Kern County Grand Jury • 2020-2021

AD HOC Committees Jerry Troxel Dwayne Ardis Foreperson Pro Tem

Published: September 24, 2020 10 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 6 findings

F1
Lack of trained supervision can result in warrants not being served for weeks or months, along with violations of DOJ secondary verification requirements.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
The KCSO should improve direct supervision at substations to ensure the timely service of warrants. KCSO substation supervisors should also receive training regarding CJIS and CLETS. (Finding 1)
F2
The current SST training method results in poor habits being passed on and a lack of consistency. Substation supervisors do not receive CLETS or NCIC training to enter information into the database.
Related Recommendations (2)
R2
The KCSO should provide formal training courses where tasks and goals are clearly outlined for SST and substation supervisors. (Finding 2)
R3
KCSO SSTs should meet quarterly to receive updated training, and discuss problems and their solutions. (Finding 2)
F3
There is no urgency to issue warrants in a timely manner. Without timely entry into CLETS and NCIC, other law enforcement agencies may not know an individual has an outstanding felony or misdemeanor warrant. 2019-2020 Kern County Grand Jury Report 174
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
KCSO SSTs should adjust their work schedule to ensure last minute warrants are processed for service. (Findings 3 and 4)
F4
Warrants may be issued at any time, however, the SST may search for CJIS notifications at random times throughout the day. If a warrant is issued late in the day, it may wait until the next day or longer to be assigned.
No recommendations for this finding
F5
There is no coverage for sick or vacationing SSTs. This could result in warrants going days or weeks without being assigned to a deputy.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
The KCSO should have a backup SST to act as a floater to cover absent SSTs and ensure timely warrant processing. (Finding 5)
F6
There are no checks and balances in place to ensure warrants are served. The SST and the substation supervisor assume once a warrant is assigned to a deputy, it will be served. COMMENTS: The Kern County Grand Jury would like to thank the Kern County Sheriff’s Office personnel for their assistance and cooperation.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
The KCSO should set up a tracking system or oversight procedure to ensure warrants are served in a timely manner. (Finding 6) NOTES: • The Kern County Sheriff’s Office should post a copy of this report where it will be available for public review • Persons wishing to receive an email notification of newly released reports may sign up at: kerncounty.com/grandjury 2019-2020 Kern County Grand Jury Report 175 • Present and past Kern County Grand Jury Final Reports and Responses can be accessed on the Kern County Grand Jury website: kerncounty.com/grandjury REQUIRED RESPONSES WITHIN 60 DAYS TO:  PRESIDING JUDGE KERN COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT 1415 TRUXTUN AVENUE, SUITE 212 BAKERSFIELD, CA 93301  TRUXTUN AVENUE, SUITE 600 BAKERSFIELD, CA 93301 Reports issued by the Grand 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. GLOSSARY: CLETS: California Law Enforcement Telecommunication System is a high-speed message switching system, which became operational in 1970. CLETS provides law enforcement and criminal justice agencies access to various databases and the ability to transmit and receive point-to-point administrative messages to other agencies within California or via the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS) to other states and Canada. NCIC: The National Crime Information Center is the United States' central database for tracking crime-related information. The NCIC has been an information-sharing tool since 1967. It is maintained by the Criminal Justice Information Services Division (CJIS) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and is interlinked with federal, tribal, state, and local agencies and offices. 2019-2020 Kern County Grand Jury Report 176

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