On Oct. 13, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors Ad Hoc committee held its first in a series of listening sessions at the Riverside County Administrative Center — 4080 Lemon St., — to gauge county residents opinions regarding the potential creation of an oversight body for the Riverside Sheriff’s Department. It was scheduled to run from 6 to 8 p.m but ended at 6:49 p.m.
The meeting opened with remarks from Riverside County Supervisors Jose Medina and Karen Spiegel who co-authored the committee. County Executive Officer (CEO) Jeff Van Wagenen then reviewed the night’s procedures and guidelines. They explained that each speaker would have two minutes and asked that those attending this meeting not attend the other two following meetings so others would be able to participate. They added that the Board would later hold smaller group meetings with stakeholders where they could further express their opinion.
19 residents spoke during the meeting with the majority raising concerns regarding internal and external evaluation processes, difficulty accessing data from current government websites and an alleged lack of accountability from the Sheriff’s Department.
Rabbi Suzanne Singer, a member of the community group Riverside Sheriff Accountability Coalition, discussed the limitations of the State and Community Corrections Board as well as the District Attorney’s criminal reviews, two of the existing accountability processes for the Sheriff’s Department. Singer asserted that two processes have been vaguely effective at checking the conduct of the department, leading to results such as deaths within Riverside County jails, stating, “[it] does not necessarily answer whether department policies were violated, supervisors adequate, whether the training worked or an incident was preventable.”
Others raised similar concerns but proposed various solutions; the most common being the establishment of an Office of Inspector General which could more directly monitor conduct across the department.
The meeting also saw four residents speak against the implementation of an oversight body, citing concerns it would lead to a waste of taxpayer funds, create unnecessary barriers for the Sheriff and lower available funding for other resources such as deputy recruitment, training or mental health resources.
Among the opponents was a Corona resident who expressed concern that the funding of an oversight body could restrict funding for resources for first responders and the Sheriff’s Department, stating, “We should be looking for ways to strengthen their ability to serve our communities, not create additional administrative obstacles that may undermine morale, or interfere with effective law enforcement.”
Two other listening sessions will be held on October 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Coachella Valley Water District Steve Robbins Administration Building —75515 Hovley Lane East — in Palm Desert. The final session will be held virtually on October 26 from 6 to 8 p.m.
