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File #: 2026-0258   
Type: Consent Calendar Item Status: Agenda Ready
File created: 2/17/2026 In control: Sheriff's Office
On agenda: 3/24/2026 Final action:
Title: ?Amendment to Sheriff's On-Call Security Armed Guard Services Agreements?
Department or Agency Name(s): Sheriff's Office
Attachments: 1. Summary Report.pdf, 2. Fourth Amendment to Armed Security Guard Services.pdf

To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors

Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office

Staff Name and Phone Number: Sheriff Eddie Engram 565-2650, Connie Newton, 565-8884

Vote Requirement: Majority

Supervisorial District(s): Countywide

 

Title:

Title

​Amendment to Sheriff’s On-Call Security Armed Guard Services Agreements​

End

 

Recommended Action:

Recommended action

A)                     Authorize the Sheriff to execute Amendments to the Agreements for On-Call Security Armed Guard Services with Defense Block Security and Armorous Security and Investigations, increasing the annual contract limits for amounts not to exceed $500,000 per year, through the term of the Agreement, which allows for extensions through August 14, 2028.

 

B)                     Authorize the Sheriff to sign future Amendments to the Agreements for On-Call Security Armed Guard Services with Defense Block Security and Armorous Security and Investigations increasing the spending limits for an amount not to exceed $1,000,000.  ​​

end

 

Executive Summary:

​The Sheriff is requesting authority to execute Amendments to existing On-Call Security Armed Guard Services Agreements to increase the spending limits from $200,000 per year to $500,000 per year, per Agreement.  In 2023 when these Agreements were approved by the Board, there were five qualified providers the Sheriff used on a rotational basis.  Since then, only two of the five vendors remain available to provide services resulting in a need to reallocate the unused contract funds to the remaining two providers.  This change increases the services and related expenses for the two remaining vendors.   County Human Resources approves these contracts the this contracting arrangement complies with Employee Relations guidance for contracting out services.   ​

 

Discussion:

​​The Sheriff’s Office has been contracting for on-call armed security guard services since November 2022 to help relieve the need for deputy sheriff overtime in certain non-emergency situations such as guarding incarcerated persons at medical facilities, referred to as “hospital guard”. The Sheriff’s Office issued a request for proposal (RFP) to establish longer term, non-exclusive agreements for these services. In August 2023 the Board authorized the Sheriff to execute five contracts for armed guard security services, each for an annual amount of $200,000.  The Sheriff’s Office uses the providers on a rotational basis based on availability and responsiveness.  Since that time, three of the five vendors are unable to provide the required services, shifting the work to two remaining vendors, Defense Block and Armorous Security and Investigations. The reduction of available providers requires an increase in the annual contract limits because this change increases the services and related expenses for the two remaining vendors.  

 

​The Sheriff is requesting authorization to sign amendments to the Agreements for On-call Security Armed Guard Services to increase the annual contract limit to $500,000 per year.  The need for hospital guard is volatile and expenditures vary from year to year. This fiscal year, there have been three long term hospital guards requiring an above average level of service from the vendors. The FY 25-26 projected cost for total hospital guard services is $772,754 based on actuals through January and known long-term hospital guard needs.   There is the potential that additional long-term or hospital guard services could be needed again later this year. 

 

​​In some cases, vendors are unable to fulfill the requested services, causing an unequal distribution of work.  Therefore, the Sheriff is requesting the authority to execute future amendments to adjust the contract limits in the event the work is not equally distributed between the two contractors. The under expenditures of one Agreement would offset the requested increase. Future Amendments would not exceed $1,000,000 per year and will provide flexibility needed to continue services without interruption.   ​​

 

Strategic Plan:

N/A

Racial Equity:

 

Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?

No

 

Prior Board Actions:

​8/15/23- Board approved five Agreements for On-Call Security Armed Guard Services Agreements​

 

Fiscal Summary

 Expenditures

FY25-26 Adopted

FY26-27 Projected

FY27-28 Projected

Budgeted Expenses

$400,000

$400,000

$400,000

Additional Appropriation Requested

 

 

 

Total Expenditures

$400,000

$400,000

$400,000

Funding Sources

 

 

 

General Fund/WA GF

$400,000

$400,000

$400,000

State/Federal

 

 

 

Fees/Other

 

 

 

Use of Fund Balance

 

 

 

General Fund Contingencies

 

 

 

Total Sources

$400,000

$400,000

$400,000

 

Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:

​Additional funds are not being requested. When the Board approved use of these services in FY 22-23, Sheriff’s staff programmed the contract expenses and offsetting deputy sheriff overtime into the Sheriff’s annual budget.  The three-year historical average expenditures are $332,000 per year.  However, FY 25-26 expenditures are projected to be $775,000, $375,000 above budget, due to increased volume coupled with three, long-term, incarcerated persons hospital stays, two of which are out of county.  Travel expenses combined with the required 24/7 coverage comprise the FY 25-26 projection.  Based on current staffing levels, salary savings in the deputy sheriff job class are projected to be higher than anticipated and may be able to cover the security armed guard service contract expenses that exceed the $400,000 of FY 25-26 appropriations for these services. For FY 26-27 and future years, the budget assumes service needs return to the levels experienced in the prior three years.

 

Staffing Impacts:

 

 

 

Position Title (Payroll Classification)

Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step)

Additions (Number)

Deletions (Number)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):

N/A

 

Attachments:

​Fourth Amendment to Armed Security Services Agreement​.

 

Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:

​On-Call Security Armed Guard Services Agreement with Defense Block​.