Home Russell Davis said. The grand jury convened July 20 of this year and handed down its indictments Aug. 6. 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. Smith invoked her Fifth Amendment rightagainst self-incrimination and refused to testify to the grand jury. The sheriff should hold his or herself to the same standards as the public. The most important quality she wants in her deputies. 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. Canny said at Tuesdays news conference that a lack of mental health resources and the criminalization of mental illness has forced Smiths office to do an impossible task., Mental illness is a public health crisis, not a criminal justice problem, she said. Thats how it reportedly worked for the average Joe. On a small town road in unincorporated Gilroy on Monday, the deadly opioid crisis reared its head once again. "Everyone has a story," retired Santa Clara County Sheriff's Capt. Richard Glennon. Smith, who announced her retirement on Monday while the jury was deliberating, faced the charges in a civil trial that had been filed by a Santa County Civil Grand Jury in December. He rose to the rank of captain and held the post of assistant chief in the Department of Correction for two years. Get the latest local news and information sent straight to your inbox. If additional money isn't available, she would let deputies take time off from their usual duties to have more thorough training. Christine Nagaye A reformer who supports 'full transparency'. With election day less than a week away, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's race is down to two candidates: Bob Jonsen and Kevin Jensen. Leading with integrity is the biggest thing. 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.The sheriff oversees more than $188 million and 711 staff members (and an additional 1,080 staff and $200.6 million for the Department of Corrections). Become a Member Provide setup and assist runners at Santa Cruz Island Eco Half Marathon, a race organized to raise funds for the Sheriff's Search and Rescue charity (October 2011-Present) Licenses & Certifications County of Santa Clara. 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. I have nothing to hide. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. She would hold instructors accountable for the end results if employees are not properly trained, she said. The DOJ doesn't require blanket encryption and allows for workarounds, but Jonsen did not create any, community critics have said.The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office also encrypts its radio communications.The city has also faced a number of lawsuits during Jonsen's tenure, alleging excessive use of force by Palo Alto officers. Hernandez is a three-time Society of Professional Journalists award winner and her biggest passion is long-form investigative reporting. Early life and education [ edit] One of the first things he would do is work on changing the culture in law enforcement toward being forthcoming about bad players and incidents they see while on the job. Capt. In November 2022, Bob Jonsen was elected to succeed Smith. Jonsen and his wife, a doctor, have two sons and a young grandson. If the records clean, they can sign up for a class to prove firearm proficiency. 26205 requires sheriffs to process CCW petitions within 90 days of receiving them or a month after clearing a backgroundwhichever comes later. The Sheriffs media people handled the CCW requests. 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 However, persons residing in a municipality other than those served by the Sheriffs Office are encouraged to first contact their local police chief and apply for the license. She said she wants to break bread with people so that they will feel they can trust and confide in the deputies when they face hate crimes or other problems in their communities. "Your job is never retribution," he said. "Between enforcement and custody, there are 1,200 deputies, but it's rare to see someone in an executive position come down and talk to the people. 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. Garrick Percival, chair of the political science department at San Jose State University, said the public will be skeptical that the defendants acted on their own despite needing Smiths signature to carry out the plot, especially given that shes faced a multitude of accusations and lawsuits over the issue in the past. Thursday, Judge Eric Geffon. I was essentially doing clerical work.. The DOJ doesn't require blanket encryption and allows for workarounds, but Jonsen did not create any, community critics have said. And yet no one was kept any safer by denying issuance of permits to the average non-criminal citizens of Santa Clara County, except for criminals who know they can randomly attack someone and face no armed resistance. Robert Salonga is a Bay Area News Group reporter who covers criminal justice and public safety for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. Bob Jonsen, Palo Alto's police chief, is vying for a job once held by his great-uncle, Jonathan Sweigert, who was Santa Clara County sheriff from 1887 to 1891. In late 2012, he served as the initiative's statewide risk-program manager.He has been an independent consultant since his retirement and has taught new recruits and law-enforcement managers. The first witness in the civil corruption trial against Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith testified Friday. When asked for his stance on whether full encryption of radio communications is necessary, Allen said: "Radio encryption is just another way to prevent being transparent by law-enforcement agencies. "I have a proven record for establishing strong community policing programs and developing strategic solutions," he said. Christine Nagaye A reformer who supports 'full transparency'Christine Nagaye has used challenges throughout her life to achieve her goals. I'm not above anything. Her top brass faces charges of corruption and bribery, and the state attorney general is investigating her office for civil rights violations. SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) Santa Clara County's top cop, Sheriff Laurie Smith, is in hot water because a civil grand jury leveled seven counts of . 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. Jonsen served as Chief of Police for the City of Palo Alto prior to his election. Palo Alto Police Department Chief Bob Jonsen. If you've had an incident, be honest and let me know. They don't want someone peeking behind the curtain," he said. There have been twenty-eight persons serving in the capacity of Sheriff since 1850. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Custody Division is the fifth largest jail system in California, and among the 20 largest systems in the United States. When he took the job, there was no formal training on how to handle the applications, so he followed the process inherited by Glennon. Our jail is among the 100 systems nationwide with an inmate population of more than 1,000. You said backlog, we will get to it, but did that, in reality, ever happen? "One of the first things he would do is work on changing the culture in law enforcement toward being forthcoming about bad players and incidents they see while on the job. He has worked for a sizable chunk of his career in the same jail where he was once incarcerated as a scared teenager. Jonsen served as chief with Palo Alto Police Department starting in 2018, following five years as police . 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. Who better to have in place to find where this money is going? Former Pleasanton cop found not guilty of murder in DUI crash That would be a violation of state law, which requires a response be given within 90 days. SAN JOSE, Calif. - Santa Clara County Sheriff-elect Bob Jonsen will assume his duties one month early after his embattled predecessor abruptly resigned in October. Neither Sheriff Smith nor her PIOs are accused of any crimes. You don't serve the master.". The sheriff said her office may consider releasing the requested information in the case as long as there are no negative repercussions to the victims and their families. With no formal guidance on how to handle gun permits, he simply watched and learned as he went. "I was booked, stripped and housed on the same floor where Michael Tyree got murdered," he said, referring to a mentally ill inmate who was beaten to death by sheriff's deputies in 2015. He would wear the uniform and be out in the community and working alongside his deputies. Jonsen will be the 29th sheriff of Santa Clara County and the first new sheriff since 1998. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? 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. Follow. Uploaded: Fri, Apr 29, 2022, 12:04 pm The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office also encrypts its radio communications. "Jail reform and use of forceNagaye supports having a civilian watchdog to audit law enforcement practices and the management of the county jails. Embarcadero Media ", VIDEO: 'Injecting Hope' | Watch documentary on innovative program tackling drug overdose, fentanyl epidemic. 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. We occasionally hear news stories about someone getting pulled over or apprehended for some incident where a gun was found and usually, these are people with priors. So what are the odds Jenn that these people are less of a threat to the community at large than those who at least submitted their name and background info and at least go through some process (no matter how flimsy) to get the right to carry a weapon? "I understand the need for community-based, world-class law enforcement. "I think we just need to not just work on the reactive piece, that means getting Narcan into people's hands, but really work on the preventive piece of reducing supply and demand and make sure that people have access to treatment if they developed an addiction," Sussman said. As sheriff, he would work to instill a culture and ethic that is "beyond a warrior mentality." He would have a no-tolerance policy for corruption, discrimination or misconduct, including racist, sexist or homophobic speech and actions. I have nothing to hide. Under Jonsen, the department banned neck holds and advocated for the new public safety building, which is under construction. As the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office remains embroiled in controversy, five candidates vying for Sheriff Laurie Smith's seat will be tasked with proving they can restore public confidence in the law enforcement agency. Advertising Info to avoid being attacked, she said. During his more than three-decade career, Jonsen has taken on a number of law enforcement roles, both professional and fictional: He once held an intergalactic position as a stormtrooper in the original Star Wars movie, according to his candidate webpage.Jonsen, 59, a Palo Alto resident, has worked in law enforcement for 36 years. The winning applications usually came from Undersheriff Rick Sung, Capt. Its a stretch to ask voters to believe that these are all altruistic decisions by the defendants, Percival said. At that point, in accordance with California law, its ultimately up to the sheriff in each jurisdiction to decide whether to grant it. When I have my one-on ones, I lay it out very clearly. Voters in the June 7 primary will determine which two candidates move on to the general election in November. "Unfortunately, three of . Again going by Jensens instructions, he said hed typically blame the delays on something out of his control. The incidents are listed only after officers have left the scene, however, and do not show the exact locations of the calls.Communities of colorEquity "is the primary issue of this election carrying the momentum of the last two years where we have done so much around race and equality," Jonsen said.His department began recording hate incidents after local hate crimes and incidents increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nowhere in the transcripts is there testimony that explicitly links Smith to the alleged scheme, beyond her statutory authority as the only person in her office who can approve CCW permits. 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. In 2015, the average daily population for the Santa Clara County Correctional facilities was . Special Pubs I'm a veteran, a woman and I married a man of color and I'm a LGBTQ ally. A high number of mentally ill and the unhoused need more access to social services, education, treatment and housing, she said. Linda Wallace testified that she was secretary in the sheriff's office. 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. Voters either looked the other way or people didnt have a lot of knowledge or interest.. She could not be reached for an interview. Instead, he chose a career in law enforcement so he could institute reforms while keeping the public safe, he said. Phone: (408) 299-7500. It goes a long way. If you are not honest and you lie on a report and you get caught, then it's hard for me to help somebody," she said. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. But absent more evidence, the biggest threat to the sheriff appears to be political rather than criminal. Other agencies use cellphones, Nextel, or computers," he said.Communities of colorAllen is the only African American in the sheriff's race, he noted. The Almanac When elected, I will end this policy within the Santa Clara Sheriff's Office," she said. He also supports the establishment of a civilian review board with subpoena power to investigate misconduct allegations. For years its been an open secret in Santa Clara County that political supporters of Smith received special treatment from her agency. "We rewrote and reworked the policy to make sense for this day and age. 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. Some of his initiatives in Palo Alto include forming a community advisory committee, which helped inform his relationship with residents and to understand their concerns. 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. "The number one change she would make as sheriff is increasing transparency. He would support deputizing mental health professionals to work in the jails. In late 2012, he served as the initiative's statewide risk-program manager. She said she is concerned about hate crimes, which have dramatically increased in the Bay Area. Robert was a member of the Bay Area News Group reporting team awarded the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for East Bay Times coverage of the fatal "Ghost Ship" fire. Why she says she's the best-qualified candidate. Checking all three boxes gets a permit seeker to the next stage, a background check. Calls friendship with Christopher Schumb a fatal conflict that cannot be ignored and impediment to fair trial. Her failure to produce documents to the county's Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring caused the county Board of Supervisors to unanimously confer a vote of no confidence on her last August.She now faces potential removal from office after being accused by a civil grand jury of corrupt misconduct. Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies found four men in their fifties unresponsive, likely from fentanyl use. 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She's used competitive body building to push herself to new heights. 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. A high number of mentally ill and the unhoused need more access to social services, education, treatment and housing, she said. Sheriff Smith reportedly stopped issuing them in 2018 after Rosen began serving search warrants to find links between political donations and the concealed-carry permits. 1,322 posts. 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.Website: seanallenforsheriff.comWhy he says he's the best-qualified candidateAllen says his broad experience as a patrol cop, training officer, jail officer and in the gang unit and as an investigator make him the most well-rounded candidate for sheriff. The most important quality he wants in his deputies. The agency has been stingy with the privilege about 150 permits were issued or renewed between 2014 and 2019, out of over 750 applications. "Unfortunately, three of the victims inside the house were pronounced deceased at the scene. Express / Weekend Express If someone is getting into the job so they can chase a person, they aren't right for the job, he said. Given how long this has been an issue, thats a problem.. During his more than three-decade career, Jonsen has taken on a number of law enforcement roles, both professional and fictional: He once held an intergalactic position as a stormtrooper in the original Star Wars movie, according to his candidate webpage. The case is still pending.Jonsen and his wife, a doctor, have two sons and a young grandson.Endorsements: Police chiefs and top law enforcement including those in Los Altos and Menlo Park; multiple members of Jonsen's community advisory group, among others.Website: bob4sheriff.comWhy he says he's the best-qualified candidateJonsen pointed to his years of experience as a chief and leader of law enforcement organizations that depend on professional experience to thrive. Emergency: 9-1-1; Emergency and Non-Emergency Number from all phones: (408) 299 - 2311; General Information from cellular phone: (408) 808 - 4400 He has instituted mindfulness strategies to improve officers' well-being.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.He took the action due to a 2020 Department of Justice directive that prohibits the public dissemination of personally identifiable information such as names and driver's license numbers. He is a former president of the California Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates. The Department is divided into four major bureaus Field Operations, Support Services, Jail Operations and Administrative Services. In October 2018, according to text messages examined by investigators, Nielsen, at the direction of Jensen, went to Schumbs downtown San Jose law office. Jensen faces the most serious charges in the case in large part because grand jury testimony painted him as the trusted linchpin of the operation. She was born and raised in Miami and is a graduate of the University of Florida, where she studied journalism and environmental science. I'm not going to get my feelings hurt. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office is a local law enforcement agency that serves Santa Clara County, California.It provides general-service law enforcement to unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County, as well as incorporated cities within the county that have contracted with the agency for law-enforcement services such as Saratoga, Cupertino, and Los Altos Hills. When 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. In fact, none of the PIOs who testified ever recalled actually witnessing Smith sign one. 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. According to Glennon, Jensen was active in running campaign events. The sheriff has come under attack after allegations of abuse and mismanagement in the countys jails. "Law enforcement has always had a problem with that. As the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office remains embroiled in controversy over alleged corruption and mismanagement, five candidates vying for Sheriff Laurie Smith's seat will be tasked with proving they can restore public confidence in the law enforcement agency. She could not be reached for an interview. Jonsen, 59, a Palo Alto resident, has worked in law enforcement for 36 years. I'm not going to get my feelings hurt. There's already a common practice in law enforcement to switch to a different channel for private conversations. So we would usually tell people that we would get to it, but there is a backlog, Glennon said. I also hear that the going rate for a CCW permit expedite fee was $20,000. Nagaye said she believes in de-escalation techniques and training deputies to talk people in crisis down. 0 "In the sheriff's office, I was referred to as OJ Simpson," he said.The false arrest "gave me the determination to become a law enforcement officer who is fair, just and treats everyone I encounter equally. He said Smiths alleged mismanagement as the longest-serving elected sheriff in Santa Clara County has destroyed lives and violated the most basic of civil rights of inmates and created a dystopian place of horrible suffering., Smith did not directly address Liccardos call for her resignation, but when asked whether she intended to step down, she said, At this time, no.. "Your job is never retribution," he said. He would search for management-level staff outside of the department when hiring to break up cronyism, he said. PR MediaRelease Thursday, Judge Eric Geffon rejected a defense motion to disqualify District Attorney Jeff Rosen based on his past friendship with and fundraising support from Schumb. San Jose Inside. Rosen has said more charges are coming in the case. Her father-in-law doesn't know if he will be targeted when he goes out. "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. Reginald Cooks, the first PIO from the sheriffs custody division, assumed the role in 2017 and worked over the ensuing couple of years alongside Glennon at first and later with then-Deputy Michael Low. It provides general-service law enforcement to unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County, as well as incorporated cities within the county that have contracted with the agency for law-enforcement services such as Saratoga, Cupertino, and Los Altos Hills. 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. 70 West Hedding Street. The incident was a brazen riff on Californias carefully crafted concealed-gun permit law, but it emerges as typical of Santa Clara Countys freewheeling, pay-to-play version of the process, as alleged in testimony detailed in 900 pages of grand jury transcripts released late last month. Everyone deserves equal protection "regardless of their ZIP code," he said. She also supports the Psychiatric Emergency Response Teams (PERT). A sheriff's captain was among four people indicted by a grand jury on felony bribery and conspiracy charges as part of an election campaign scandal tied to Santa Clara County Sheriff. "Don't be afraid to bring someone else in," she said, to help de-escalate or assess the situation.She supports California legislative bill SB 2, which creates a statewide system to revoke the license of a police officer who commits serious misconduct, and SB 16, which requires disclosure of a sustained finding of excessive use of force if an officer failed to intervene when another officer used unreasonable or excessive force.She would also make sure that all officers rotate among enforcement and custody positions so they have a well-rounded view of inmates and a broad range of experiences.Nagaye supports funding a mental health wellness center over building a new jail. Christine Nagaye. Sitting in an office all day would drive me nuts. 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. Three people were found dead and one was transported to a hospital after a suspected fentanyl overdose in unincorporated Gilroy. This was how the process worked until last year when the processing of new concealed-carry weapon permits was halted amid the DA investigation. It came with an implicit message: Pay up, and soon youll be packing heat. "Regional systems like SVRIA (Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Authority) would need to have a voice in the regional interoperability considerations as well. Mobile site. As coordinator of the Antelope Valley Crime Fighting Initiative, his programs reduced crime by 29%, and the initiative received the statewide James Q. Wilson Award for Community Policing in 2010, he said.