The 2017-2018 Shasta County Required Responses Grand Jury Recommended: Respondent

Correctional and medical staff complete the intake medical screening process in a consistent and uniform manner, leading to equal treatment for all intakes.

All intakes are subject to the same procedure and are evaluated by qualified staff, failing to substantiate alleged bias.

Primary medical care for all inmates, including referrals for specialty care, are coordinated in a timely fashion, providing optimal medical services.

State correctional regulations (Title 15) for inmate medical care are being met, thus assuring that inmates receive appropriate, standardized care.

Protocols for emergency, prolonged, and end-of-life care are followed by medical and correctional staff providing avenues for compassionate care.

The allegation that medical staff is required to work beyond their licensed skill level was not supported. Protocols are in place to provide 24-hour medical care by appropriately licensed staff.

Medical and correctional staff work together to strive to provide quality assurance through a cohesive medical services program for the benefit of the inmates.

Compensation for medical services was found to be within the contracted budget for fiscal years 2016/2017 and 2017/2018, allowing services to be provided as required within a fiscally responsible manner. COMMENDATIONS C1: The Grand Jury commends the medical and correctional staff of the Shasta County Jail on providing efficient and compassionate medical care for the inmates at the Jail. C2: The Grand Jury commends the medical and correctional staff of the Shasta County Jail for meeting or exceeding its contractual obligations during fiscal years 2016/2017 and 2017/2018. REQUEST FOR RESPONSES Pursuant to Penal Code Section 933.05, the following response is required from the following elected county officer (within 60 days): Shasta County Sheriff: F1-F8 15 SOURCES CONSULTED • Personal Services Agreement between the County of Shasta and California Forensic Medical Group, Inc., June 16, 2016 • State of California. Title 15: Minimum Standards for Local Detention Facilities, April 1, 2017 (Title 15 Hyperlink) • State of California. Business and Professions Code. Division 2. Healing Arts. Chapter 6. Article 2. Scope of Regulation (2725-2742) (Division 2 Hyperlink) • California Government Code Title 3, Division 2, Part 3, Chapter 2, Article 1 (26600 – 26616) • Shasta County Jail Medical Sick Request Slip • First Amendment to the Agreement Between the County of Shasta and California Forensic Medical Group, Inc., Dec. 4, 2018 • Shasta County Correctional Facility Medical Pre-screening Form (CFMG–MPS-SH). • CFMG Medical Intake Triage/Receiving Screening Form. • Shasta County Jail Inmate Grievance Log (June 2018-November 2018). • County of Shasta. Financing Sources and Uses by Budget Unit by Object Governmental Funds, Fiscal Year 2018-19. Budget Unit: 260-Jail (Fund 0195) • Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Main Jail Annual Report of Medical Services, 2016 and 2017 • 2017 Quarterly Quality Assurance minutes (Feb.14, May 16, Aug. 15, and Nov. 21) • CFMG Shift Schedule (Aug.2018 – Jan. 2019) • Shasta County Sheriff Policy 503: Safety and Sobering Cells, 2019 When there is a perception of a conflict of interest involving a member of the Grand Jury, that member has been required to recuse from any aspect of the investigation involving such a conflict and from voting on the acceptance of or rejection of that report. No members of the Grand Jury were recused from this report. Reports issued by the G rand Jury do not identify individuals interviewed. Penal Code Section 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. Released June 27, 2019 16 SH AS CO M 911 SERVI CES “ 911, W H AT ’S Y OUR E M E RGE N CY ?” SUMMARY Over the past 23 years, Shasta County Grand Juries have produced six reports on the Shasta Area Safety Communications Agency (SHASCOM): 1995/96, 2000/01, 2003/04, 2005/06, 2007/08, 2009/10. This year’s report brings the total to seven. As the County’s emergency communication provider, SHASCOM is responsible for a vital public service. Similarly, the Grand Jury provides an important public service by periodically assessing SHASCOM. After nine years, a thorough, fresh assessment with recommendations of SHASCOM’s operations was overdue. The 2018/19 Shasta County Grand Jury found that many concerns highlighted in past reports are still significant today. In particular, vacant dispatcher positions continue to be a chronic and debilitating issue. Unfilled dispatcher positions lead to excessive overtime and low employee morale. Inadequate recruitment efforts fail to meet staffing needs. Dispatching is a difficult job. Excessive overtime is an added burden that increases stress. Overtime and related personnel management issues need to be resolved for the good of the employees and for the good of SHASCOM. SHASCOM has adopted the standards for training from the California’s Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). However, not all training required by POST gets completed, in part because dispatchers have insufficient time to complete their training. We recommend that an outside consultant be hired to analyze SHASCOM’s operational needs and propose fixes for staffing and related personnel management issues. The Grand Jury also identified issues related to SHASCOM’s technical support systems. The Agency has a new Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system that became operational in October 2018 and is still undergoing modification and fine tuning. Because the new CAD does not yet meet the complex, multi-agency dispatching needs of SHASCOM, it is imperative that member agencies and SHASCOM’s Board receive regular updates on CAD performance and system integration. This information will aid the Board in determining if the CAD system is adequate. CodeRED is the County’s emergency alert system. It warns the public of emergencies and advises on how to respond. The system communicates information that is critical to everyone’s safety. Citizens of the County increase their options for receiving emergency alerts by registering for CodeRED. Our primary concern is that CodeRED is underutilized because it is poorly advertised to the public and is minimally user-friendly. We are especially concerned about citizens with disabilities or other conditions that limit their ability to receive and respond to emergency alerts. SHASCOM needs to promote CodeRED to the public. Read further to learn more about this important public service. The SHASCOM Board is ultimately responsible for how well the Agency functions. Ongoing issues suggest the Board needs to be more proactive in its oversight of SHASCOM. To be more effective, the Board needs regular updates on performance-related issues, data to analyze the issues, and options on how the issues can be resolved. We found no clear process of how the Board makes recommendations for improvement. An outside consultant could recommend how best to optimize the communication of performance data and other important issues between the Board and the Director. We recommend a stepwise process to advance Board oversight: • Hire a management consultant to analyze SHASCOM / Board operations. • Schedule a workshop including the Board, Director, and consultant to address important issues, and review and clarify the roles and expectations of the Director and Board Members. • Establish a standing Advisory Board composed of community volunteers to assist the Board. The Grand Jury believes outside eyes can help the Board and management of SHASCOM find new ways of addressing important issues and improve transparency. BACKGROUND With the Carr Fire fresh in Grand Jurors’ minds, the 2018/19 Shasta County Grand Jury decided to look more closely at the County’s emergency response services and infrastructure. This devastating fire presented emergency response challenges never before experienced within Shasta County. The Grand Jury recognizes that first responders did their best to manage the challenges through tireless and professional work. Still, responders and the public were at times overwhelmed, particularly by the explosive fire behavior of July 26th when an unprecedented number of lives and structures were lost in Shasta County. All Grand Jury members know people who lost their homes, and some knew people who lost their lives. The Grand Jury started its research by looking at various aspects of emergency response. We ultimately focused on SHASCOM (911 service). When 911 is called, most of us know and expect that the call will be answered, our emergency issue addressed, and appropriate responders dispatched. All this is done with speed and professionalism. Similarly, if an area-wide emergency threatens us, our expectation is that we will be alerted to the threat in a timely and effective manner. SHASCOM is the conduit for communications between first responders and the public – communications that are critical to our safety. Most of us take this service for granted, but how many of us know how the service works and how best to use it? In an emergency, you might wish you knew more. SHASCOM was created in 1990 through a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) between the County of Shasta and the cities of Anderson and Redding. SHASCOM answers 911 calls, issues emergency alerts to the public, and provides emergency dispatch and communication for the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, City of Redding Police Department, City of Redding Fire Department, City of Anderson Police Department, and two emergency medical service / ambulance companies (EMS) in the County. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the California Highway Patrol provide separate emergency dispatch, but interface directly with SHASCOM. Redding Fire is the only City fire department in the County. The County contracts with CAL FIRE to serve as the County’s fire department. Fire Districts within the County are dispatched by CAL FIRE. Full-time staff at SHASCOM include (as of March 2019): • Director • Support Manager • Operations Manager • Systems Analyst • Administrative Assistant • Five Dispatch Supervisors, including an Administrative Supervisor • Thirty-one Dispatchers / Call Takers SHASCOM is overseen by a five-member Board composed of the City Managers of Redding and Anderson, the Shasta County Administrative Officer, the Shasta County Sheriff, and a fifth member that alternates between the Police and Fire Chiefs of Redding. Board meetings are scheduled bimonthly and are open to the public. This Grand Jury’s first contact with SHASCOM was during a site visit to the Agency’s headquarters and dispatch center in August 2018. Shasta County Grand Juries have often taken a tour of the SHASCOM facility as a standard part of the Jury’s orientation to local government services. There are reports of these prior tours, as well as more in-depth investigations that were undertaken. These Grand Jury reports provide a track record of the issues that were interpreted as significant in the past. With the Carr Fire fresh in everyone’s mind, this Grand Jury’s tour was especially poignant and thought-provoking. The Grand Jury felt that it was necessary to once again to take a closer look at SHASCOM’s operations. 19