To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): The Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach
Staff Name and Phone Number: Karlene Navarro, 707-565-1534
Vote Requirement: Informational Only
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
10:00 A.M. - The Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO) State of the Office Report
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Receive the Fiscal Year 2019-20 IOLERO Annual Report.
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Executive Summary:
The Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO) was established by county ordinance in 2016. The operational mission of IOLERO is to strengthen the relationship between the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO or Sheriff’s Office) and the community it serves through outreach and the promotion of greater transparency of law enforcement operations.
To accomplish this goal, the IOLERO director audits complaints against the SCSO and makes policy and training recommendations based on those complaints. IOLERO also works with a Community Advisory Council (CAC) and conducts comprehensive community engagement to promote community-driven policy recommendations, systemic reform and community partnership in law enforcement operations.
Today the Board is requested to receive the Fiscal Year 2019-20 IOLERO Annual Report which details IOLERO’s four operational branches, the complaints process, and audit summaries and recommendations, among other topics.
Discussion:
The past 18 months have been a benchmark in IOLERO’s history. In October of 2019, the director’s request was granted to add a full-time programs manager to further develop IOLERO’s CAC and community engagement efforts. In September 2020 during county budget hearings, the director’s request for two additional attorneys was granted. IOLERO has gone from a staff of two - a director and an administrative assistant - to a staff of five, a director, two attorneys, a programs manager and an administrative assistant. The IOLERO adopted budget went from $562,322 in fiscal year 2018-19 to $1,391,174 for fiscal year 2020-2021, an increase of 147%.
In May of 2020, IOLERO partnered with Sonoma State University (SSU) to research and examine law enforcement’s use-of-force and de-escalation policies and to develop a high functioning community-oriented policing program. In August of 2020, the Board of Supervisors placed a measure on the November 3, 2020 ballot to allow Sonoma County voters to consider a new ordinance for IOLERO which would significantly increase IOLERO’s legal authority and capacity for law enforcement oversight.
Sections I through IV of this report discuss IOLERO’s current ordinance and some of the changes proposed by the ballot measure. Also discussed are the challenges IOLERO has faced by its legal limitations and extreme budget constraints over the past four years since the department was established. The majority of this report is dedicated to Section V which discusses the complaints against the Sheriff’s Office, the audits of those complaints, the IOLERO director’s recommendations and the changes that have come from this process. The audit process recently has produced unprecedented changes to Sheriff’s Office policies including a new de-escalation policy, increased training in biased policing (implicit bias) and crisis intervention, a policy that makes arrestees safer and another that reduces errors in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reporting. Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation to review the practices of dispatch in conveying accurate information to deputies during calls for service.
IOLERO was born out of the death of 13-year old Andy Lopez in 2013, a law enforcement force-related tragedy all too familiar in cities across our nation. There have been many challenges on the path to developing IOLERO in order to make it a fully functioning, sustainable and effective law enforcement oversight agency. As IOLERO continues to grow into its full capabilities, it is important to remember the past and learn from it, but also to look toward the future. It is possible for us to live in the world as it is recognizing its inequities, challenges and heartbreak while also working to make the world what it should be. To create change, respectful, thoughtful dialogue almost always goes further than diatribe, even if it comes from grief and frustration. In the end, building relationships will demonstrate that we have more in common than we have in differences and any positive change that we accomplish will last longer if we do it together.
Prior Board Actions:
12/4/18: Received the IOLERO FY 2017-2018 Annual Report.
9/19/2017: Received the IOLERO FY 2016-2017 Annual Report.
Fiscal Summary
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
Attachments:
FY 2019-20 IOLERO Annual Report
PowerPoint Presentation
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board: