FAIRFIELD — All three candidates for Solano County sheriff-coroner do not think it is the role of local law enforcement agencies – including the Sheriff’s Office – to enforce immigration laws.

Deputy Daryl Snedeker

“As the Solano County sheriff, my responsibility is to protect everyone in our community – regardless of who they love, their race or gender, where they were born, their socio-economic factors, or their state of mental health. Everyone deserves to live with dignity. Everyone deserves to feel safe,” said Daryl Snedeker, a longtime deputy sheriff.

“Persons contacted by deputy sheriffs are not questioned regarding their immigration status. Immigration questions are not part of the booking process for arrestees brought to the county jail by other law enforcement agencies,” said Sheriff Tom Ferrara. “However, dangerous persons, including undocumented immigrants, who are wanted for or convicted of serious criminal activity, are held at the county jail until they can be transferred to the state or federal prison systems, or released to the appropriate agency, including the Department of Homeland Security.”

DARYL SNEDEKER

I do support the use of Penal Code section 830.1(c) to deputize the Correctional Officers within the Sheriff’s Office. Deputized correctional officers could be utilized in many different areas of operation within the Sheriff’s Office.

At times, the Sheriff’s Office staffing is down to two or three deputy sheriff’s patrolling the streets of the entire county, which is approximately 900 square miles. This is not acceptable. I have been one of those deputies faced with the challenges associated with the possibility of an emergency situation, knowing there was not enough staff to cover Solano County. When the situation arises and staffing levels are brought below the agreed upon minimum levels, for any reason, deputized correctional officers would be utilized in the designated areas to support the overall mission of the Sheriff’s Office and to ensure the safety of staff and the community.

This may also allow the Sheriff’s Office Transportation Bureau or hospital details to use correctional staff if staffing dictates it. The Mobile Field Force Team is another example of where correctional staff could be integrated into that team to bring the numbers up when necessary. Classifying correctional officers under 830.1(c) PC would give the Sheriff’s Office the flexibility to utilize them in critical areas that currently, at times, jeopardize the safety of staff. This would also give correctional staff some presumptive medical conditions that are currently only afforded to public safety (law enforcement) employees within the Sheriff’s Office.

I believe the correctional officers should be afforded these presumptive medical conditions based on the job they do and the elements they are exposed to within the jail daily. The only down side I see for correctional staff being converted to the PC 830.1(c) status would be the possible financial impact that it may have on the Sheriff’s Office and Solano County.

I believe the best way to ensure an accurate assessment of the financial impact is to gradually transition, while providing the necessary training to staff in cycles or groups, until all staff have received the training. This would allow sheriff’s administration to monitor the associated costs and maintain the training within our current budget.

Deputizing correctional staff under PC 830.1 (c) would, at no time, take away any positions that are currently covered by deputy sheriff’s, but would allow the Sheriff’s Office the opportunity to cover certain areas of responsibility with correctional staff when the situation dictates it. I would facilitate a policy that both the Solano County Deputy Sheriff’s Association , and the Solano County Sheriff’s Correctional Association, would be agreeable to and work with both associations to determine the areas of responsibility that would be covered by correctional staff when needed.

The first reason for this transition would be for the safety and protection of all Sheriff’s Office staff, which must be a priority of the sheriff and all administrators within the Sheriff’s Office. This in turn will make Solano County safer for everyone. As the chief law enforcement authority in Solano County, the Sheriff’s Office must be prepared to address any and all situations for the protection of our community. There are many areas of responsibility where correctional staff could be utilized when necessary to ensure we always meet our obligation to our community.

 DARYL SNEDEKER:

There have been significant operational and fiscal impacts in all the county jails throughout California, due to California’s Public Safety Realignment. The sheriff’s departments are challenged to adapt and change their jail operations to deal with inmates that are now housed at the county jails with longer sentences, which can be upward of seven to 10 years.

Currently, inmates serving time at the Solano County jail do not have the same programming, job training, rehabilitative opportunities and mental health/substance use disorder treatment as they would if they were housed in state prison. This, within itself, creates new challenges.

In today’s jail environment, there has been a large increase in inmates that are housed in Administrative Segregation (lock down status – 23 hours a day). These inmates must be housed separately due to the nature of their crimes and their conduct while in custody. The sheriff has closed down sections of the jails to save money on overtime. This puts the correctional officers and inmates at risk by crowding more inmates together with less correctional staff assigned to oversee them.

Currently, there are correctional officer vacancies as well as correctional sergeant vacancies. These vacancies are creating overtime that burdens all correctional staff. Not filling these vacant positions may save the Sheriff’s Office money in the fiscal sense, but at what cost to the correctional staff and the tasks required in the jail operations. As the sheriff, implementation of the following programming changes in the jail will include;

1. Addressing the housing of inmates that have a history of serving state prison time. Inmate classification is a tool used to properly house inmates in the jail at the correct security housing levels. This provides safety and security for both the inmates and staff. This tool should be used as a quality control measure to manage inmates and their criminal activity while in custody. Separating low-level inmates from inmates that have served a significant amount of time in state prison is important and should have been done when AB 109 came into effect. This would also be a tool to maintain an environment that protects staff and would be used to promote positive behavioral reinforcement intervention among the inmates that make the choice to positively program while incarcerated.

2. Alternative Sentencing. I will promote more opportunity for appropriately classified inmates to utilize early intervention, Alternative Sentencing Programs, for low-level offenders that include work release, house arrest or community corrections programs, community service (restorative justice) programs, mental health courts and addressing pre-trial jail time that exceeds the sentence of the offense. Addressing and enhancing alternative sentencing opportunities will provide more opportunities for offenders to be productive members of society and reduce the costs the taxpayers incur housing them in the jail.

3. The practice of warehousing inmates can no longer be accepted. Currently, a large amount of funding is allocated to the Sheriff’s Enforcement Team, which is the enforcement arm for probation as part of Post Release Community Supervision. Funding allocations must be evaluated to allow the Sheriff’s Office to evolve into a 21st century law enforcement agency. Staff must be trained to communicate effectively with the jail population in a way that will foster a positive impact thus ensuring the safety of staff and the inmate. In addition, providing the critical services that address addiction and mental illness, while in custody as well as upon release, is a critical component to reducing recidivism. Introducing quality educational opportunities that are directly linked to career pathways upon release will begin will also be a key component of a successful transition back into our communities. Working with local businesses and labor unions to increase opportunities for employment upon release from custody can bring productive people into our work force, reunite families and give members of our community a fighting chance at success. There are additional areas that will be addressed relating to the efficient operations of the jails.