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Extracted from Consolidated Report

This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.

Mono County Grand Jury • 2003-2004

Administrative

Published: July 09, 2003 21 pages
View PDF View Full Original

Note: Missing finding numbers detected: F7, F13, F14, F15, F16, F17, F18, F19

Findings 16 findings

F1 Page 12
Selectedp honen umbersw ere "stiffed" into the 911 system,a nd in no casew ere any "flags" found for each number brought up on the screen. The Sheriff and dispatch supervisora dvisedt hat speciali nfonnation will surfacei n medical cases,w eaponso n site, or propensity for violence in order that the respondingd eputy will be properly prepared upon arrival. It is a statem andatet hat all 911 calls be handledb asedu pon the natureo f the call. The 911 system is overseen for accuracy of phone numbers to addresses by Verizon, which is under a state contract and paid to update the directory for the 911 system. 8. Our numbers submitted reflected some errors such as: "Way Ys. Lane," an address showing 775 Ys. 779, and an incomplete street name. Most were accurate, but any mistakesa re unacceptablew henp ublic safetyi s at stake.
F2 Page 13
Verizon must be held accountablefo r its contract.P ossibly citizens could be advisedt o call a centraln umbert o verify their numbera nd/orF ire, Sheriff and/orv olunteersc ould be utilized for this essential emergency service. Someone must take the ultimate responsibility for the correctnesso f the system; at present,n o one is in charge. See supplementarle port on 911 system. 9.
F3 Page 13
The Public Works Departmenta ppearst o function very well and within the policies and proceduresl aid out for it. The director felt that he had a good working relationshipw ith the Board of Supervisorsa nd the CAD. Technologyi s used as provided, and there is no problem with it. It was stated that the departmentc ould and would use new or other technologyw hen available,h owevert here appearsto be no motivation to look for new or betters ystemsT. he statusq uo seemsto be acceptable.
F4 Page 13
During the interview with the Director of Infonnation and Technologyi t was statedt hat some problems existed. The departmentc ould use one additional technician, as one technician now dedicates9 5% of his time to the Sheriff's Department.T he wireless system, over four years in the making, is not working properly therefore there is a possibility of reverting back to wire. There are two areasw hich may be of concern: 1) A long-term strategicp lan has not been fonnulated.U ntil accomplishedp, roper direction and goals cannot be adequatelya ddresseda nd, in effect, crisis managementw ould continue.2 ) A backups ystemh asn ot beeno btained in the event of hardwaref ailure. The county has beenw ithout one for at least two years. This was addressedin the Auditor's 2001-02a nd 2002-03m anagemenrte ports.
F5 Page 13
The requestf or a changei n the "Opportunity for the Public to Addresst he Board" was presentedo n 12-3-02a nd resultedi n an additionalo pportunityf or the public to addressth e boarda t the beginningo f the afternoons ession.
F6 Page 13
Regular attendancea t meetingsa nd scrutiny of the full board packet indicated that the board complied with the Brown Act, was professionallya dministereda nd engagedb oth staff and public input in the decision process. Subsequentr eports to the grand jury provided insight into our current governmentala ccountability. The CAO identified a significant issuer egardinga n oversighti n investmenta ctivity, and the board implemented correctivea ction. RECOMMENDA nONS
F8 Page 13
Our numbers submitted reflected some errors such as: "Way Ys. Lane," an address showing 775 Ys. 779, and an incomplete street name. Most were accurate, but any mistakesa re unacceptablew henp ublic safetyi s at stake.
F9
3. A more imaginative approacht o newand/or changingtechnologym ay, in the long tenIl, benefit the Public Works Department.
F10
Reported SystemP roblems: The grandj ury becamea ware of severali nstancesi n which the e911 systemd id not function as intended.I n oner eportedc asei n JuneL ake, a man was suffering chest pains and when the 911 call was placedt o Mono One,t he Dispatcherr elayedt he call to Medic II with an addressf rom the databaseT. he Medics recognizedt he name of the party and also recognizedt hat the addressg iven was incorrectb ecauseth ey had respondedto a recentc all at that residence.T hey went to the correct location and found the patient in "full arrest." The patientw as successfullyr evived, but if they had gonet o an incorrecta ddressfi rst, the outcome may not haveb eent he same. Memberso f the grandj ury toured the dispatchc enter in Bridgeport. Their radio call sign is "Mono One." The dispatchc enteri s locateda t the Jail Facility. The cornputers ystem, communicationss ystema nd other technologys upportingt he operationa re relatively new and in excellent condition. Members of the panel were given a demonstrationo f the e911 call systerna nd the proceduresfo r handling a call were described.S everalt elephonen umbersw ere queried to see if the correct addressw as associatedw ith the number. Of the five that were checkedf our were correcta nd onew as incorrect. In order for the e911 systemt o function as intended,t he infonnation containedi n the county databasen eedst o be correct. The Sheriff's Departmenth as reported that surcharges collectedb y the various telephonec ompaniesin California for the e911 systema re distributed by the State to the countiesf or help in maintaininga nd upgradingt he e911 system.I n Mono County, Verizon was said to receive approximately$ 360,000p er year for this activity. One purpose of this money is to keep and update the databaseo f telephone numbers and correspondingp hysicala ddresses. In addition to getting the physical addressc orrect,t he first respondersn eedt o find that address.I n some cases,a ddressn umbers are not posted on buildings. Some streets have addressesfr om different addressn umberings ystemst hat do not correspondw ith one another. Thesea re relics from the past that needt o be corrected.I n somec ases,s treets ignsa re missing due to auto accidents;s nowb lowing that coverst he signsa nd somet hat werej ust neverp laced due to being private streetso r other reasons. Findings and Conclusions: The 911 system is a critical link in the emergencyr esponset o problems in Mono County. Technology is available currently to enable the central dispatch in Bridgeport to provide additional information to first respondersI.n somec asest,h e information in the system is wrong, and in somec asesi t is missing.I n either case,t he lack of COlTecint formation could compromiset he efficient operationo f the systema ndp ossiblyl eadt o loss of life or property.
F11 Page 16
systemi mprovements,V erizon should be compelled to show that it is spendingt hat money where it was intendedt o be spent.C ode Compliances hould be askedt o check the addresses postedo n property to seet hat the addressc orrespondsto the assignedc ounty system. County Public Works or Code EnforcementO fficial should follow up to be surep roper addressesa re displayedw ithin county areas. The Town of Mammoth Lakes should also seek to develop uniform streeta ddresss ystem. The County Board of Supervisorsh as ultimate responsibilityt o assuret heses tepsa re taken in the nameo f public safety. 12. AUDIT & FINANCE COMMITTEE INTRODUCTION The Audit and FinanceC ommittees electivelyr eviews the accounts,f inancial statementsa nd audit reports of Mono County, any special legislative district, and/or the Town of Mammoth Lakes.
F12
AUDIT & FINANCE COMMITTEE INTRODUCTION The Audit and FinanceC ommittees electivelyr eviews the accounts,f inancial statementsa nd audit reports of Mono County, any special legislative district, and/or the Town of Mammoth Lakes.
F20
LA W ENFORCEMENT COMMITTEE The Law EnforcementC ommitteew as responsiblef or examiningt he following departmentss: herifficoroner,in cluding countyd etentionf acilities, district attorney,p robation, disasterp reparednessju, venile facilities, MammothL akesP olice Departmenta nd interagencies involved in the administrationo f justice. The committeer eceiveda thoroughb riefing at the starto f this tenn by County Counsel, the MammothL akest own governmenat ndC AO JohnW ohlmuth of Mono County. The entire grandj ury touredt he offices of the Sheriff/Coronera nd an extensivei nspectiono f the general jail facility. The tour and inspectionw ere not only an eyeo pener,b ut also servedt o impress many in regardt o the quality of the equipmenta nd generalc ondition of this jail facility. The Sheriff's departmenits running a quality jail and is commendedfo r that effectiveness. A secondt our of thej ail and dispatchc enterw as conductedto wardst he end of this term for the purposeo f more closelyv iewing the emergencyd ispatchs ystema nd in particular the 911 process.T hoser esultsa rel isted below. A generals enseo f urgencyr egardingt he overall effectivenesso f the 911 processw ill be addressedb y the entire grandj ury. The following issuesw erep resentedto the Law EnforcementC ommitteed uring this tenn: 02-04 Issue: Presentencevdi sitation proceduresw ith inmatesa ndt heir minor children. Complainantw antedc ontactv isiting for self andm inor issueo f inmate. Action: Law EnforcemenCt ommitteem embersm et with Sheriff Dan Paranick. He definedM ono County Sheriff's Departmenpt olicy regardingv isitations at thej ail and the sensitives ecurityi ssues. Contactv isits are strictly prohibitedt o preventt he transfero f drugsi nto a high-securityja il facility. Recourseis availablev ia court order whereupont he inmatem ay solicit the court to ordert he Sheriff to pennit a speciale xceptiont o the visitation procedures.T his committeer ecommendsth is inquiry be closedw ith a letter so indicatingt o complainant. 02-05 Issue: Marijuanau sagea ndp ossibles ex abusew ith minors on federall ands. Mental Health and Law Enforcemenht avea n ongoingi nvestigation. Sheriff confirms receipto f this issuea nd indicatesc ountya nd federala genciesa rep ursuing. Action: Referredt o AdministrationC ommittee. 02-06 Issue:U nlicenseda rchitecto peratingw ithin MammothL akes. Carry over from prior grandj ury. Action: Referredt o Distnct Attorney for resolution. Issue: RemoveJ udgeE d ForstenzerC. omplainantb elievesh e was not provided a fair 02-09 trial in that his court-appointeda ttorneyd id not include certainf actst o the court. Committeem emberc onfirmedt he informationw asp rovided.
F21 Page 26
Action: Committeem embersb elievet he grandj ury hasn o jurisdiction. The court appealsp rocessis the appropriatec hannelt hat the complainanth asp ursued. Letter sentt o complainant. 02-10 Issue: Secondc omplaintf rom complainanto f Case# 02-09.Similar issues. Wants JudgeF orstenzerr emoved. Action: Coveredi n 02-09. Grandj ury hasn o jurisdiction. 02-11 Issue: Complaintso f misconductb y Court and JudgeS tanE ller. Doesn ot believet he former District Attorney shouldb e sitting on the Bench. Action: Court proceduresa ppeara ppropriate.C omplainant'sm otives seemf ocused on relief from court adjudicationo f her case. Letter sentt o complainant. 02-12 Issue: Complainta gainstP robationO fficer citing improperc onduct.S econd complaintb y this individual, dissimilar issue.( 02-11) . Action: Forwardedt o the District Attorney. 02-15 Issue: Complainto f inmatel iving conditionsi n Mono CountyJ ail, namelyt oo cold, improperp roceduresh andlinga known alcoholic,a ndu nsanitaryc leaning implements. Action: Committeem embersm et with Sheriff regardingt his issue. Committeew as provideda copy of the writ denialb y the court regarding complainant'si ssues. Caser esolvedw ithin the court system.C omplainantt o be notified by mail. Internal Inquiry Committeem embersa nd thej ury foremanv isited the Mono CountyJ ail and interviewedS heriff Paranickr egardingt he 911 emergencyc all system. A rumor recentlys urfacedw ithin the grandj ury regardingt he possibility of selective responsesb y the Sheriffs departmentto 911 calls in the north county areai n particular. Selectiver esponsess ugges"t flagging" of chronic callersf or less-than- prompt responses. Results: Twelve selectedp honen umbersf rom memberso f the committee,a s well as suggestedc hronic callersf rom the north countyw ere "stiffed" into the 911 system. In no casew ere any "flags" found within the field for eachn umberb roughtu p on the screen.I t was explainedb y the Sheriff and the dispatchs upervisort hat special information will surfacei n medicalc ases( i.e., iron lung or respiratorye quipmento n site as well as weaponso r propensityf or violence)i n order that the responding deputyw ill be properlyp reparedu pon arrival. It is a Statem andatet hat all 911 calls be handled,b asedu pon the natureo f the call. When so indicatedb y the events describeda nd predicatedu pon currente mergenciesa, car will be dispatched. Verizon apparentlyo verseesth e 911 systemf or accuracyo f phonen umberst o addresseusn der a Statec ontract. Verizon is paid out of a statef und $30,000a month to updatet he 911 directoryi n Mono County. Apparently,t he Stated ivides the fees collectedo ff phoneb ills accordingt o countyp opulationsa nd,o f course,c ountiesl ike
F22 Page 27
Los Angelesr eceivet he largestp ercentage.O ur numberss ubmittedr eflecteds ome errors;i .e., "way vs. lane," an addresss howing7 75 vs. 779, and in onej uror's case, an incompletes treetn ame. Them ajority was accurate,b ut any mistakesa re unacceptablew henp ublic safetyi s at stake. Verizon mustb e held accountablefo r its contract. IfVerizon is not the solutiono r the problem,t hen possiblyc itizensc ould be advisedt o call a centraln umbert o verify their number,a nd/orv olunteersc ould be utilized for this essentiaal ndn ecessaryo ne-timee mergencys ervice. If the scenario is accuratet,h ent he County shoulda lso seeka dditionalf unding from the State9 11 sourcesf or the 911 redundancyc omponent. The committees ubmitst his information to the AdministrativeC ommitteef or inclusion in the generali nvestigationo f the 911 systemi n Mono County. 23.
F23
PARKS, RECREATION & PUBLIC WORKS COMMIlTEE The Parks,R ecreationa nd Public Works Committeee xaminedt he following: Parks and Recreation,P ublic Works and Road departmentsa, irports, cemeteriest,r ansportation,v ehicle maintenancee, tc. ISSUES The Parks,R ecreationa ndP ublic Works Committeer eceivedt wo fonnal written complaints: I. A Walker residents entt o the grandj ury a copy of a letter to the Board of Supervisors.T he complainantsw as infonned that due to the fact that his letter had beend irectedt o the Boardo f Supervisorsh, e shouldg ive them an opportunityt o act.
F24
The proceduree xplainedf or the input andu pdateo finfonnation was: The Departmento f Public Works assignsa n addressa t the time of pennit issue,a nd then notifies the phonec ompany. This information is then enteredi nto the in-houses ystem.

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