8 responses to findings and recommendations
F1
Prisoners are transported from South Lake Tahoe to Placerville for dental services.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
The respondent agrees with the finding. F2. The correctional officers routinely work 12 hour shifts with substantial additional overtime.
R1
Local dental services should be utilized if appropriate.
Response: Will Not Implement
Score: -1
The recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted. The County has a multi-year contract for medical services, including dental services, that requires all dental services to be provided in Placerville as that is the most costeffective way of delivering the service. Prisoners are transported back and forth as part of the normal biweekly transfer of inmates between the Tahoe and Placerville facilities. Utilization of local dental services increases the need for inmates to be transported, increases the opportunity for escape and requires dentists to be willing to schedule inm...
F2
The correctional officers routinely work 12 hour shifts with substantial additional overtime.
Response: Disagree Partially
Score: 0
The respondent disagrees partially with the finding. Correctional officers were working 12-hour shifts due to the existence of position vacancies at the time of the Committee's inspection. They have since returned to a 9/80 schedule because vacant positions were filled. F3. Although $31,860 was appropriated from the Criminal Justice Trust Fund in 1998 and included in the County of El Dorado Proposed Budget and Workplan (General Services Carryover Facility Projects, 98-21 South Lake Tahoe Sheriff Handicap Ramp) necessary improvements to the ramp for the disabled entrance have not been made resu...
R2
Staffing should be adequate to minimize the need for overtime.
Response: Will Not Implement
Score: -1
The recommendation will not be implemented because it is unreasonable. The Board of Supervisors has authorized adequate staffing based on a plan approved by the California Department of Corrections. For a variety of reasons, the Sheriff's Office has been unable to keep all those positions filled, resulting in the periodic need for overtime and/or 12-hour shifts. While the department makes every effort to recruit and hire jail staff, vacancies are a reality and overtime and shift adjustments will be an ongoing cost of doing business. R3. The ramp for the disabled should immediately be improved ...
F3
Although $31,860 was appropriated from the Criminal Justice Trust Fund in 1998 and included in the County of El Dorado Proposed Budget and Workplan (General Services Carryover Facility Projects, 98-21 South Lake Tahoe Sheriff Handicap Ramp) necessary improvements to the ramp for the disabled entrance have not been made resulting in continued safety hazard to users and potential liability to the County.
Response: Agree
Score: +1
The respondent agrees with the finding. F4. Current camera surveillance in the hallway between the jail and Court Building is not adequate.
R3
The ramp for the disabled should immediately be improved to meet safety conditions and the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA) requirements.
Response: Will Implement
Score: +1
The recommendation has not yet been implemented, but will be implemented in the future. The existing ramp is in a location that receives large deposits of snow from the jail roof area. In an attempt to resolve this condition, together with addressing other needed repairs, a design was prepared to relocate the ramp to the south end of the covered porch area. This route will not only alleviate the excessive snow loading but will also reduce the grades along the ramp. The design of the new ramp is now complete. The General Services Department is currently soliciting bids for construction in conju...
F4
Current camera surveillance in the hallway between the jail and Court Building is not adequate.
Response: Disagree
Score: -1
The respondent disagrees with the finding. There is a distance of approximately 30 feet in the hallway that is not observable by the surveillance camera. Both the entry and exit to this hallway are observable on camera. Prisoners or inmates moving into, through, and beyond this area are under physical restraints at all times and are escorted by corrections staff who provide constant visible monitoring. Recommendations R1. Local dental services should be utilized if appropriate. 49
R4
Camera surveillance in the hallway between the jail and Court Building should be properly and adequately upgraded. Responses Required for Findings
Response: Will Not Implement
Score: -1
The recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted. There is one camera in the hallway and it is monitored whenever prisoners are in the corridor. While moving through the corridor, inmates are dressed in orange and restrained in waist chains and leg shackles, or dressed in regular clothes with a restraining leg brace and handcuffs. Uniformed deputy sheriffs escort prisoners and the number of escorts is determined by the number of inmates being moved and the assessed risk presented by the particular group or individual. The addition of a second camera to cover the thirty fe...
