just like practice fire drills are an important component of assuring the safety of employees, practicing the steps of an organization’s cyber security plan, especially the recovery components of the plan, is vitally important. Practice runs not only help to confirm if the plan works and what improvements could be made, they also prepare the organization for a fast response in the case of an actual attack. Consider working with other organizations to improve cyber security practices cost effectively. Working as a consortium provides an approach allowing even those with smaller budgets to participate and contribute to a successful security program.15
No Responses Found 5
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
Buellton
City
Carpinteria
City
Goleta
City
Guadalupe
City
Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors
Elected County Office