Office of ======== Sheriff-coroner = County of SAN Joaquin

0: There is inconsistency and confusion regarding what defines a "cold case" amongst the law enforcement agencies in San Joaquin County. Response to Finding F1.0: The respondent (San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office) agrees with the finding. There is no industry-wide definition of what defines a "Cold Case;"\\"; therefore, each individual agency uses its own criteria. With the formation of a countywide Cold Case Task Force, a countywide definition can be adopted to define what a "Cold Case" is.

0: There are more than 500 cold case homicides in San Joaquin County, including 12 homicide victims whose remains have never been positively identified. The exact number of cold case homicides in unknown due to the lack of a consistent written definition for "Cold Case" and the lack of a digitized tracking system. Response to Finding F2.0: The respondent (San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office) agrees with the finding. There is no industry-wide definition of what defines a "Cold Case"; therefore, each individual agency uses its own criteria which makes identifying the exact number of "Cold Cases" in the San Joaquin County hard to determine. There is no digitalized countywide tracking system; CD-32 I -- - Letter to: The Honorable Linda L. Lofthus, Presiding Judge San Joaquin County Superior Court Re: Response to 2018-2019 Grand Jury Findings & Recommendations Cold Cases In San Joaquin County: On The Back Burner July 24, 2019 however, the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office is working toward a new database to scan, log, and track cases.

0: The total number of cold case homicides in San Joaquin County is increasing each year due primarily to the decreased clearance rate for solving homicides. Response to Finding F3.0: The respondent (San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office) agrees with the finding. The number of homicides has decreased for the last several years; however, every unsolved homicide adds to the overall number of cold cases. There were 72 homicides between 2010 and 2014, for an average of 14.4 homicides per year. Between 2015 and 2018 there were 29 homicides, for an average of 7.25 homicides per year. In 2015 there were five homicides with three being solved. In 2016 there were nine homicides with four being solved. In 2017 there were six homicides with four being solved. In 2018 there were nine homicides with six being solved. The average rate of cases solved for this four-year period is 59.4%.

0: There is insufficient staffing for cold case investigations in San Joaquin County, primarily within the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department, the Stockton Police Department, and the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office. Response to Finding F4.0: The respondent (San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office) agrees with the finding. The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office has recognized the need for increasing its "Cold Case" Unit and has repeatedly asked for an increase of personnel in the unit from the 2013-2014 Fiscal Year Budget through the 2019-2020 Fiscal Year Budget.

0: There is insufficient funding for cold case investigations in San Joaquin County, primarily for the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department, the Stockton Police Department, and the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office. The lack of insufficient funding is due primarily to financial limitations and lack of priority. Response to Finding F5.0: The respondent (San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office) agrees with the finding. The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office has secured two "Cold Case" detective position allocations in the 2019-2020 budget, to include training for the new positions.

0: There is a need for additional training specific to cold case investigations for the law enforcement agencies in San Joaquin County. Response to Finding F6.0: The respondent (San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office) agrees with the finding. The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office has recognized the need for training and budgeted for the training in the 2019-2020 budget while requesting and receiving two new cold case deputy position allocations.

0: The elevation of cold case investigations as a priority is vital to the future success in investigating and solving cold cases in San Joaquin County. Response to Finding F7.0: The respondent (San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office) agrees with the finding. The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office currently has a dedicated sergeant and has secured two deputy allocations in the 2019- 2020 budget to form a "Cold Case Unit" that will evaluate, prioritize, and investigate cold cases.

0: There is no consistent procedure or practice for law enforcement agencies in San Joaquin County to maintain periodic contact with the family members of cold case victims. Response to Finding FB.O: The respondent (San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office) agrees with the finding. The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office will research and create a next-of-kin database that will be used to contact family members and provide them with case updates on an annual basis. This will be done by anniversary month of when the case occurred. Contact will be documented in the case notes file within the database. I I Letter to: The Honorable Linda L. Lofthus, Presiding Judge San Joaquin County Superior Court Re: Response to 2018-2019 Grand Jury Findings & Recommendations Cold Cases In San Joaquin County: On The Back Burner July 24, 2019 GRAND JURY RECOMMENDATIONS & SHERIFF'S OFFICE RESPONSES The San Joaquin County Sheriff's was directed by the Grand Jury to respond to