The Honorable Allan D. Hardcastle Presiding Judge Sonoma County Superior Court

states, “Sonoma County invests money and time into the training of officers. The goal is to retain these trained officers long term and have all law enforcement sworn officers live within the county boundaries, not only for safety reasons but to be an integral part of the community.” I concur with this finding. The issue of housing affordability continues to be one of the leading reasons as well as the pay scale that we have been unable to attract candidates from out of this area.

states, “In some law enforcement agencies, more than 10% of the sworn officers live outside of Sonoma County due to the high cost of housing.” I concur with this finding. While we currently do not have any officers residing outside of the county, we have in the past and would expect to experience this issue as we recruit for new officers. Once again, thank you for the opportunity to respond to the Grand Jury’s report. Please feel free to contact me if you should require further clarification of information. Sincerely, Robert Stewart Chief of Police Grand Jury Response 08-05