San Bernardino County Grand Jury
2024-2025
Findings & Recommendations
7 findings
F1:
The County’s ability to respond quickly and provide relief to the citizens trapped by the heavy snowfall was hampered by a lack of proper equipment to remove the amount
F2:
The Mountain residents were not well informed of the situation that they faced, and the efforts being taken to provide the necessary assistance.
F3:
Since the agencies were not trained to understand the County Emergency Operations plan, they were poorly coordinated causing the community to suffer delays in needed services.
F4:
The Lack of a Disaster Council made up of county dept. leaders, hinders effective emergency planning, training, and communications.
F5:
The San Bernardino County Emergency
F6:
After the County’s Emergency Proclamation, the formation of the EOC, and the state’s Emergency Declaration, OES and some agencies were hesitant to fully function in unified command.
F7:
The EOC did not have a functioning unified command, resulting in County
Additional Recommendations
5
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The Grand Jury recommends that the County create and maintain a plan for securing the use of the type of equipment required to clear accumulations of snow greater than 8 feet from vital mountain roads. June 30, 2025 San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors 46 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report of snow encountered.
R2:
That the County develop a plan to take a leading role in disseminating accurate and timely information to residents facing disasters over a broad spectrum of platforms including social media. April 30, 2025 San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors
R3:
The Office of Emergency Services should develop a plan and accompanying training for all county departments, including the Board of Supervisors, to function according to the San Bernardino County Emergency Operations Plan. June 30, 2025 San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors
R4:
Establish a Disaster Council per the San Bernardino County Emergency Operations Plan. June 30, 2025 San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors
R7:
Department heads be trained in EOC responsibilities and held accountable for their agency’s June 30, 2025 San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors 48 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report resources not being used effectively. participation in the EOC. GLOSSARY: BOS – Board of Supervisors (San Bernardino County): The Board of Supervisors is like a city council in that its members are elected by residents to represent their interests and make policy decisions on government services, policies and finances. CEO – Chief Executive Officer: leads the County Administration Office and the Executive Team, who work with the Board of Supervisors and other stakeholders to serve the county residents and investors. DPW – Department of Public Works: Provides services in the following areas: Transportation, Flood Control, Solid Waste, Surveyor, Special Districts, permits, inspections, planning, maps, roads, paving, traffic, snow removal, water and sanitation, zoo, parks, landfills, organic waste recycling, environmental planning and maintenance, stormwater, contracts, project proposals, and public notices. EOC – Emergency Operations Center: is a central command and control "coordination structure" responsible for managing emergency response, emergency preparedness, emergency management, and disaster management functions at a strategic level during an emergency. IMT – Incident Management Team: An incident management team is a group of trained personnel that responds to emergencies and complex incidents. They provide command and control infrastructure to manage various aspects of incidents, including operational, logistical, informational, planning, fiscal, community, 49 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report political, and safety issues. These teams are specially trained to handle and mitigate incidents within an organization, ranging from natural disasters to workplace accidents. MoU – Memorandum of Understanding: a type of agreement between two or more parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used either in cases where parties do not imply a legal commitment or in situations where the parties cannot create a legally enforceable agreement. It is a more formal alternative to a gentlemen's agreement. OES – Office of Emergency Services: Under the direction of the County’s Director of Emergency Services, the Office of Emergency Services (OES) strives to prevent, protect from, mitigate against, prepare for, respond to and recover from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk to San Bernardino County. The OES has led these efforts during natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, floods, public health emergencies as well as man-made incidents involving large-scale/extended power outages, civil unrest and terrorism. REFERENCES: San Bernardino County 2023 Winter Storm After-Action Report https://www.sbcounty.gov/uploads/cao/uploads/content/SanBernardinoCounty- 2023-Winter-Storm-After-Action-Report.pdf San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, February 2023 Storm Event After- Action Report https://sbcfire.org/2023winterstormaar/ 50 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report
Findings & Recommendations
5 findings
F1:
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department patrol deputies do not always use biometric fingerprint technology prior to arresting a suspect on a warrant in the field.
F2:
The Sheriff’s Department needs more current biometric technology in
F3:
After an arrest is made, there is an opportunity to use Livescan at the Detention Center to confirm an identity prior to being booked.
F4:
Many SBCSD incident report jackets omitted the time the arrestee was released from custody, making it difficult to know how long a person had been in custody.
F6:
The lack of internal review makes it difficult to track and identify best practices for reducing the error warrant arrests based on mistaken identification.
Additional Recommendations
7
Not linked to specific findings.
R1:
The San Bernardino County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the Sheriff’s Department Obtain the most current available biometric technology for use as a tool to verify a suspect’s identity before arresting and booking him or her. June 1, 2025 San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department
R2:
The Civil Grand Jury recommends the Sheriff’s Department work with Cal-ID to purchase biometric technology that allows for expedited June 1, 2025 San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department 76 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report the field that includes assessment for fingerprints, facial recognition and iris scan. confirmation of identity.
R3:
The Civil Grand Jury recommends the suspect be identified using Livescan to confirm suspect’s identity before being booked. April 1, 2025 San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department
R4:
The Civil Grand Jury recommends enhancing the procedure for the deputy in charge that verifies the completeness of the paperwork in every jacket including: - Booking application with all required information, and the Release Receipt that lists the time of his or her release from custody. April 1, 2025 San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department
R5:
The Civil Grand Jury recommends that the Sheriff's April 1, 2025 San Bernardino County database does identify error arrests. However, the database does not identify specific types of error arrests. Department include a data field that identifies specific types of error warrant arrests based on mistaken identity. Sheriff’s Department
R6:
The Civil Grand Jury recommends that the SBCSD audit their booking errors annually to review erroneous warrant arrests. June 1, 2025 San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department These recommendations represent a multi-pronged approach that addresses the issue from various sides: • Confirmation of Identity before booking is a crucial action but this step alone can be prone to errors. • Biometric Fingerprint Technology offers a more reliable identification method but is not foolproof and may not be available in all situations. • Better Record Keeping allows for access to complete paperwork in a timely manner. This level of organization promotes better tracking and analyzing of the frequency and circumstances of mistaken identity warrant arrests and helps more easily reveal patterns and areas for improvement. • Periodic Review and Evaluation ensures that the implemented changes are effective and will identify areas for further refinement. San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report COMMENDATION: The Civil Grand Jury recognizes that tens of thousands of arrests are made by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies every year. These arrests are evidence that Sheriff’s Department deputies do indeed play a vital role in ensuring public safety by protecting citizens from criminal activity and other dangers to their safety. As crucial first responders, police officers’ efforts in apprehending criminals and upholding the law are vital for maintaining order and safeguarding our community. Their commitment to this essential service deserves recognition and gratitude. The SBCSD is very committed to respecting citizens’ rights under the law. Cadets who graduate from the County’s Sheriff’s Academy memorize and recite a “Code of Ethics” that includes swearing an oath to the U.S. Constitution. Their recitation states, in part, they swear “to respect the Constitutional Rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice.” GLOSSARY: Jacket: refers to the arrestee’s file that contains the documents generated during the booking process. REFERENCES: https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-procedure/chronology-the-arrest- process.html 78 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report CLETS Policies, Practices and Procedures (and Statutes) rev. 12/23 https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/media/clets-policies-practices-and-procedures.pdf Columbo - Integrated Biometrics https://integratedbiometrics.com/products/fbi-certified-fingerprint- scanners/columbo Slapshot - Integrated Biometrics https://integratedbiometrics.com/products/touchless/slapshot Five-0 - Integrated Biometrics https://integratedbiometrics.com/products/fbi-certified-fingerprint-scanners/five-0 Kojak - Integrated Biometrics https://integratedbiometrics.com/products/fbi-certified-fingerprint-scanners/kojak PHOTOS: Craiyon https://www.craiyon.com 79 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report This Page Left Intentionally Blank 80 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report
R11-19:
hours 9 20 or more hours 4 Total Number of People Assessed 41 Table 2 created by the San Bernardino County Civil Grand Jury