Lake County

Recommendations 8

• R4
  The Grand Jury’s Government Services Committee conduct an annual oversight of the PDPOC.
• R5
  That School Districts investigate available funding for the installation of metal detectors to prevent weapons from being brought on campus. (F-5) Page | 140 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report
• R6
  That school officials set a goal of meeting with each student’s parent or guardian at least once during the year to discuss recognizing changes in students’ behavior. (F-6) RESPONSES As per the California Penal Code § 933.05 (a) (b) (c), the following responses are required: Kelseyville Unified School District R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5 90 days Konocti Unified School District R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5 90 days Lakeport Unified School District R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5 90 days Lucerne Unified School District R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5 90 days Middletown Unified School District R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5 90 days Upper Lake Unified School District R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5 90 days Clearlake Police Department R-2, R-3 90 days Lake County Sheriff R-2, R-3 60 days Lakeport Police Department R-2, R-3 90 days Page | 141 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report Even Winnie the Pooh Gives School Shooting Advice Page | 142 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report MASS/SCHOOL SHOOTINGS BIBLIOGRAPHY Disrupting School Violence: New Secret Service Report Offers Tips for Educators (gaggle.net) Every mass shooting in the US – a visual database | US news | The Guardian Everytown for Gun Safety - Wikipedia Fast Fact: Preventing School Violence |Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC List of mass shootings in the United States - Wikipedia Mass killings in US: Database shows mass casualty shootings in America (usatoday.com) Mass Shootings in the US Fast Facts | CNN Mass shootings in the US: 2022 could be the second-highest year | CNN Mass Shootings in 2023 | Gun Violence Archive Mass shootings in the United States - Wikipedia School shooters: Roots of violence often include depression and despair: Shots - Health News : NPR School Shooters: Patterns of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Bullying, and Social Media - PubMed (nih.gov) School violence - Wikipedia School Violence: Bullying and Shootings at Columbine | Applied Social Psychology (ASP) (psu.edu) Student Safety Tip Line | Gaggle SpeakUp for Safety Why do school shootings keep happening in the United States? - VCU News - Virginia Commonwealth University Why number of US mass shootings has risen sharply - BBC News What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. | Pew Research Center What Do the Data Reveal About Violence in Schools? | National Institute of Justice (ojp.gov) USSS Averting Targeted School Violence.2021.03.pdf (secretservice.gov) Page | 143 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report Page | 144 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report GROW YOUR OWN Executive Summary Law enforcement is in the middle of a recruitment and retention crisis. With lowunemployment,theCOVIDcrisis,thereactiontotheGeorgeFloydincident, and the current climate of defunding, police agencies are struggling to fill the ranks a n d k e e p g o o d c o p s . Unfortunately, according to a 2021 Work for Survey there was an 18% increase in resignations and a 45% increase in retirements over the past year. However, there are solutions. We believe that by Growing Our Own, Lake County will be able to reduce the amount of unfilled law enforcement open positions. Overtime, the program we are proposing will provide a ready pool of law enforcement talent. Methodology Documents During our investigation, the Grand Jury reviewed and obtained factual data and other information from interviews, numerous documents and sources. Please see Bibliography. Interviews The Lake County Civil Grand Jury interviewed the officers responsible for the continuation of the Lake County Sheriff's Explorer program, the captain re- sponsible for coordination of the CalFire Cinder Girl program, and the officer and s e r g e a n t m a n a g i n g t h e L A P D A s s o c i a t e C o m m u n i t y O f f i c e r p r o g r a m . Page | 145 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report BACKGROUND R e c r u i t e r s f o r l a w e n f o r c e m e n t p e r s o n n e l h a v e b e e n a b l e t o m e e t t h e i r h i r i n g q u o t a s , u n t i l t h e l a s t f i v e y e a r s . " Y o u ' v e g o t a w o r k f o r c e t h a t ' s b e i n g c o m p r e s s e d o n t h e f r o n t e n d , y o u ' v e g o t a d r o p i n p e o p l e w h o w a n t t o b e c o p s . A n d o n t h e o t h e r e n d , y o u h a v e a s i g n i f i c a n t i n c r e a s e i n p e o p l e w h o a r e r e s i g n i n g a n d r e t i r i n g . A n d w e h a v e a s u r v e y t h a t w e d i d ( t h a t f o u n d a ) 4 4 % i n c r e a s e i n r e t i r e m e n t s , 1 8 % i n c r e a s e i n r e s i g n a t i o n s ( i n p o l i c e d e p a r t - m e n t s ) , " a c c o r d i n g t o P o l i c e E x e c u t i v e R e s e a r c h F o r u m P r e s i d e n t Chuck Wexler. M a n y o f t h e s e i s s u e s s t a r t e d b e f o r e t h e C O V I D - 1 9 p a n d e m i c a n d t h e p r o t e s t s o f 2020. C o n s i d e r t h e s e r e s u l t s f r o m a 2 0 1 9 r e p o r t p u b l i s h e d b y t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l A s s o c i a t i o n o f C h i e f s o f P o l i c e i n w h i c h a g e n c i e s f r o m f e d e r a l , s t a t e , l o c a l a n d t r i b a l l e v e l s w e r e s u r v e y e d : • 7 8 % o f a g e n c i e s r e p o r t e d h a v i n g d i f f i c u l t y r e c r u i t i n g e l i g i b l e c a n d i d a t e s . • 6 5 % o f a g e n c i e s r e p o r t e d h a v i n g t o o f e w c a n d i d a t e s a p p l y i n g f o r p o s i t i o n s . • 75% of agencies reported that recruiting was more difficult than in the past. • 5 0 % o f a g e n c i e s r e p o r t e d h a v i n g t o c h a n g e t h e i r p o l i c i e s t o i n c r e a s e t h e n u m b e r o f q u a l i f i e d c a n d i d a t e s . • 2 5 % o f a g e n c i e s r e p o r t e d h a v i n g t o r e d u c e o r e l i m i n a t e s e r v i c e s , u n i t s o r p o s i t i o n s d u e t o s t a f f i n g d i f f i c u l t i e s . F o r d e c a d e s , p o l i c e o f f i c e r s h a v e b e e n " c a l l e d t o t h e p r o f e s s i o n , " p a s s i o n a t e a b o u t t h e i r j o b s a f f e c t i n g t h e i r c o m m u n i t i e s . T o d a y , m a n y i n d i v i d u a l s w h o s e i n h e r e n t v a l u e s , t r a i n i n g , a n d c h a r a c t e r m a k e t h e m e x c e l l e n t c a n d i d a t e s f o r t h e m o s t c h a l l e n g i n g p u b l i c s e r v i c e p r o f e s s i o n s t h i n k , " I s p o l i c i n g a c a r e e r I r e a l l y w a n t ? " E v e n t h o s e w h o a r e a f e w s h o r t y e a r s Page | 146 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report a w a y f r o m retirement are leaving departments despite having prime promotional opportunities. They sign up with new agencies for their last few years of work. A s a r e s u l t , l a w e n f o r c e m e n t d e p a r t m e n t s a c r o s s t h e c o u n t r y a r e w r e s t l i n g w i t h c h r o n i c c h a l l e n g e s i n p o l i c e o f f i c e r s ' r e t e n t i o n , r e c r u i t m e n t , a n d h i r i n g . T h e y continue to look for guidance, tips, smart ideas and solutions and how to fill the ranks, compete with other law enforcement departments for talent, and e f f e c t i v e l y r e b u i l d t h e h i g h m o r a l e a n d c u l t u r e t h e y o n c e h a d . One short term solution, appearing over the past two years, are hiring/bonus programs. For example, Phoenix, Arizona provides a $7500 bonus for new hires. Locally, Santa Rosa gives lateral position transfers a $25,000 bonus. Alameda is offering $ 7 5 , 0 0 0 f o r e v e r y e n t r y l e v e l o f f i c e r . I n c o m p a r i s o n , L a k e C o u n t y p r o v i d e s a $ 2 0 , 0 0 0 h i r i n g i n c e n t i v e l i m i t e d t o f e m a l e c o r r e c t i o n a l d e p u t i e s w i t h a s u n s e t o n c e a p r e - d e t e r m i n e d n u m b e r o f f e m a l e s a r e h i r e d . C u r r e n t l y , h i r i n g i n c e n t i v e s a r e $ 1 0 , 0 0 0 f o r d e p u t y s h e r i f f , d e p u t y p r o b a t i o n o f f i c e r , a n d w e l f a r e f r a u d i n v e s t i g a t o r , e i t h e r a c a d e m y g r a d u a t e s o r l a t e r a l s . Page | 147 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report L a k e C o u n t y d o e s n o t h a v e a h i r i n g i n c e n t i v e f o r d e p u t y t r a i n e e s , h o w e v e r t h e y a r e w o r k i n g t o w a r d s a h i r i n g i n v e n t i v e f o r d e p u t y t r a i n e e s . A g a i n , w e b e l i e v e t h a t c r e a t i n g a p h i l o s o p h y o f " G r o w Y o u r O w n " w i l l n o t o n l y e n s u r e a p i p e l i n e o f p o t e n t i a l c a n d i d a t e s t h a t ' k n o w ' L a k e C o u n t y . M o r e o v e r , t h e y a r e c o s t j u s t i f i e d v i a t h e i r r e d u c e d o r i e n t a t i o n a n d t r a i n i n g t i m e . T h r o u g h r e s e a r c h w e u n c o v e r e d s e v e r a l t i p s a n d s t r a t e g i e s t o i m p r o v e p o l i c e o f f i c e r a t t e n t i o n r e c r u i t m e n t a n d h i r i n g . T h e y w e r e : 1. D e v e l o p a r e c r u i t m e n t p l a n 2. H o s t p r e - A c a d e m y p r o g r a m s f o r t e e n s a n d c o l l e g e s t u d e n t s 3. A s k o f f i c e r s t o i n v e s t t h e m s e l v e s i n r e c r u i t m e n t o r t h e i r a s s i g n e d d e p a r t m e n t 4 . U p d a t e t h e m a r k e t i n g m a t e r i a l s a n d o u t r e a c h s t r a t e g y 5. E n s u r e t h a t b a c k g r o u n d c h e c k s a n d d e p a r t m e n t r e q u i r e m e n t s a l i g n w i t h a c t u a l d e p a r t m e n t n e e d s 6. S i t d o w n a n d s p e a k t o y o u r o f f i c e r s 7. E n c o u r a g e y o u r o f f i c e r s t o e n g a g e w i t h t h e c o m m u n i t y 8. S t a y c o m p e t i t i v e 9. Improve communications from the top down and bottom up 10.P r i o r i t i z e t r a i n i n g F o r t u n a t e l y , p r i o r t o a n d a f t e r C O V I D , t h e p o t e n t i a l f e e d e r s t o l a w e n f o r c e m e n t c a r e e r s c o n t i n u e d t o e x i s t , t h o u g h c o n s t r i c t e d . For example, the Lake County Sheriff's Office Explorer Post shut down during C O V I D , a s d i d t h e C a l F i r e C i n d e r G i r l s p r o g r a m . I n J u n e 2 0 2 2 , t h e L a k e C o u n t y E x p l o r e r P o s t p r o g r a m w a s r e s t a r t e d . The Lake County Sheriff's OfficeExplorer program had to overcome their initial post-pandemic low enrollment. Fortunately, they were granted an exception by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA)sincetheydidnotinitiallymeettheminimumfiveenrollees. Theyproject that their enrollment will exceed the BSA minimum in 2023. The current criteria for the Lake County Sheriff's office Explorer program are: • B e b e t w e e n t h e a g e s o f 1 4 t o 2 0 y e a r s o l d • Maintain a 2.0 grade point average while attending school • B e o f g o o d m o r a l c h a r a c t e r • H a v e a c l e a r / c l e a n c r i m i n a l r e c o r d • Be able to attend bimonthly scheduled meetings • Be willing to volunteer time to extend Explorer functions Page | 148 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report • Be willing to commit to the Explorer code and exemplify the professional image of the Lake County Sheriff's office Lake County has a Deputy Sheriff Trainee Program, with these qualifications: Successful applicants must meet the following criteria: 1. Current Permanent employee of the County of Lake in any capacity. 2. The equivalent of at least two (2) years of full-time, continuous County service from their most recent date of permanent hire. OR Three (3) years of work experience in a position requiring contact with the public is required. OR Graduation from a two-year college with an Associate's degree. Unfortunately, once a Lake County high-school graduate desires to become a member of the Lake County Sheriff's Office Deputy Sheriff Trainee program, they must be able to support themselves while fulfilling the education and/or experience requirements. However, there are solutions. In March 1989, 48 medium-sized police departments within the state of California were surveyed in order to determine current trends in the use of police cadet programs. The most significant question of the survey in terms of the issue of recruitment was "What Percentage of Cadets Successfully Complete Probation as S w o r n O f f i c e r s ? " N i n e t y - f i v e p e r c e n t r e s p o n d e d t h a t t h e i r a g e n c i e s w e r e experiencing success rate of between 80 and 100 percent for cadets who went on to become sworn police officers. March2022datafromtheNationalPoliceChiefs'Councilrevealtheaverage attrition rate is 9.1% with 2,567 leavers from 28,173 new recruits. The City of Boston and the State of Massachusetts has created a paid full- time, benefited cadet program for those between the ages of 19 and 25. The annual salary is $40,000 a year. Page | 149 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report At one time, the Los Angeles Police Department had a Student Worker program that provided college students between the ages of 18 through 21 a paid internship (no benefits) for 20 hours a week during the school year and 40 hours a week during the summer. In 2017, replacing the LAPD's Student Worker program is the ACOP (Associate Community Officer Program). An Associate Community Officer is a civilian employee of the Police Department who performs a variety of law enforcement support duties under general supervision and performs related work as required. During the performance of job duties, Associate Community Officers may be rotated to varying assignments. ACOP is a program to employ young adults (ages 17 1/2- 23 years old) who have proven to be outstanding participants in LAPD's youth programs and have expressed the desire and commitment to join LAPD as sworn officers. The program was created to resemble a fellowship to provide future sworn officers with an enriching experience and connect them to the culture of the LAPD. This will provide participants with mental and physical education, mentorship, and a prestigious paid work opportunity. The program offers short- term employment (less than five years) to bridge the gap between young adults and the time when they are legally eligible to apply for the department. The ACOP's Minimum Requirements are:  Must be 18 Years of Age. You may apply at 17 as long as you turn 18 by the time of appointment.  U.S. Citizen or must be a permanent resident.  Be a participant from at least one of the following LAPD youth programs; Page | 150 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report  Police Orientation and Preparation Program (POPP). Current participant or graduated within the last 12 months.  Police Academy Magnet School Program. A graduate within the last 2 y e a r s .  LAPD CADET Program. Current participant or past participant within 2 y e a r s ; OR Current enrollment in a College/University; OR  Current participation in a Community Based Organization (public or private non-profit organization providing services to underserved communities within the Los Angeles area); OR  Six months experience as a volunteer or intern with the LAPD and  Must have a written invitation from the LAPD Personnel Division. There are seven steps to becoming an LAPD ACO: 1. Application 2. Multiple Choice Test 3. Personal History Statement 4. Department Interview, Polygraph and PFQ (Physical Fitness Qualifier) 5. M e d i c a l E v a l u a t i o n 6. F i e l d I n v e s t i g a t i o n Field Investigation includes checks of employment, police, financial, education, and military records and interviews with family members, neighbors, supervisors, co-workers, and friends. The applicant is evaluated on past behavior and the extent to which the behavior demonstrates positive traits that support candidacy for an LAPD Police Officer. The Field Investigation provides time and opportunity to get in shape for the Academy. 7. Psychological Evaluation A u g m e n t i n g t h e L A P D A C O p r o g r a m i s t h e L A P D ' s P o l i c e C a d e t S c h o l a r s h i p F o u n d a t i o n . The ACOP program is currently funded for 50 participants. There are 36 current ACOP's who work 20 hours a week. Recently, 8 transitioned into full-time officers. The retention rate of the Associate Community Officer Program is 90%. The Sergeant-in-charge has offered to provide further assistance and guidance. Page | 151 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report A successful program in Lake County should provide an economic bridge between ages 18 to 21, allowing residents to receive valuable exposure to its multiple departments and processes. Thereby, successful participants would havetheirDeputySheriffTraineetimeenhancedbythepreviousexposurethey received and would have officer orientation time significantly reduced, resulting in significant financial savings. FINDINGS
• R7
  That the School Districts provide after-school programs that build skills and enhance growth. (F-7) Page | 202 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report
• R8
  That the Board approve and adopt organizational and operational Policies and Procedures that include specifying periodic rotation of the role of Chairman. (F-2, F-3) Lakeport Fire Protection District response 933.05 (B) 3. The recommendation requires further analysis, with an explanation and the scope and parameters of an analysis or study, and a timeframe. Page | 254 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report
• R9
  That the Board make a consistent effort to interact inform- ally/socially with the firefighters in order to improve morale and trust. (F-11, F-14, F-15, F-20, F-21) Lakeport Fire Protection District response 933.05 (B) 3. The recommendation requires further analysis, with an explanation and the scope and parameters of an analysis or study, and a timeframe.
• R10
  That the 2022-2023 Civil Grand Jury continue this investigation to follow-up on the above Recommendations and report on further developments, including the hiring of a new Chief. (F-1 through F- 21) Lakeport Fire Protection District response 933.05 (B) 3. The recommendation requires further analysis, with an explanation and the scope and parameters of an analysis or study, and a timeframe. Page | 255 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report COMMUNITY CAT MANAGEMENT FINDINGS
• R11
  That the PHO position be listed as a Critical Position. [F11] Lake County Board of Supervisors response 933.05 (B) 1. The recommendation has been implemented, with a summary regarding the implemented action. Lake County CAO response 933.05 (B) 1. The recommendation has been implemented, with a summary regarding the implemented action. Page | 292 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report Lake County HR Director response 933.05 (B) 1. The recommendation has been implemented, with a summary regarding the implemented action. Page | 293 2022-2023 Lake County Civil Grand Jury Final Report Not Your Grandpa’s Dump FINDINGS