Sheriff Accountability Coalition Mission Statement
Coalition members include ACLU of Southern California, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Starting Over, Starting Over Strong and LWV Riverside.
We are a diverse group of Riverside County residents and organizations calling on our Riverside County Board of Supervisors to provide much-needed accountability for the Riverside Sheriff’s Office.
The ongoing issues surrounding sheriff-involved shootings, in-custody deaths, and the significant financial liability resulting from the lack of oversight have eroded public trust and demand urgent reforms
We believe independent oversight of law enforcement is good for both deputies and the community they serve, as well as important for good government practices.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We are working together to effect the following changes
- Separation of the roles of the County Coroner's Office and the Sheriff Departmment
- Establishment of a community oversight body for the operations, all internal and external formal complaints, and serve as the public facing entity that engages with the community.
- Establishment of an Office of Inspector General (OIG) to provide independent and comprehensive oversight, monitoring of, and reporting about the Sheriff's Department and serve as the investigative arm of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission.
- The activities and recommendations of the community oversight body to present regularly, directly, publicly, and transparently to the full County Board of Supervisors.
- The community oversight body and OIG to have subpoena authority for the independent investigation of all aspects of Sheriff’s Office operations including access to personnel record
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department oversees county law enforcement for 2.46 million people, operates our 4,000-bed jail system, and performs duties of the coroner’s office, which include investigations into the cause of death. The department has over 4,000 employees with a budget of over $1 billion.
Accountability is integral to any system, and most assuredly for a large and powerful department that deals with matters of life and death.
Patterns of Misconduct That Oversight Could Prevent
- Over 40 in-custody deaths in the last three years, prompting the New York Times to label Riverside County jails as One of America’s Deadliest Jail Systems.
- Egregious deputy misconduct from drug trafficking to excessive force. Deputies have faced civil lawsuits for excessive force, wrongful detentions, and sexual misconduct.
- The Sheriff Department’s lawsuit settlement payouts were nearly $100 million from 2014-2024. These settlements are paid by taxes, not the Sheriff budget.
- Family members of people who die in custody are often denied access to autopsy or incident reports for months, or even years.
- Racial profiling which carries the risk of separation, deportation, or long-term legal consequences for immigrant and mixed status families.
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta has launched a civil rights investigation into the sheriff’s department.
Failures within the department are not caused by one sheriff but are a symptom of a system without safeguards.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Much work lies ahead. We face resistance from the sheriff’s department, the sheriff’s deputy union, entrenched politicians and the spread of public misinformation.
We encourage you to join us in our efforts by signing our Riverside Sheriff Accountability petition
For more information contact Nathan Kempe nathan [at] startingoverstrong.org
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MEDIA
The Deadliest Year Inside One of America’s Deadliest Jail Systems November 4, 2024
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Coalitions
California Coalition for Sheriff Accountability * Balancing Power with Responsibility VIDEO
ACLU of Northern California * Why Every County Needs Civilian Oversight of its Local Sheriff's Department
Fixin’ San Mateo County * Ballot Measure A. San Mateo County legislation
Care First California * Inland Empire Lives Lost: A Report of In-Custody Deaths in Riverside and San Bernardino