Dual Track and Training The 2012 Citizen's Commission on Jail Violence Report County of Los Angres

Individual officer's attitudes in the Department and internal Department cultural perception are the greatest factors in successfully implementing Dual Track and decreasing violence within the jails. Custody is currently viewed by many in the Department as a lesser position than Patrol.

Quality leadership, regardless of structure, is the biggest factor in reducing violence. Training is therefore essential to groom leaders. This training needs to start early and build on itself over years so deputies will have internalized the training and be qualified for promotions. Given lim- ited resources, it may be best to focus on the leadership first before training rank and file. The potential for specialized training is a great benefit of Dual Track and without this component it is unlikely the structural change alone will affect violence in the jails.

There is a difference in operating Men's Central Jail (MCJ) and the other large jail facilities like the Pitchess Ranch Complex or Century Regional Detention Facility (CRDF; the Women's facility). There is an even greater difference in operating a Type I jail facility (initial intake; in- mate held under 96 hours). The Commission's Report is based primarily on findings from MCJ. It may call for changes that are not necessarily appropriate department-wide. If MCJ is the prob- lem, it is better to use resources to fix that versus spreading resources throughout the department. Implementation Monitor Report, February 12, 2013 DUAL TRACK AND TRAINING 4. The proliferation of inmates with severe mental issues has turned some of the floors of the Twin Towers Correctional Facility into a de facto mental hospital. This may require a different model of staffing-possibly with more orderlies and civilians being used. Rotation of deputies is not encouraged on these floors. Given the tremendous resources it takes to house these in- mates in jail, the Board of Supervisors needs to focus as soon as possible on alternative hous- ing-either in mental hospitals or another type of housing.

The Sheriff's Department must increase training for Custody positions (post Academy). But assuming limited resources, leadership should receive increased training before new deputies. The Department must look for ways to break down training into smaller units and possibly en- courage through incentives or promotion consideration, having deputies seek out education on their own time. The Department needs to resolve any labor issues that may hinder this goal.

The Sheriff's Department needs to mentor and model behavior more effectively. Custody assignment is an opportunity to learn more about gangs, criminal techniques, and criminal net- works outside of the jails and how to cultivate potential informants.

The Sheriff's Department in conjunction with the Department of Health needs to signifi- cantly increase mental health training Department-wide. The Department needs to work with other entities (Department of Mental Health, the county's e-education system, non-profits and private enterprise) to come up with ways to disseminate this training without causing positions to be backfilled while officers attend the training. Specifically, more needs to be taught relating to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), trauma and the behaviors that may result as well as de- escalation techniques.

The Sheriff's Department must provide deputies who work directly with the mentally ill ex- This training should emphasize recognizing, reacting to, de- tensive, specialized training. escalating and preventing aggressive and hostile behavior that can occur in these settings. 2012-2013 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury Report DUAL TRACK AND TRAINING 8. The Sheriff's Department needs to use more Custody Assistants and investigate possibly contracting with private security forces for Type I facilities. It should also investigate using or- derlies and specialized health care workers when dealing with mentally ill inmates. METHODOLOGY The Grand Jury reviewed the Commission's Report and the Sheriff's Dual Track Career Path Plan (Sheriff's Plan), as issued and approved January 2013. We also conducted on-line research into approaches of other jurisdictions related to training. Statistical information is based on Janu- ary 2013 Custody Division accounting reports prepared by the Sheriff's Department. The Grand Jury attended multiple hearings of the Board of Supervisors and heard the reports of the Com- mission Report monitor. We also interviewed key upper level personnel in the Sheriff's De- partment with direct responsibility for the Dual Track system, training and mental health. But the biggest factor in reaching these conclusions has been the Grand Jury's visits to jail facili- ties in LA County and interviews with dozens of members of the Sheriff's Department. We had frank conversations with officers fresh out of the Academy as well as those with over 25 years of experience--both in Custody and in Patrol. Penal Code Section 919(b) requires the Grand Jury to "inquire into the condition and management of the public prisons within the county." Grand Jury members have visited over 70 jail facilities including those run by different police depart- ments as well as those run by the Sheriff's Department. The Grand Jury also visited state mental health facilities to compare the staffing and housing of inmates with mental health issues. FINDINGS I. Dual Track Defined2 As of February 1, 2013, the Sheriff's Department implemented Commission Report recommen- dation 6.6, the Dual Track.3 Dual Track separates the department into a Custody track and a Pa- trol track and allows for deputies to have a career in Custody--which includes promotion-- without having to go on Patrol. The Commission is advocating for a long term solution in which Deputy Sheriffs are specifically recruited, hired and trained within the Academy for Custody as- signments. (Commission's Report p. 138) This differs from both the current arrangement and the Sheriff's Plan. The Sheriff's Plan assumes minor changes in the Academy experience. Custody- specific training occurs following Academy graduation. Further, for the foreseeable future, new deputies will continue to be placed in Custody straight out of the Academy. Deputies waiting to go on Patrol will remain in their Custody positions for a period of time until positions within Pa- trol open. A. The current staffing situation in Custody 2 All statistical data in this section comes from the January 2013 Sheriff's Department Custody division accounting reports. Information on the structure and roles of officers within the department are from interviews with key Sher- iff's Department personnel. Implementation Monitor Report, February 12, 2013 DUAL TRACK AND TRAINING As of January 2013, 2949 sworn officers were assigned to Custody out of a total force of 9197 officers. This means that almost one third of all positions within the force are in Custody. There are 1302 Custody Assistants working in the jails. The Sheriff's Department has conducted sev- eral surveys in the last few months to assess this issue and in one survey, 42 % said they would like to remain in Custody. Even if this number rises to 50%, that still means that approximately 1500 positions need to open up in the Patrol division. This also means that 1500 Custody posi- tions need to be filled, either by new recruits or deputies already on Patrol. The County cannot nor should it increase Patrol positions within the force this much in a short time span. Also, given the ratio of positions, the assumption also has to be that the number of new Academy re- cruits has to consist of at least two-thirds who are ultimately interested in Patrol positions. Before a deputy can leave a Custody position to go to the field, several things need to happen. First, a Patrol position has to open at one of the three stations requested by the deputy. Second, no other deputy higher on the Patrol list or already in the field takes the position. And third, a new deputy either fresh from the Academy or from the field needs to fill the Custody position. Typically, most of the positions have been filled by new graduates. So the reality is that Custody positions will need to be filled and will need to stay filled by deputies coming out of the Acade- my for a period of time until attrition and staffing needs on Patrol can increase. B. Dual Track is Beneficial for the Department There are still benefits to creating a Custody track. Without question, at least short term, many deputies who are willing to stay in Custody will get off the waiting lists and those seeking to go on Patrol will move up. This will hopefully significantly shorten the wait time to go to Patrol from the current wait of anywhere from five years or more. Based on conversations with dozens of sworn officers at all levels, most felt that a period of up to two years in Custody was actually a benefit. Most felt their Patrol skills remained intact for this period. Further, observant deputies learned a great deal about gangs, criminal methodology and gained confidence in dealing with many of the kinds of criminals they would encounter on the job. Anecdotal evidence from ser- geants and captains included stories of encountering many of the same people on the streets that they had met in the jails who then were more likely to be informants and to give the officer re- spect. All this assumes of course the following: The deputy conducted him/herself in a way to earn the respect of the inmate within the facility. Either through their own initiative or through the men- torship of supervising personnel, deputies were actively encouraged to observe and learn and view their time as a learning experience. Having appropriate mentoring and supervision, and having a defined expectation of the length of time one will spend in Custody will go a long way to eliminating the bad attitudes of those officers who want to be on Patrol. Framing Custody as a positive experience and way to gather knowledge is essential. It is fine to think of time in Cus- tody as paying your dues; it should not be viewed as a waste of time until your real job can begin. II. Internal Perception Affects Dual Track's Effectiveness 4 2013 Sheriff's Department Dual Track Career Path Plan (Sheriff's Plan), p3 2012-2013 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury Report DUAL TRACK AND TRAINING One of the common threads running throughout every conversation with members of the Sher- iff's Department--from the newest deputy up to the Commander level--is the role of internal per- ception and pride. How one deputy perceives another or whether one officer respects another is critically important to the Department as an institution. The first step in creating a sense of equal- ity and shared experience is the Academy experience. The second step for several years now has been the experience of Custody and the third step has been the desire, and ultimately, the experi- ence of going out on Patrol. Dual Track takes away this third step. For many officers, in particular, many of the current su- pervising officers, this is a threat to the equality in the Department. The Sheriff's Department is stereotypically considered a macho5 culture as expressed by both male and female deputies. In our discussions with Sheriff's personnel, we heard variations of the following statements from all ranks: Patrol is the ultimate goal of every deputy. Patrol is harder but more rewarding. Those who choose to stay in Custody are not as hard working, afraid to face the challenges of Patrol, forced to consider Patrol because of personal hardship or family pressures and other excuses. One of the potential benefits of Dual Track that could feed into this negative perception is the fact that Custody, with its set schedule shifts, will be particularly attractive for females with fam- ilies. While it is positive that women will be able to stay longer with the Department, given the macho mindset stated above, Custody can be viewed as a negative position if it is filled with too many females. This is a sad reality and one the Department cannot ignore. This is not an attitude that will disappear overnight, especially since our observation has been that those in leadership ranks were more likely to have this attitude. The attitude will go away more quickly amongst the rank and file if the leadership from the top down really values Custody and conveys this through action and words on a regular basis. As more leaders are promoted from within Custody, pride in position will increase too. III. Assignment and Training of Leadership is Key to Dual Track Success A. Assignments of Leadership to Custody The reason for the Commission's Report was not efficiency or morale, but rather ways of de- creasing violence. When asked, "How do you think Dual Track will impact violence levels in the jails?" almost none of the dozens of officers we spoke to saw a clear connection. Almost consistently, when asked to state the biggest factor, the answer was leadership. In the words of one high ranking officer, issues related to unnecessary violence happened because, "supervisors lacked the courage to manage personnel." Over and over, we heard from sergeants and captains currently in Custody assignments state that sergeants were more focused on going back to Patrol than really leading in the custody assignment. The fact that sergeants only had to remain in the position for one year did not help. Many of the larger jails are complex environments with mul- 5 The Grand Jury uses the word macho as shorthand for qualities expressed as being part of the self-image of depu- ties such as toughness, assertiveness, bravery, strength, dominance and being in control. Sheriff's Plan, p9 DUAL TRACK AND TRAINING tiple shifts of employees. There is a large learning curve. By the time the sergeants learned the position and the characteristics of their staff, they were on to the new post. We applaud the Sheriff's Department for changing this situation in two ways: First, promotion will now occur directly through the Custody track and a pathway has been put into place for this. One area of concern here is that these sergeants still need to view their role as being mentors and preparing deputies for Patrol as well. Sergeants have to have the proper train- ing and support, not only to train these deputies but also to have their respect. The Department should help these sergeants, perhaps by allowing rotations through Patrol positions or by requir- ing a certain number of ride-alongs a year for Custody leadership who have not been on Patrol. Second, sergeants who are now assigned to Custody from Patrol or other divisions will be re- quired to stay for five years.7 This requirement will require careful watch and attention given the attitude issues mentioned above. Many of the sergeants who came in from outside of Custody did not view it as a first choice and were eager to leave after one year. Will they now come to custody with a new attitude given they have to stay for five years? Will they be disgruntled? Investing in training and development of these officers will help morale and allow them to see themselves as valued specialists. B. Training In the area of training for Custody Supervisors, we believe the Sheriff's Department has not gone far enough. The focus of pending improvement is on deputies. This is commendable but more needs to occur.