ANNUAL REPORT 2014 SHERIFF SAN BENITO COUNTY
2014 Annual Report Presented By San Benito County Sheriff s Office Darren Thompson Sheriff - Coroner San Benito County Sheriff s Office 2301 Technology Parkway Hollister, California 95023 831-636-4080 www.sbcsheriff.org Contents Sheriff s Message... 2 Department Organization... 3 San Benito County map..... 4 By the Numbers - Patrol... 5 By the Numbers - Corrections...... 6 By the Numbers - Other 7 Search & Rescue... 8 & 9 Superior Court Facility... 10 &11 Deputies of the Year... 12 &13 Page 1
Sheriff s Message W e are pleased to present our Annual Report for calendar year 2014. This is our fourth annual publication, designed to provide you with an overview of our organization, the work we performed, and the highlights of 2014. The completely new and expanded superior court building opened in March. The Sheriff s Office is responsible for security and bailiff services for the building. We have met the security need with a cadre of Temporary Extra Help Deputy Sheriff (TEHDS) who work part time. This year s report will feature our Search & Rescue team (SAR) who constantly trains in multiple disciplines in order to be prepared to aid the community in times of need. Whether by horseback, ATV, or by their own two feet, they are here to aid the Sheriff s Office any time. From lost hikers, to lost airplanes, and even an occasional evidence search, San Benito County SAR is always ready to help. In the Primary Election held in June of 2014, I was reelected to begin my second term as the 15th Sheriff of San Benito County. I am humbled by this development, and committed to maintaining your trust. As a law enforcement leader, I am aware of the fragile state of that trust. As human beings, we are often defined by our successes and failures. But in law enforcement, failure has the potential to be catastrophic. The FBI recently studied 98 million arrests occurring nationally between 2003 and 2009. From that grouping, 99.9998% of arrests occurred without an arrest related death. That performance figure places our nation s law enforcement members amongst the elite professionals of the world. What other profession has achieved that record? But still, one moment of failure can unravel a lifetime of trust. Our relationship with society is shaped when things go wrong, instead of when things go right. In 2014 we witnessed and example of how damaged trust can lead to a conflict between societal issues and safety issues; While some community groups around the nation are calling for us to dispose of our protective vehicles, ISIS/ISIL (a prominent terrorist group from the middle-east) is calling on sympathizers to commit acts of terrorism on local public safety agencies. I am extremely proud of the men and women of our office who are committed to the challenge of maintaining your trust, and preserving your safety. A priority for 2015 will be the recruitment and filling of new Deputy Sheriff positions. Due to budget cuts, we have lost 50% of our Deputies in the past four years. The financial recovery of our county will finally allow us to begin adding a few Deputies to our ranks this year. We have several new Deputy Sheriff Trainees in the certification process now, and another recruitment is already underway. We plan to have some new Deputies street ready by early 2015. It is truly an honor to serve, Darren Thompson Sheriff Coroner Page 2
Sheriff s Office Organization Sheriff Fiscal Corrections Division Administration Division Operations Division Jail operations Prisoner transportation Jail Facilities maintenance LiveScan program Realignment (AB109) Work alternative program Work Furlough program DNA Collection Jail fleet maintenance STC (state corrections standards) training & Compliance Personnel & recruitment (corrections) Jail expansion project Records management Civil services C.L.E.T.S liaison Court security and bailiffs Concealed weapon program Permits & licensing Facilities (except jail) 9-1-1 center liaison Policy management Tow hearings Technology Volunteer program COPLink administration Equipment & inventory Internal affairs Training Personnel & recruitment Patrol operations Contract cities Detectives & crime scene Coroner School resource officer K-9 operations Narcotics task force Reserve program Field training program Search & rescue Explorer youth program Media relations Crime prevention Registrant compliance Property & evidence Domestic violence prevention program Fleet management Grants (AG, Calmet, SAFE) Page 3
San Benito County San Benito County is located in the Coast Range Mountains of California. As of 2013 the population was 56,884. The county seat is Hollister, which includes nearly two-thirds of the county's population. El Camino Real passes through the county and includes one mission in San Juan Bautista. The county has a total area of 1,390.73 square miles and is bordered by Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Fresno and Merced counties. San Benito County is comprised of an eclectic mix of industry, tourism and attractions. The County is proud to feature several world-class wineries as well as the Pinnacles National Park. One of a very few State-run off highway vehicle parks, Hollister Hills SVRA, is just a few minutes from downtown Hollister. The cities of Hollister and San Juan Bautista are the two incorporated cities that join the communities of Aromas, Bitterwater, New Idria, Paicines, Panoche and Tres Pinos to make up the population centers. Mission Statement The mission of the San Benito County Sheriff s Office is to serve the public by establishing a partnership with the community; to protect life and property, prevent crime, and solve problems. Sheriff s Office five constitutionally mandated services to San Benito County Community SAR Corrections (Jail) Civil Courts Coroner Page 4 Page 4
By the Numbers - Patrol Deputies handle two types of calls, or events as they are called: One is a call for service where someone calls 9-1-1 or otherwise contacts the Sheriff s Office for police service. The other is an event that Deputies initiate themselves. These can be traffic stops, security checks or other types of field initiated events. Calls for Service Every event is closed with a disposition that details what happened with the situation. 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 5959 Beat 2 East San Benito County 2442 2061 1983 Civil calls Beat 3 San Juan Bautista Beat 1 West San Benito County 123 104 Beat 4 South San Benito County Calls within the City of Hollister 9000 8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 8043 No report required 2785 Subjects contacted Call Dispositions 950 Reports taken 430 372 Traffic citations Arrests made 92 Criminal citations Calls are assigned a priority based on the initial information received by the call-taker at the 9-1-1 communications center. Priority 1 calls are handled first, while priority 4 calls are handled after all other calls have been cleared. Priority 1 Immediate threat to safety or in progress felonies Priority 2 In progress threat to property or non-violent crime Priority 3 Misdemeanor calls for service Priority 4 All other calls for service 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 2074 Vehicle/subject check 1713 Traffic stop Deputy Field Initiated Activity 942 Civil matter 728 Others 579 Area check 437 424 Security check Follow up 83 82 55 52 Foot patrol Attempt to contact Citizen flag down Probation search 12:00 0:00 12:00 0:00 Response time to Calls for Service 12:27 19:54 19:56 31:59:00 Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3 Priority 4 Page 5 Page 5
By the Numbers - Corrections San Benito County Jail is more than a jail. It is an intrinsic partner in the criminal justice system whose role is to hold people who for lawful reasons cannot remain in society for a period of time. The corrections division is dedicated to providing public safety by incarcerating those who have been adjudicated and sentenced to jail, and by holding those presentenced inmates pending adjudication. The jail, a 25,000 square foot, 22 year old facility is only part of the story. 26 correctional deputies work to ensure the health and safety of individuals held in our facility. Inmates receive medical and behavioral health screening and treatment as needed to ensure health according to their needs. We believe people have a right to leave here in better shape than when they arrived. We service a population of approximately 135 inmates daily. The rated capacity is 142. Additionally 40 people are assigned to work alternative programs every day. We also contribute to the electronic monitoring program run by Probation where there is an average daily attendance of 24. 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 County Jail Bookings Total bookings = 2,517 Annually we serve approximately 147,000 meals. Our medical personnel see approximately 6,242 inmates per year and provide medication and triage to other treatment modalities that may be required. Our transportation deputies safely deliver over 3,120 inmates to local courts every year. Corrections deputies drive over 50,000 miles annually, to facilitate inmate pickup and delivery statewide. This ensures inmates pending court appearances get where they need to be on time. Trips include transport to and from medical care, local and abroad; delivery to state prison reception centers post sentencing; and pick up from all California Counties as we are notified. Out of state pickup and delivery is also handled/arranged by the transportation division. Programs that we provide to inmates include the following: Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous; GED Preparation; Life Skills; English as a Second Language; Thinking for a Change; Bridging the Gap; Chaplaincy and religious/counseling services. The jail is a small community that never sleeps. Staff and associated civilian provided services run this facility 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to keep our community safe and provide our clients with options to rehabilitate and rejoin society in a productive manner. A future expansion of the jail will occur in the near future (2017). An emphasis on programs and rehabilitation will be the theme 1111 Hollister PD 1052 San Benito Sheriff 229 Others 118 CHP Page 6
By the Numbers - Other In addition to initial bookings, the jail houses subjects who have been convicted of some misdemeanor and many felony crimes. The 2014 average daily population of the jail was 132 inmates with approximately 60% of them un-sentenced. The Sheriff s Office offers a work alternative program (SWAP) to allow individuals meeting certain criteria, to serve their sentence through the performance of community based service work assignments. The Sheriff s Office assigns convicted low level offenders to specific worksites throughout the County of San Benito. Eligibility is based on court orders, type of charges, number of days to serve, other charges pending and previous attendance history. 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 16 20 SWAP Participants 30 27 24 18 17 15 15 26 17 24 Helping individuals remain productive by experiencing alternatives to incarceration is essential to all. 200 150 100 50 0 Civil Processes Served 179 154 122 117 50 The Sheriff s Office provides civil process and court document service to the entire county (including the cities of Hollister and San Juan Bautista). It takes an average of 3 attempts to complete 1 process service. The 637 completed services took approximately 2,000 attempts. 15 CORONER San Benito County Sheriff s Deputies also act as the coroner. Initial death investigations are handled by Sheriff s deputies and further investigation is conducted by Sheriff s detectives. The County contracts with the Santa Clara County Coroner s office for autopsies as needed. In 2014 the Sheriff s office handled 67 death cases. Of those, 34 were sent to Santa Clara County for autopsies and 33 were medical releases. Page 7
San Benito County Search & Rescue Page 8
Serving the community is SAR s top priority The Search & Rescue group s goal is to train in multiple disciplines in order to be prepared to aid the community at times of need. Whether by horseback, ATV, Jeep or by their own two feet, they are here to aid the Sheriff s Office any time they may call on us. From lost hikers, to lost airplanes, and even an occasional evidence search, San Benito County SAR is ready to help. Page 9
Superior Court Facility The new state-of-the-art superior court building opened for business on March 17, 2014. The Sheriff s Office is responsible for providing bailiff and building security services. Bailiff services are provided by two full time deputies while building security is provided by extra help deputies. The extra help deputies are retired police officers who work part time to provide building entrance security. Page 10
From March 17 to December 31, 2014 the following prohibited items were seized by deputes: Other prohibited items include handcuff keys, tasers, brass knuckles, box cutters, scissors, long heavy duty chains, pocket torch, fire starter, 6 long spike, bullets and garden shears. 500 400 300 200 100 0 Prohibited Items Seized 454 Knives 191 Other prohibited items 45 32 Chemical agents Markers Page 11
Deputy of the Year Each year, a member of the Sheriff s Office patrol & investigations divisions is selected for the honor of being named Deputy of the year. What s unique about the selection process is that it s a peer award. Each member of the Sheriff s Office nominates the person who they feel deserves the award. Being selected by their peers is quite an honor! The 2014 Deputy of the Year recipient is Sgt Tom Keylon. Congratulations Tom on a job well done! Page 12
Correctional Employee of the Year The Sheriff s Office correctional employee of the year recognizes outstanding service by an employee assigned to the corrections division. The employee has applied themselves over and above what is required as part of that employee s normal duties and functions. The 2014 corrections employee of the year is Correctional Deputy Jacob Figueroa. Jacob has been employed with the Sheriff s Office since 2002 and is well known throughout the jail for his compassion and support. He is always courteous and helpful to others and is highly respected by his peers. Congratulations Jacob on a job well done! Page 13
San Benito County Sheriff s Office 2301 Technology Parkway Hollister, CA 95023 831-636-4080 www.sbcsheriff.org