Essay: Supervising the sheriff
New Sacramento County inspector general is only a first step
By Patrick Kennedy
There is no secret in Sacramento County about the controversy surrounding the county’s Inspector General and the Sheriff over the past 16 months. It has been a festering wound ever since Sheriff Scott Jones terminated the then-IG’s access to Sheriff’s Department facilities in August 2018, virtually making it impossible for the IG to conduct his work.
Since then, the Board of Supervisors has taken steps to enhance the duties of the IG and to avoid a situation where the sheriff will take such actions in the future. Among other things, a new scope of work was approved giving the IG clearer investigative authority over department policies and procedures, incidents involving officer-involved shootings or violence and other community concerns.
The board also maintained its right of subpoena power should that be necessary to secure evidence in dispute. Additionally, at our meeting on Dec. 10, the board approved language for a memorandum of understanding between the board and the sheriff intended to provide an avenue for dispute resolution to avoid any future IG lockout.
At the same time, I as chairman of the Board of Supervisors have overseen the national recruitment process for a new IG, as well as candidate interviews. This process resulted in the board authorizing the county CEO to negotiate a contract with the chosen candidate, and those negotiations are underway.
He is Mark Evenson, who has 32 years of law enforcement experience, including 10 as the police chief in Brentwood. I expect to CONTINUE READING: Supervising the sheriff • SN&R Extra