Home Ms. Wadsworth wrote, State law gives sheriffs sole discretion to grant the permits, known as CCWs. Otherwise, "we're going to continue to fail those human beings," he said. "I'm a talker. Among the apparent beneficiaries of that privilege was County Supervisor Mike Wasserman. He would also work to instill an ethic of maturity and patience in correctional facility officers, who often face trying circumstances with defiant inmates, he said.He said that the sheriff's office should still run the jail, but he is willing to listen to members of the Board of Supervisors who think it should go back to the way it was before Smith took control. Emergency: 9-1-1; Emergency and Non-Emergency Number from all phones: (408) 299 - 2311; General Information from cellular phone: (408) 808 - 4400 I can bring together diverse groups of people. San Jose, CA 95110. Former Pleasanton cop found not guilty of murder in DUI crash Now THAT would be a real investigative story. Wed, Mar 01, 2023 . She could not be reached for an interview. Required fields are marked *. But hes far from convinced shes finished. He looks for people who are willing to do the right thing even if it's not popular, he said. The second public information officer (PIO) to testify took the stand on July 23. Otherwise, your forms go into a filing cabinet on the fourth floor of the sheriffs Younger Avenue office, never to be looked at again. Jonsen said he worked hard during the pandemic to retain a dedicated public information officer to address media . 456 following. While I am in favor of these efforts towards transparency, I want to ensure that they will be implemented without delay in receiving vital database returns or in any way jeopardizing officers or victims due to such delays," he said.Communities of colorJensen, whose wife is Hispanic, said he would sit down with members of the public, particularly the underserved, to work on problems and gain trust. He has served in patrol, the gang unit, as a reserve training officer, administrative training officer, emergency response team leader and training officer, housing unit training officer in the jails and academy instructor. This forum recording is the property of the . When people can't get information from the news and the sheriff is not responsive, it creates distrust in the community, she said.Encryption of police-scanner communications"I am the only candidate to call for ending the encryption of radios, and I have been calling for the end of this policy since launching my campaign. Even after a finding of innocence, his arrest haunted him each time he applied for a job, he said. The state Attorney General's Office cleared Christopher Schumb of two felony charges Monday morning, citing lack of evidence. Santa Clara County: Who can build trust? "Allen said he would be a hands-on sheriff. Jensen, 58, is a repeat candidate for Santa Clara County sheriff, having previously fought for the seat in the 2014 election against incumbent Smith. According to Cooks, applications from prosecutors, judges, elected officials, San Jose Sharks players and other VIPs typically came through Capt. The agency has been stingy with the privilege about 150 permits were issued or renewed between 2014 and 2019, out of over 750 applications. First of all, thank you for the bit honest reporting. The best way for the sheriff's office to support these communities, Nagaye said, is by building relationships of familiarity and trust by getting involved with and going into the community. Reach him the low-tech way at 408-920-5002. Her father-in-law doesn't know if he will be targeted when he goes out. According to testimony from officers who processed the licensing for Sheriff Laurie Smith, most petitions languished in a file drawer without anyone weighing their merits. The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) engages the whole community in assessing needs and developing strategies to achieve stronger preparedness, prevention, response, and mitigation capabilities within the Santa Clara County Operational Area. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? That's why I'm great for this position.". But the biggest driver of CCW applications, by far, according to Glennon, was Capt. Back-room beatings make people afraid to go against the shot-callers, he said.Jensen said the county can't incarcerate its way out of its problems, but he supports a new jail with mental health services and a collaborative approach to care by working with other agencies to address the problems that lead to crime and recidivism.TransparencyJensen said he would run a transparent sheriff's office that would openly communicate with the people it serves rather than hide information. Four of the contenders for her seat are law-enforcement veterans, a requirement for the office: Sean Allen, Kevin Jensen, Bob Jonsen and Christine Nagaye. Please DO NOT use this. "It's scary. Jonsen has been criticized, however, for a lack of transparency, including his January 2021 decision to encrypt all police radio communications, without warning, which prevents the media and other members of the public from monitoring and independently verifying incidents and police activity. 70 West Hedding Street East Wing, 11th Floor San Jose, CA 95110. Sean Allen He's experienced both sides of law enforcementWhen he was 19 years old, Sean Allen was wrongfully accused, briefly incarcerated and ultimately exonerated in Santa Clara County for a crime he didn't commit. He is a former Santa Clara County Correctional Peace Officers' Association board member and a lifelong martial artist and instructor. While she fights the charges against her, Smith, 69, has decided not to run for reelection in the 2022 race after 24 years at the helm. [5] Two more inmates escaped from custody in Palo Alto in November 2017.[6]. Redwood City Pulse, 2023 Mountain View Online She's used competitive body building to push herself to new heights. Sunday, February 26, 2023. Of more than 700 people who applied for a CCW permit in Santa Clara County in the past six years, records show that fewer than 150 ever received one. This is the official Facebook page for the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. Sue Dremann is a veteran journalist who joined the Palo Alto Weekly in 2001. He also wants to restructure the jails to become educational facilities to help people develop skills so that they can get jobs and not offend again. But convenience was just one of the perks sheriffs aides offered the VIPs. "Based on the evidence that we retrieve, if we have enough information to link this back to a person responsible to this incident, there will be homicide charges that will be sent over to the district attorney's office. The Department is divided into four major bureaus Field Operations, Support Services, Jail Operations and Administrative Services. She also supports the Psychiatric Emergency Response Teams (PERT). One may wonder how many concealed weapons are carried around SCC every day WITHOUT a permit. In 2021, after outcry from the public about the council's approval of the change, Jonsen complied with the council's reversal of the prior decision. Jonsen launched the Palo Alto Police Department's Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) last November, which pairs an officer with a licensed mental health clinician from the Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services Department to provide rapid intervention to people in a mental health crisis. "I'm 100% in favor of full transparency. Woman killed in motorcycle crash on San Antonio Road, Community briefs: Affordable housing project groundbreaking, planning for the future of COVID vaccines and the DA's annual awards, Newsom rescinds COVID state of emergency. Her father-in-law doesn't know if he will be targeted when he goes out. As sheriff, he would advocate for additional funding for mental health programs to help de-escalate crisis encounters.Jonsen said he would also address lagging recruitment and retention of deputies and staff. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office was founded in 1850, making it one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the State of California. Investigator Lacy Hyland examined the audio from that meeting, and both she and Nielsen told the grand jury that Jensen directed Nielsen to donate the second $45,000 to the Sheriffs Advisory Board. "The California Highway Patrol and LAPD have shown that there are ways to work around the issues that have been brought up. Meanwhile, CCW permits fell to the agencys public information office, which suggests that the service was viewed under the purview of community relations. I'm a veteran, a woman and I married a man of color and I'm a LGBTQ ally. In late 2012, he served as the initiative's statewide risk-program manager. It's being mismanaged now because people in command-staff positions are without a degree in finance and economics," she said.Endorsements: The International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley; multiple individual donors, many of whom are Santa Clara County Sheriff deputies.Website: nagayeforsheriff.comWhy she says she's the best-qualified candidate"I understand the need for community-based, world-class law enforcement. A&E Even if force is used, I have high expectations that my officers know the laws," he said. Back-room beatings make people afraid to go against the shot-callers, he said. San Jose Inside (https://www.sanjoseinside.com) But a short time later, their cover was blown although it would take months more before the sheriffs office realized it. Why he says he's the best-qualified candidate. Her top brass faces charges of corruption and bribery, and the state attorney general is investigating her office for civil rights violations. Jensen believes they have to get the idea that they are there to serve, even though emotions might sometimes want to get in the way. Can California's power grid handle a 15-fold increase in electric cars? She supports appointing a civilian watchdog to audit law-enforcement practices and management. "They immediately applied life-saving measures and applied Narcan to every individual in that household," Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office PIO Sgt. The Starbucks on Coleman Avenue and Taylor Street in San Jose, a five-minute drive from sheriffs headquarters, was practically a satellite office for preferred gun permits, although one meeting, involving the alleged deal at the heart of the current indictment, happened on outdoor tables at the Jamba Juice next door the Starbucks was closed. It all seemed to unravel after an executive security agent with no history of support for Smith forced his way into the VIP realm with a really big check. Santa Clara County has paid out at least $20 million in settlements for the serious injury and deaths of mentally ill inmates under Sheriff Smith. Would you see if they lived in the county?, Would you send them a letter telling them you got it, you are not getting it?, As PIO, Glennon said hed often field calls from frustrated applicants checking on the status of their permits. If the board of supervisors says 'Why are you doing this?' That was on top of Jensens unofficial duties. "For 27 years, I worked for a sheriff's organization. Otherwise, "we're going to continue to fail those human beings," he said.Transparency"Management is the first place you have to start to change the culture," Allen said.He would search for management-level staff outside of the department when hiring to break up cronyism, he said. The sheriff has come under attack after allegations of abuse and mismanagement in the county's jails. A short time later, the sheriffs office gave Sanders a valuable privilege under Californias tough firearms laws: the right to carry it as a concealed weapon. "Your job is never retribution," he said. They declined to speak on camera, but they told us the fentanyl crisis is truly getting out of hand. Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. He rose to the rank of captain and held the post of assistant chief in the Department of Correction for two years. "Training matters, and it influences the outcome," he said. Voters in the June 7 primary will determine which two candidates move on to the general election in November. Can California's power grid handle a 15-fold increase in electric cars? "We sent detectives and crime scene investigators to the residence to conduct a full and thorough investigation," Sgt. Other agencies use cellphones, Nextel, or computers," he said.Communities of colorAllen is the only African American in the sheriff's race, he noted. Ending this policy, which has been adopted by many agencies around the state, is one of the first steps to regaining public trust through transparency, not to mention to support the freedom of the press as protected in the First Amendment," she said. On Aug. 31, on the first arraignment date for the case, West pleaded guilty as part of a deal to help the prosecution in exchange for charging and sentencing leniency. It goes a long way. If the board of supervisors says 'Why are you doing this?' Grand jurors were told that Jensen said in an interview with a DA investigator that it was Sung who told him to direct the first $45,000 to Schumb. "The biggest is honesty. Based upon recent changes to the law and changes to standards and practices promulgated by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, the Sheriff's Office has been undergoing a comprehensive revision of its Law Enforcement and Custodial General Orders and the Sheriff's Policy Manual. He is a former president of the California Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates. During her training sessions, Nagaye said she focuses on getting deputies to stop thinking about "going hands on" with inmates as a first resort. [1] She was convicted in November. Regarding the office's use of its budget, Nagaye said that if elected, "I would hire a forensic accountant to find out where the pitfalls are with money. He would be going to a lot of the lunches. Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith speaks during a news conference May 26. SHERIFF'S OFFICE-CUSTODY BUREAU 180 W. Hedding Street San Jose, CA 95110 Deputy Russell Davis Phone: 408-808-4905 russell.davis@shf.sccgov.org Back to Top D OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY 70 West Hedding Street, West Wing San Jose, CA 95110 Sean Webby Phone: 408-792-2997 swebby@dao.sccgov.org Back to Top E OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Linda Wallace testified that she was secretary in the sheriff's office. In this policy there's a lot of focus on mental health and the severely mentally ill. By cooling-off periods for inmates, we slowed things down a lot," she said.Nagaye said she believes in de-escalation techniques and training deputies to talk people in crisis down. When asked about SB 1000, Sen. Josh Becker's bill to limit radio encryption, Jensen expressed caution. Russell Davis said. "Law enforcement has always had a problem with that. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Personal attorneys for Smith and Sung have said their clients have no culpability in the indicted crimes. Help sustain the local news you depend on. He would wear the uniform and be out in the community and working alongside his deputies. Even if force is used, I have high expectations that my officers know the laws," he said. He announced his retirement this year and plans to step down in mid-June.Under Jonsen, the department banned neck holds and advocated for the new public safety building, which is under construction. He would also work to instill an ethic of maturity and patience in correctional facility officers, who often face trying circumstances with defiant inmates, he said. Whether on the street or in the jail, officers need to act with integrity, Jensen said. "Regional systems like SVRIA (Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Authority) would need to have a voice in the regional interoperability considerations as well. He would tell his deputies: "Follow the mission. Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith's election in 1998 as California's first female sheriff signaled the end of the good old boys' network, at least as appearances go. "Just because I'm an elected official doesn't mean I don't have to follow the rules. "I know where the bad apples are. "We have to earn it. The police auditor now reviews supervisory inquiry investigations, internal employee complaints of discrimination, harassment or retaliation and any use-of-force investigation where a baton, chemical agent, Taser, less-lethal projectile, canine or firearm is used, or when a subject's injuries as a result of a police use of force require treatment beyond minor medical care in the field, his website noted.Encryption of police-scanner communicationsJonsen notes that after fully encrypting radio communications, his department launched a "Calls for Service" interactive map that shows incidents to which officers have responded in the past 24 hours. 2023 Mountain View Online. He looks for people who are willing to do the right thing even if it's not popular, he said. He is the only candidate who has been at the helm of a law-enforcement agency, he noted. For years its been an open secret in Santa Clara County that political supporters of Smith received special treatment from her agency. Jethro Moore, chaplain of Buffalo Soldiers Silicon Valley Chapter and the Silicon Valley NAACP immediate past president; Eric Taylor, retired assistant sheriff; and multiple retired sheriff's deputies. In most agencies that use a 10 code, the common term is '103' to go to a different channel for confidential information. Hernandez is a three-time Society of Professional Journalists award winner and her biggest passion is long-form investigative reporting. On July 20the first day of criminal grand jury proceedings to hear evidence in what Santa Clara County DA Jeff Rosen believes was a bribery conspiracyDeputy District Attorney Matt Braker had just finished laying out the prosecutions theories when he called first witness to the stand: Sgt. investigating her office for civil rights violations, accused by a civil grand jury of corrupt misconduct, beaten to death by sheriff's deputies in 2015, Mountain View City Council kicks off process of identifying priority projects for next two years. Lets see what the truth is.. Jonsen will be the 29th sheriff of Santa Clara County and the first new sheriff since 1998. Check out Bay Area safety tracker, Tracking the drought: Map shows conditions across SF Bay Area, Bay Area Life; Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7. I can bring together diverse groups of people. It's embarrassing, everything that has come out in the past 3 to 15 years," she said. "Custody has one budget and enforcement has another. "Training matters, and it influences the outcome," he said.Jonsen also said that as sheriff he would review the county jail management structure and work to implement the county's blue ribbon panel recommendations for reform.He also wants to restructure the jails to become educational facilities to help people develop skills so that they can get jobs and not offend again.TransparencyJonsen said he worked hard during the pandemic to retain a dedicated public information officer to address media inquiries, but budget cuts eliminated the position.Instead, he implemented an online system by which members of the media and the public submit a form and wait for a callback rather than talk immediately to a watch commander.Despite these changes, and the full encryption of radio communications, Jonsen said he recognizes that the media "is crucial in building trust with the community. In October 2018, according to text messages examined by investigators, Nielsen, at the direction of Jensen, went to Schumbs downtown San Jose law office. "Unfortunately, three of . He would also work to build trust in the community between deputies and residents so they will feel more comfortable reporting crimes. The grand jury testimony gives the first inside look at the casual way the process worked: Jensen would make house calls to deliver VIPs their gun-permit paperwork, at least once to a judge, and in a few instances, to players for the San Jose Sharks. I was essentially doing clerical work.. Before arriving in California, she was an investigative/enterprise reporter for Fresh Take Florida, a news service offered by UF. In fact, none of the PIOs who testified ever recalled actually witnessing Smith sign one. As sheriff, he would work to change the department's culture starting at the top through internal review and investigations and by improving training and evaluations. "My exposure to these things has given me a different insight," he said.He has been married to mixed-race women who were from white, Asian and Hispanic backgrounds.The early defining experience of his arrest taught him about the perspectives of people with criminal records and about how racism and stereotyping can destroy lives. "They immediately applied life-saving measures and applied Narcan to every individual in that household," Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office PIO Sgt.