Amador County Unified School District

Despite the recent improvements, the detention center is an old and obsolete facility that no longer meets the necessary requirements to house both male and female inmates, safely and efficiently, at the local level.

On February 10, 2003, at approximately 11:59 in the morning, the Sergeant of the Ione City Police Department responded to a 9-1-1 call from the residence. Upon his arrival, the Sergeant spent two hours interviewing the victim and others about the alleged criminal conduct that occurred at the residence the night before. The Sergeant stated he tape recorded the interviews.

Upon his return to the Ione City Police Department, the Sergeant stated he wrote a summary of his investigation on his office computer. The Sergeant also indicated that he placed the 24 interview tape in his desk drawer, not the evidence locker.

The Sergeant further stated he directed, in general, three officers under his supervision to further investigate the alleged criminal incident.

Approximately two weeks later, the Sergeant discovered no further investigation had been conducted on the matter. Thereafter, in an attempt to do some follow-up work on the case, the Sergeant discovered that his written summary of the incident had been allegedly deleted from his computer and the victim/witness interview tape had been removed from his desk.

At the time of the incident, Ione City Police Department’s computer system was tied into the Amador County Sheriff’s Department computer system. A review of the Amador County Sheriff’s dispatch computer indicated that the Sergeant did respond to the residence and stayed for two hours on February 10, 2003. The Sergeant cleared the call and classified it as an “Incident.” The computer system did not have a record of a written summary of the matter.

According to the Captain (formerly the Sergeant referenced above) , the Chief of Police felt that the matter was “no big deal.” The Chief of Police stated that at the time of the incident, he was under the impression a report had been taken, and that the matter involved a minor misdemeanor offense. According to the Chief of Police, he did not learn that a report was not taken until July 2006.

Ultimately, the Ione City Police Department conducted no follow-up work on the case. No subsequent report was taken and no temporary restraining order was sought on behalf of the victim against the suspect. Findings:

ACUSD school administrators utilize radios, school phones and intercom systems to communicate at school sites during emergency situations. As of December 2006, Jackson Junior High School’s intercom system had not been fully installed.

ACUSD has established a "Blue Ribbon" committee consisting of members from local law enforcement agencies and the school district to discuss and evaluate school safety and security, as well as revise ACUSD Emergency Preparedness Plan and Guidelines. The committee meets once a month.

ACUSD utilizes a leadership program entitled “Tomorrow’s Leaders Today,” where select high school students speak to junior high school children about “bullying” amongst students.

ACUSD employed two minimum days during the spring semester to discuss issues of school safety and security with staff at each school. Findings:

ACUSD should develop policies and procedures regarding the use of security cameras. As suggested by some administrators, teachers, and staff, ACUSD should install security cameras at strategic locations at school sites to enhance visibility, deter theft, vandalism, and violence and possibly reduce wandering by students in the halls during school hours. ACUSD School Maintenance Facts: