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Extraído del Informe Consolidado
Esta investigación fue publicada originalmente como parte de un informe consolidado más amplio que contiene múltiples investigaciones. Consulte el PDF consolidado para ver el documento completo.
⚠️ Aviso de traducción: Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings 7 findings
F1
Jail staffing as of June 1999: Corrections Deputies Meets minimum BOC requirements Required by BOC 56.9 County budget allocation 1999-2000 44 No County budget funded 1999-2000 40 No Actual 32 No
F2
Page 29
As shown above, staffing levels are too low and do not meet minimum State standards. Corrections Deputies are required to put in overtime and will soon be going on five-day, twelve-hour shifts. Field deputies are now being used for transport duty and the prospect is for loss of more Corrections Deputies with no replacements in sight. According to a January, 1999 BOC inspection, staffing is adequate for hourly checks of Jail areas, but is not at a level sufficient for close attention to inmate activities, periodic searches and maintenance of overall facility appearance.
F3
Page 29
Staff turnover remains high and is a significant problem. The 1997-98 Grand Jury noted that the County loses Corrections Deputies to jurisdictions which are able to pay higher salaries. As well, Corrections Deputies, in the interest of professional advancement, take advantage of opportunities to move into what they see as more challenging, regular law enforcement.
F4
Page 29
The 1997-1998 Grand Jury found that the County had to return $150,000 state grant because of Jail understaffing.
F5
Page 30
County administrative staff told the Grand Jury that the County doesn’t allocate positions if there is little likelihood that they will be filled because to do so ties up funds for those positions.
F6
Page 30
A peace office with corrections experience told the Grand Jury that service as a Corrections Deputy is excellent training for officers who then go on to street duty, as it provides officers with experience in interacting face to face with often hostile persons and in dealing at times with ticklish situations where resorting to force might be inappropriate.
F7
Page 30
The 1998-1999 budget states "..the Sheriff and his staff remained committed to accomplishing the goal of filling all 39 funded Corrections Deputy positions, which was achieved on April 27,1998. The Sheriff and his staff continue to recruit and hire additional Corrections Deputies to meet staffing levels of 44 Corrections Deputies committed to by the Board of Supervisors during Fiscal Year 1997-98 and Fiscal Year 98-99." The commitments made by the Board of Supervisors (BOS) and the Sheriff appear to be nothing more than public posturing to placate critics. Instead of increasing staffing, the County has actually lost personnel, leaving staff at 32 Corrections Deputies.
Recommendations 7
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R1Page 29The Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff have been unable or unwilling to address the staffing problems in a solutions orientated way. The lack of leadership has resulted in the Jail having fewer Correction Deputies this year than last year. The time has come to take bold and imaginative steps to deal with the chronic staffing problem at the Jail. The problem is at crisis level and can no longer be ignored. The BOS must establish a citizens blue-ribbon panel comprised of both citizens and Jail personnel and and utilizing professional resources develop and deliver no later than January 1, 2000, a meaningful, result-oriented plan to deal with this chronic staffing problem.
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R2Page 29The Sheriff’s Department should consider requiring newly hired officers to spend a minimum period working as corrections officers before “graduating” to street duty.
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R3Page 29The Grand Jury recommends that the County allocate the required positions and take steps to enhance recruiting efforts, in the interest of assuring that grants applied for are not lost to the County on grounds of short staffing.
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R4Page 29The Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff must publicly explain to the citizens of this County why they have not fulfilled their commitment and legal obligation to adequately staff the Jail. The continued excuse of higher salaries elsewhere is no longer an acceptable explanation. Physical Plant
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R5Page 29A County Health Department inspection found that water temperature of the dishwasher in the facility kitchen does not attain required temperatures. This has been an intermittent and continuing problem for some time. There are no plans at the present time to provide a permanent solution. Other kitchen problems reported include a questionable fire extinguishing system over the stove. Given the past problems, staff cannot be confident that the system will work in the event of a major fire. This is an extremely hazardous situation.
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R6Page 29Staff is unable to adequately clean and sanitize kitchen shelving as it is presently arranged. While new shelves have been purchased which will resolve this problem and improve sanitation, there are no plans to install them. That is a misuse of scarce County resources as a result of inadequate management planning.
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R7Page 29A site visit to the Fort Bragg detention facility found it to be in good condition: clean and well- maintained. The facility was found to be out of compliance with the California Welfare and Institutions Code and Title 15 in regard to the holding of minors at the facility. This is confirmed by a BOC inspection conducted in January 1999: There are no formal logs or procedures to ensure compliance with Welfare and Institutions Code Section 207.1(d), or minimum standards for minors held in a police building that contains a lockup (California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Section 1542). Recommendation The Sheriff must take immediate steps to correct the Welfare and Institutions Code and Title 15 violations and issue a public report no later than October 1,