Riverside County Grand Jury
1997-1998
Findings & Recommendations
10 findings
F1:
A multitude of problems in the department have reduced personnel to seventeen sworn officers with fourteen officers available for patrol for four shifts. This shortage of personnel has forced all administrative officers except the chief and the commander to be returned to patrol duty. The department has eliminated all detectives, bicycle patrol and canine units. As of this date, the motorcycle program has been suspended indefinitely.
Related Recommendations (2)
R3:
City of San Jacinto Police Department bring staffing of sworn officers up to funded level.
R4:
Police department reinstate motorcycle, bicycle and canine patrols, as well as the detective unit.
F2:
A central theme of low morale, fear of retaliation, inconsistencies of reprimands, intimidation, "projecting" and favoritism exists. This theme generated complaints, by most personnel, of a hostile work environment. In September of 1997, a "no confidence" vote was given by the Police Officers Association (POA) against the police chief. The vote of seventeen to two resulted from nonranked officers and dispatchers with three abstentions.
Related Recommendations (2)
R2:
If San Jacinto City Council chooses to retain an autonomous city police department, the city manager replace current upper administrative staff. If replacement candidates are personally known by any of the sitting council or any other hiring person or body, that person or persons should disqualify themselves from the hiring process. A representative elected from the Police Officers Association be included in the process, or optimally, the city council retain an independent entity to recruit and recommend any upper administrative replacements.
R5:
Police department reestablish a professional working relationship with the POA.
F3:
There has been significant attrition of personnel since 1992 (twenty-eight of fifty- six total personnel).
Related Recommendations (1)
R3:
City of San Jacinto Police Department bring staffing of sworn officers up to funded level.
F4:
Nonresponsiveness to more than one officer's call for assistance in dangerous situations were alleged.
F5:
Allegations were made of improper changing of evaluations and records sanitation. Personnel incidents noted in yearly evaluations are being held against some personnel in subsequent evaluations.
Related Recommendations (2)
R2:
If San Jacinto City Council chooses to retain an autonomous city police department, the city manager replace current upper administrative staff. If replacement candidates are personally known by any of the sitting council or any other hiring person or body, that person or persons should disqualify themselves from the hiring process. A representative elected from the Police Officers Association be included in the process, or optimally, the city council retain an independent entity to recruit and recommend any upper administrative replacements.
R7:
Police department eliminate the use of the same negative information contained in previous years' evaluations for subsequent annual evaluations unless it still applies.
F6:
Significant favoritism is shown to some officers while others are reprimanded for minor infractions that would normally be ignored.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
If San Jacinto City Council chooses to retain an autonomous city police department, the city manager replace current upper administrative staff. If replacement candidates are personally known by any of the sitting council or any other hiring person or body, that person or persons should disqualify themselves from the hiring process. A representative elected from the Police Officers Association be included in the process, or optimally, the city council retain an independent entity to recruit and recommend any upper administrative replacements.
F7:
There is a lack of response from a majority of the city council members regarding problems in the police department.
F8:
Current evaluation forms are too restrictive. The only categories for performance are "meets" or "does not meet" requirements. No area for "improvement needed" is included. Pay raises and promotions are denied if personnel do not "meet requirements" in any area.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6:
Police department change evaluation forms to include an area for "needs improvement."
F9:
There could be many benefits to contracting with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for police protection in San Jacinto. These include: a. A larger officer pool b. Lower cost c. Better patrols d. Reduction of current personnel problems e. Increase in pay, better benefits and earlier retirement for personnel hired by the Sheriff's Department. f. An immediate increase in the morale of personnel
Related Recommendations (1)
R1:
The City of San Jacinto City Council should consider disbanding the police department and contract with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
F10:
The main objection to contracting with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department is that a large number of citizens and a majority of police department personnel seem to prefer an autonomous city police department.
Findings & Recommendations
6 findings
F1:
The “adoption incentives” portion of ASFA is not aimed at taking children from their biological parents, but is specifically directed at facilitating the removal of children from the foster care system and placing them into adoptive homes.
F2:
California Assembly Bill 2773 states that “any incentive payment received through implementation of the federal act (ASFA) must be reinvested into the child welfare system in order to provide increased post-adoptive services, as needed, to families who have adopted children from the foster care system.” 1
F3:
The 2001-02 Grand Jury has found through interviews and newspaper and internet articles that there is a public misconception that Child Protection Departments, nationwide, receive bonuses for removing children from their biological parents and rushing them into adoption.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
Set policy standards throughout the regions of the county to prevent misunderstandings when dealing with parents and relatives while moving children within the foster care and adoption system. 2
F4:
A June 11, 2002 letter to the Grand Jury from a Department of Child Protective Services program manager states in part, “Social workers do not now and have never in the past received case-related bonuses. Social Workers receive no monetary incentive for placing children in adoptive homes."
F5:
Based on numerous interviews of Riverside County Child Protective Services Social Workers, the Grand Jury also found that very few of the workers interviewed had sufficient knowledge of the federal, state, and local funding laws and ordinances to help dispel this “bonus” misconception.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1:
Immediately begin educating and training County Social Workers on a regular basis regarding federal, state, and county laws, rules, and regulations of The Federal Adoption and Safe Families Act.
R2:
Set policy standards throughout the regions of the county to prevent misunderstandings when dealing with parents and relatives while moving children within the foster care and adoption system. 2
F6:
A Federal General Accounting Office study reports that, “Many States have begun to train staff on the legal and policy changes necessitated by ASFA” (February 2000).
Findings & Recommendations
17 findings
F1:
Space is limited and the facilities are inadequate to house the increased caseload the coroner is handling. The coroner's morgue in Riverside has numerous Cal- OSHA (California Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and fire department violations dating back to 1992, which cannot be corrected without an expense comparable to building a new facility.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
F2:
The refrigerator's capacity is inadequate to accommodate all of the bodies and remains received. The hall is used for storage when the refrigerator is full. Decomposition takes place rapidly on those bodies not in the refrigerator.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
F3:
Odors from the morgue are not vented properly because the exhaust system is inadequate causing members of the staff to become ill.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
F4:
Embalming has not been done at the morgue in Riverside since August of 1994 because of health concerns caused by inadequate ventilation of fumes of formalin and other chemicals. Revenues are lost because this service must now be done at local mortuaries.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
F5:
The facility has outdated equipment. The plumbing and electrical wiring are inadequate. This causes health and safety concerns for the employees. Some examples are: a. Pathologists stand in water while using electrical equipment because the autopsy room does not have a floor drain. b. . The sinks in the autopsy room drain directly to the floor. c. Two of the three hazardous waste receptacles are broken. d. There are no ground fault circuit interrupters at sinks or on the autopsy tables as required by building codes.
Related Recommendations (3)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
R3:
Allow the coroner to view and acquire equipment at the closed Riverside General Hospital for use at the coroner's facilities.
F6:
A rodent infestation problem persists which creates health concerns mentioned in prior health inspections.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
F7:
Open cracks in the walls and ceiling expose employees and the public to asbestos.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
F8:
The morgue does not have emergency decontamination showers.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
F9:
On January 5, 1999, the sheriff will officially assume the duties of the Riverside County Coroner/Public Administrator. There is an appearance of a conflict of interest with some cases, i.e., officer involved shootings and in-custody deaths after the sheriff assumes the duties of the coroner.
F10:
The mortuaries in the mid-county contract with the coroner's office for coroner services in that area without compensation by the county.
F11:
The consensus among the contracting mortuary owners in the mid-county is that the coroner is out of touch with their needs. He has not met with them since the original contract was drawn up.
F12:
The owners of the mortuary in Blythe receive a nominal combined salary for their service as deputy coroners.
F13:
The coroner is mandated by law to inquire into and determine the circumstances, manner and cause of all violent, sudden or unusual deaths within the county. This includes all homicides, suicides, accidental and natural deaths where a physician has not been in attendance within twenty days prior to a death.
F14:
The coroner uses three pathologists, all of whom work under contract. Two work in the western county and one in the eastern and mid-county.
F15:
The existing contract with pathologists does not require a specific time limit to perform autopsies.
F16:
The pathologist in the eastern and mid-county generally works three days per week, often arriving in the afternoon. The mortuary owners must pay overtime to employees who have to stay at their facility until all autopsies have been completed.
F17:
The security of the chain of evidence is compromised in criminal cases in the eastern and mid-county because: a. Coroner's deputies do not respond on all calls. b. Mortuary representatives are often asked to draw and store blood samples in unlocked refrigerators. These samples often have value as evidence. c. Mortuary representatives are sometimes asked to do preliminary investigative work in coroner cases. d. The belongings of the deceased are gathered by mortuary personnel and stored at the mortuary facilities.
Related Recommendations (3)
R4:
Direct that audits be conducted on coroner's evidence to ensure the security of the evidence.
R5:
Direct that periodic checks be made on a random basis to verify that only authorized personnel handle and provide security of evidence. Coroner:
R6:
Adequately train and deputize one representative from each contracting mortuary or hire additional deputies to service the area.
Findings & Recommendations
17 findings
F1:
Space is limited and the facilities are inadequate to house the increased caseload the coroner is handling. The coroner's morgue in Riverside has numerous Cal- OSHA (California Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and fire department violations dating back to 1992, which cannot be corrected without an expense comparable to building a new facility.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
F2:
The refrigerator's capacity is inadequate to accommodate all of the bodies and remains received. The hall is used for storage when the refrigerator is full. Decomposition takes place rapidly on those bodies not in the refrigerator.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
F3:
Odors from the morgue are not vented properly because the exhaust system is inadequate causing members of the staff to become ill.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
F4:
Embalming has not been done at the morgue in Riverside since August of 1994 because of health concerns caused by inadequate ventilation of fumes of formalin and other chemicals. Revenues are lost because this service must now be done at local mortuaries.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
F5:
The facility has outdated equipment. The plumbing and electrical wiring are inadequate. This causes health and safety concerns for the employees. Some examples are: a. Pathologists stand in water while using electrical equipment because the autopsy room does not have a floor drain. b. . The sinks in the autopsy room drain directly to the floor. c. Two of the three hazardous waste receptacles are broken. d. There are no ground fault circuit interrupters at sinks or on the autopsy tables as required by building codes.
Related Recommendations (3)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
R3:
Allow the coroner to view and acquire equipment at the closed Riverside General Hospital for use at the coroner's facilities.
F6:
A rodent infestation problem persists which creates health concerns mentioned in prior health inspections.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
F7:
Open cracks in the walls and ceiling expose employees and the public to asbestos.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
F8:
The morgue does not have emergency decontamination showers.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1:
Expedite the construction of the new morgue in the western county for completion within the next year.
R2:
Build an adequate freestanding morgue conveniently located to serve the eastern and mid-county areas.
F9:
On January 5, 1999, the sheriff will officially assume the duties of the Riverside County Coroner/Public Administrator. There is an appearance of a conflict of interest with some cases, i.e., officer involved shootings and in-custody deaths after the sheriff assumes the duties of the coroner.
F10:
The mortuaries in the mid-county contract with the coroner's office for coroner services in that area without compensation by the county.
F11:
The consensus among the contracting mortuary owners in the mid-county is that the coroner is out of touch with their needs. He has not met with them since the original contract was drawn up.
F12:
The owners of the mortuary in Blythe receive a nominal combined salary for their service as deputy coroners.
F13:
The coroner is mandated by law to inquire into and determine the circumstances, manner and cause of all violent, sudden or unusual deaths within the county. This includes all homicides, suicides, accidental and natural deaths where a physician has not been in attendance within twenty days prior to a death.
F14:
The coroner uses three pathologists, all of whom work under contract. Two work in the western county and one in the eastern and mid-county.
F15:
The existing contract with pathologists does not require a specific time limit to perform autopsies.
F16:
The pathologist in the eastern and mid-county generally works three days per week, often arriving in the afternoon. The mortuary owners must pay overtime to employees who have to stay at their facility until all autopsies have been completed.
F17:
The security of the chain of evidence is compromised in criminal cases in the eastern and mid-county because: a. Coroner's deputies do not respond on all calls. b. Mortuary representatives are often asked to draw and store blood samples in unlocked refrigerators. These samples often have value as evidence. c. Mortuary representatives are sometimes asked to do preliminary investigative work in coroner cases. d. The belongings of the deceased are gathered by mortuary personnel and stored at the mortuary facilities.
Related Recommendations (3)
R4:
Direct that audits be conducted on coroner's evidence to ensure the security of the evidence.
R5:
Direct that periodic checks be made on a random basis to verify that only authorized personnel handle and provide security of evidence. Coroner:
R6:
Adequately train and deputize one representative from each contracting mortuary or hire additional deputies to service the area.
Findings & Recommendations
5 findings
F1:
The public has been allowed the use of a facility that does not meet current building codes or safety standards: a. A party facility, with a maximum capacity of 300 people, had doors that opened inward and lacked panic hardware. b. A tile-roofed patio structure is beginning to show failure. c. Several public areas such as the grandstand and restrooms were not accessible to the disabled. d. A disabled viewing platform was completed without necessary inspections.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1:
All Empire Polo Grounds preannexation facilities and structures be brought into compliance with Riverside County building and fire safety code requirements.
F2:
At a September 1996 open city council meeting, the city council voted to create an ad hoc committee to oversee and resolve the Empire Polo Grounds code enforcement problems. This action bypassed regular administrative requirements and normal appeal processes carried out by staff and council in open session.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
Discontinue public use of the Empire Polo Grounds party facility until all safety violations have been corrected.
F3:
The Indio City Council has failed to enforce city building and safety codes in the Indio Ranchos area.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3:
Comply with the City of Indio building and fire safety codes by obtaining all necessary permits for Empire Polo Grounds' post-annexation construction.
F4:
The City of Indio develop and implement administrative procedures to ensure that preparation for future annexations include a thorough inspection and inventory of all structures, facilities and permits prior to annexation.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4:
The City of Indio develop and implement administrative procedures to ensure that preparation for future annexations include a thorough inspection and inventory of all structures, facilities and permits prior to annexation.
F5:
The Indio City Council refrain from creating ad hoc committees intended to bypass normal staff administrative and appeal processes.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5:
The Indio City Council refrain from creating ad hoc committees intended to bypass normal staff administrative and appeal processes.
Findings & Recommendations
3 findings
F1:
The public has been allowed the use of a facility that does not meet current building codes or safety standards: a. A party facility, with a maximum capacity of 300 people, had doors that opened inward and lacked panic hardware. b. A tile-roofed patio structure is beginning to show failure. c. Several public areas such as the grandstand and restrooms were not accessible to the disabled. d. A disabled viewing platform was completed without necessary inspections.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1:
All Empire Polo Grounds preannexation facilities and structures be brought into compliance with Riverside County building and fire safety code requirements.
F2:
At a September 1996 open city council meeting, the city council voted to create an ad hoc committee to oversee and resolve the Empire Polo Grounds code enforcement problems. This action bypassed regular administrative requirements and normal appeal processes carried out by staff and council in open session.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2:
Discontinue public use of the Empire Polo Grounds party facility until all safety violations have been corrected.
F3:
The Indio City Council has failed to enforce city building and safety codes in the Indio Ranchos area.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3:
Comply with the City of Indio building and fire safety codes by obtaining all necessary permits for Empire Polo Grounds' post-annexation construction.
Additional Recommendations
2
Not linked to specific findings.
R4:
The City of Indio develop and implement administrative procedures to ensure that preparation for future annexations include a thorough inspection and inventory of all structures, facilities and permits prior to annexation.
R5:
The Indio City Council refrain from creating ad hoc committees intended to bypass normal staff administrative and appeal processes.