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Findings 18 findings
F1
CSC did advertise CASF grant availability, and CSC’s availability to assist ISPs with the CASF grant application process. CSC also identified geographical areas with underserved or un-served internet access, however the method for gathering this information may have been cursory.
F2
ATCAA has significant responsibilities to the people it serves and to the public and private entities that fund these services. These responsibilities are diverse and very public. Neutrality and fairness in fulfilling these responsibilities is paramount. 21
F3
There has been community concern regarding actions taken by the Sonora Union High School District Board of Trustees and that those actions might not be in full compliance with the Brown Act.
F4
There has been a community concern regarding actions taken by the Summerville Union High School District Board of Education and that those actions might not be in full compliance with the Brown Act.
F5
The Summerville Union High School District Board of Education’s website was difficult to identify and needed updating.
F6
With the increased number of felons and the jail typically operating at or near capacity, the jail officers are constantly exposed to a “harder” criminal than was common a decade ago.
F7
The jail is forced to regularly release prisoners to either probation or back to the community because the capacity of the jail is limited to a maximum of 147 inmates.
F8
The three inspection reports, BSCC, TCPHD, and TCFD, are largely in compliance with applicable regulations.
F9
The jail is not fully staffed resulting in difficulties related to scheduling, increased pay spent as overtime hours, and added stress to employees working under continuously challenging circumstances.
F10
Staffing is a critical need which will only grow with the construction of a new facility; unfortunately, the TCSO has difficulties recruiting, especially for female officers.
F11
The Sheriff’s Office uses a recruitment team as an outreach effort to attract the interest from potentially new employees.
F12
The Sheriff’s Office provides incentives to employees to further their education and increase their income by taking on-line or local college-level courses relevant to their profession.
F13
When the new jail is completed (expected 2019), five to six new positions will be needed to effectively operate the facility.
F14
The current JMS was purchased and installed in 2005 and periodic updates were provided by the vendor.
F15
The TCJ installed the updates in a timely manner.
F16
The current JMS does not fully meet the data collection and reporting needs of the jail, resulting in the inefficient hand collection of data, redundant collection of data, ineffective classification of inmates, inaccurate reporting of data to the state, reduced safety of inmates and jail staff, and damage to the jail. 42
F17
The current JMS does not effectively communicate with all facets of the criminal justice system, including other TCSO operations, the court system, district attorney, public defenders, probation, and prison.
F18
To facilitate a seamless occupancy of the new jail, a fully functional, modern JMS needs to be acquired and operational prior to that occupancy.
Recommendations 16
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R1The Jury recommends that the Sonora City Council, the Sonora Union High School District Board of Trustees and the Summerville Union High School District Board of Education include in their website links to information regarding the Brown Act to enable citizens to post concerns about possible Brown Act infractions.
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R2In order to minimize the possibility of any real or perceived conflict of interest or bias, ATCAA programs must operate in a highly ethical manner. The ethics training program currently in place must not be neglected. The Grand Jury recommends that ATCAA new employees and staff, particularly staff with fiduciary responsibilities, continue their biannual ethics training without fail. In addition, because contractors often represent ATCAA to the public, it would be beneficial and prudent for ATCAA to require any person or company under contract to ATCAA to adhere to the same ethical standards required of ATCAA employees. RESPONSES
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R3The Jury recommends that the Sonora City Council have annual training in the Brown Act for its council members and support staff.
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R4The Jury recommends that the Tuolumne County Board of Education review its leadership and educational roles in servicing Brown Act Training needs for the school boards within Tuolumne County.
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R5The Jury recommends that the Summerville Union High School District Board of Education consider making their website more user friendly and current.
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R6Provide additional training opportunities, including the continued support of continuing education, for jail staff to ensure they are equipped with the skills needed to interact effectively with a felon-dominated jail population.
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R7Ensure the design of the new, larger jail accounts for the county’s projected needs for inmate housing within the budgetary constraints imposed by anticipated funding.
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R8The Grand Jury recommends an online detailed step-by-step permitting and “Batch” permitting application process in a “Frequently Asked Questions” section during the next County website update cycle and/or prior to end of year 2015.
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R9The TCSO needs to evaluate the current and future staffing needs of the jail and increase the funding of additional staffing in order to improve scheduling flexibility, decrease costs incurred from overtime pay, and reduce employee stress as deemed necessary. This evaluation is essential prior to the move into the new jail.
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R10, the Sheriff should appoint a committee of officers to develop a formalized recruiting strategy or plan that explores additional and expands existing outreach programs, including, but not limited to employee referrals, cadet program, Columbia Community College certification courses, and incentives.
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R11Same as Recommendation 10.
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R12The TCSO should continue to make funds available for continuing education and provide scheduling flexibility to allow jail staff the opportunity to spend time increasing their education. 43
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R13Advanced planning is needed to ensure additional funds are provided for the future staffing needs of the new jail. These funds should be accounted for in the FY2017 and FY2018 budget planning cycle.
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R16The TCSO should purchase and install a new JMS to reduce the costs of inefficient data collection, inaccurate reporting, and problematic classification of inmates and improve the safety of inmates and jail staff. This purchase and installation should occur within the next budget cycle.
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R17, the Sheriff should ask the TCBOS to convene a committee or series of meetings to assist in the identification of needs provided by a new JMS. The committee should be comprised of agencies and departments affected by the arrest, incarceration, and release of citizens in order to ensure a Jail Management System will fully meet the needs of the county and state, including the County’s Information and Technology Department. The committee could also include an at-large member of the public with appropriate knowledge to facilitate the purchase.
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R18Same as Recommendation 16.