Use of Force (UOF)
As of April 1, 2024
The pending summarized recommendations listed below reflect the most current information and actions taken since the previous Board Study Session. Summarized recommendations marked as audited or pending review have been updated for the May 7, 2024 Board Study Session.
Contained in the Summarized Recommendations are the 20 recommendations related to matrix category Use of Force (UOF).
Steps Taken: The Sheriff’s Office has finalized a revised Use of Force Policy which has been published on the Sheriff’s website and will take effect on January 1, 2018 after all Custody Bureau staff have received training on the new policy. The Use of Force Review Committee (UFRC) is outlined beginning on page 9.01-31 of the revised policy. The composition and review standards are outlined in the policy. The UFRC will be established when the policy takes effect.
The Sheriff’s Office has experienced difficulty extracting data from the Early Warning System to begin the UFRC. Early review of reports has also highlighted the need for additional training on the caliber of report writing needed to comply with the revised Policy. Currently, supervisors are completing extensive training which lengths the amount of time for Use of Force reports to be completed. The Use of Force Review Committee (UFRC) has been meeting monthly since August 2018 and has reviewed incidents from January 2018 through September 2018.
This Summarized Recommendation is pending review by the Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring (OCLEM) as part of the Jail Reforms Audit to assess the status of implementation.
Budget Status: No additional resources are needed.
Source Report(s): Sheriff’s Jail Reform Plan
Responsible Department(s): Sheriff’s Office
Master List Nos.: 472-473, 475-477
Review Date: FGOC reviewed on August 26, 2016.
Steps Taken: The train-the-trainer for the UOF policy was completed in July 2017. As a result of this course, the expert has suggested revisions to the policy and that the initial training will be extended to a ten- hour block. Training will commence on September 5, 2017 to ensure comprehension of the revised policy and to complete force- options training scenarios. and will be completed by December 21, 2017. Sergeants and Jail Training Officers will be trained first, followed by staff assigned to housing units within the jails. After the initial eight hours of training, Custody Bureau staff will be required to complete a two hour refresher training every other year.
10 hours of training on the revised Policy Training of all Custody Bureau badge personnel was completed in December 2017.
This Summarized Recommendation is pending review by the Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring (OCLEM) as part of the Jail Reforms Audit to assess the status of implementation.
Budget Status: County Administration and the department are evaluating to determine if additional resources are needed.
Source Report(s): Sheriff’s Jail Reform Plan, Department of Justice
Responsible Department(s): Sheriff’s Office
Master List Nos.: 195,466
Review Date: FGOC reviewed on August 26, 2016.
Steps Taken: The Sheriff’s Office has been working with experts for months on revising the policy.
All but one of these recommendations have been incorporated into the new Use of Force Policy, which is now available on the Sheriff’s website. De-escalation training is being provided to all staff, not just a specialized team as recommended and the Sheriff’s Office will continue to utilize special units such as the Emergency Response Team.
This Summarized Recommendation is pending review by the Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring (OCLEM) as part of the Jail Reforms Audit to assess the status of implementation.
Budget Status: No additional resources are needed.
Source Report(s): Sheriff’s Jail Reform Plan
Responsible Department(s): Sheriff’s Office
Master List Nos.: 467-469, 474, 481-484, 487
Review Date: FGOC reviewed on August 26, 2016.
Steps Taken: The Sheriff’s Office implemented a new tracking system in May 2016.
This Summarized Recommendation has been audited by the Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring (OCLEM) and has been found to be implemented.
Budget Status: No additional resources are needed.
Source Report(s): Sheriff’s Jail Reform Plan
Responsible Department(s): Sheriff’s Office
Master List Nos.: 478,479
Review Date: FGOC reviewed on August 26, 2016.
Steps Taken: Within the Sheriff’s Office, the Jail Crimes Unit has been reviewing significant UOF incidents for the past several months.
This Summarized Recommendation has been audited by the Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring (OCLEM) and has been found to be implemented.
Budget Status: The Board approved the following:
- FY 2015 Recommended Budget: 3 Deputy Sheriff positions to create a Jail Investigative Unit ($427,080).
- January 2015: Re-organization of jail Sergeant positions and moved 4 Sheriff’s Sergeant positions into the Jail Investigative Unit, bringing the staffing up to 3 Deputy Positions and 4 Sheriff’s Sergeant positions.
- FY 2016 Recommended Budget: 2 more Deputy Sheriff positions ($323,256), which filled the Jail Investigative Unit and allows for 24/7 coverage of the jails.
No additional resources are needed.
Source Report(s): Sheriff’s Jail Reform Plan
Responsible Department(s): Sheriff’s Office
Master List Nos.: 470,471,480
Review Date: FGOC reviewed on August 26, 2016.
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