Kern County Grand Jury • 2020-2021

Report: Kern County Sheriffs Office Property & Evidence Facility

Published: February 02, 2021 25 pages
View Original PDF

Findings and Recommendations 13 findings

F1
The first and second floors lack a fire suppression system. The basement system is outdated and appears inoperable.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1
Install a fire suppression system on all floors. Apply for funding in next year’s capital expenditure budget. (Finding 1)
R11
Seek funding to relocate the Property Room to a larger, more modern building that addresses all of our concerns. In addition, consider the possibility of working with General Services and the Sheriff’s Office to repurpose the current building. (Findings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13) Looking Ahead for 5 Years 300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 Chart created by the Grand Jury from prior Grand Jury reports and Property Room data
F2
Annual fire inspections of the building are not done. The sensitivity of the evidence stored in the property building should dictate these inspections.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Request an annual fire inspection by the appropriate agency. General Services should schedule periodic inspections of the fire suppression system. (Finding 2)
F3
Quick access by the Fire Department in the event of a fire needs improvement.
Related Recommendations (2)
R3
Develop an emergency key system. Apply for funding in next year’s capital expenditure budget. (Finding 3)
R4
The Sheriff’s Office should develop a policy allowing after-hours access to the Property Room in the event of a fire. The Central Receiving Facility on-duty shift supervisor should issue the key(s). The key(s) should be designated as emergency access response only and on a restricted basis. (Finding 3)
F4
There is a need for installation of electrical connections for an emergency power generator and the acquisition of a unit for the Property Room capable of providing power to the entire building.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
Install an emergency power generator system and its connections. Apply for funding in next year’s capital expenditure budget. (Finding 4)
F5
Securing and retaining evidence is the primary focus of the Property Room and is of vital interest to Kern County’s justice system.
No recommendations for this finding
F6
The Sheriff’s Office needs additional security cameras covering all areas.
No recommendations for this finding
F7
The facility needs additional space to accommodate the increasing evidence. The Property Room has never removed any sexual assault evidence from storage. The current location may be full in three years.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
Identify and acquire a larger facility to accommodate all current and anticipated evidence for the next five years with the option for future expansion. Accelerate the process of the return or destruction of evidence to free up space. Apply for funding in next year’s capital expenditure budget. (Finding 7)
F8
This building has inadequate ventilation and air conditioning, offering a sub-par work environment. The fans in the narcotic storage do not adequately remove the vapors adversely affecting staff that may lead to Workers’ Compensation claims resulting in additional cost to the County.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
Install an enhanced ventilation system in the marijuana and narcotics storage areas. Apply for funding in next year’s capital expenditure budget. (Finding 8)
F9
The Marijuana Concentrate pails should be isolated in a flammable storage cabinet.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
Acquire a flammable storage cabinet to contain all flammable items. (Finding 9)
F10
The elevator offers poor service reliability leading to repeated repairs. Elevator repairs are costly and time consuming. The Grand Jury found that employees are concerned about being trapped in the elevator. The anxiety caused by service disruption is stressful. Higher insurance or Workers’ Compensation claims might occur after employees carry heavier items to storage locations when the elevator malfunctions.
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
Due to the elevator requiring significant repair or replacement, consider relocating to a new building. (Finding 10) 2020-2021 Kern County Grand Jury Report
F11
Property Room staffing currently appears adequate. It is likely additional staff will be needed to handle the projected workload as evidence volume increases. 2020-2021 Kern County Grand Jury Report
Related Recommendations (1)
R10
Estimate the increase workload and personnel needed for annual increases in evidence storage. (Finding 11)
F12
The current Property Room rack system offers some improvement in evidence storage and retrieval. The manual labeling and shelf system are outdated.
Related Recommendations (1)
R12
Investigate the application of robotics, technology, or automated rack systems to expedite the labeling, storage, handling, and retrieval of evidence. Investigate Infrastructure Grants or grants for technology that might be available to accomplish this improvement. (Findings 12 and 13) NOTES: • The Kern County Sheriff’s Office should post a copy of this report where it will be available for public review. • Persons wishing to receive an email notification of newly released reports may sign up at: www.kerncounty.com/grandjury. • Present and past Kern County Grand Jury Final Reports and Responses can be accessed on the Kern County Grand Jury website: www.kerncounty.com/grandjury. REQUIRED RESPONSES WITHIN 60 DAYS TO:  PRESIDING JUDGE KERN COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT 1415 TRUXTUN AVENUE, SUITE 212 BAKERSFIELD, CA 93301 2020-2021 Kern County Grand Jury Report  TRUXTUN AVENUE, SUITE 600 BAKERSFIELD, CA 93301 Reports issued by the Grand Jury do not identify individuals interviewed. Cal. Penal Code § 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. APPENDIX: Reference Website links: https://kernsheriff.org/ https://www.kernsheriff.org/Property_Evidence https://www.kerncountyfire.org/en/ https://www.bakersfieldcity.us/233/Fire https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/ https://www.kerncounty.com/government/county-administrative-office/general-services https://www.justice.gov/grants https://govt.westlaw.com/calregs/Document/IA1C01820D4BA11DE8879F88E8B0DAAAE?con textData=%28sc.Default%29&transitionType=Default https://www.justthinktwice.gov/facts-about-marijuana-concentrates https://post.ca.gov/Portals/0/post_docs/publications/Evidence_and_Property_Management.pdf https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/home.xhtml https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/home.xhtml https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2010-07-14 https://www.fireandburn.org/prevention/honey-oil-danger https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/CFC2019P1/chapter-9-fire-protection-and-life-safety-systems https://www.kerncountyfire.org/en/fire-prevention/inspections.html https://www.globalindustrial.com/c/storage/flammable-osha-cabinets/flammable 2020-2021 Kern County Grand Jury Report
F13
Modernization, technology and/or robotics could improve evidence storage and retrieval of anticipated increased evidence. COMMENTS: This Grand Jury would like to thank the commander, lieutenant, sergeant, and staff for the professional tour and information provided supporting our investigation. The Property Room is clean, organized and efforts to optimize the space is obvious. The Grand Jury recognized the staff is doing their best to maintain irreplaceable evidence but only so much can be done in a building that is past its usefulness.
No recommendations for this finding

Comments 3

No Responses Found 1

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

Kern County County