Who monitors sheriffs? Proposed law would place that power firmly with counties

Across California and other states, elected leaders and law enforcement are mired in debates about the authority of counties to monitor elected sheriffs. “We’ve seen more than one sheriff recently bristle at the idea of independent entities providing oversight,” said Peter Bibring, director of police practices at the ACLU of California, which supports the bill. “That kind of independent oversight is part of the system of checks and balances, and sheriff’s departments should absolutely be no exception to that.” The proposal would codify into state law a 1994 California Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the right of counties to create oversight boards with subpoena powers under the state Constitution, a case involving a San Diego taxpayer who sued the county to stop it from creating one such entity. Salzillo said AB 1185 could increase tension between supervisors and sheriffs because it “creates this pressure to have this adversarial relationship with another county office.” Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, the bill’s author, said lack of oversight can also create tension. Los Angeles County supervisors have Three years ago, revelations about abuses in Los Angeles County jails and the increased national attention paid to law enforcement’s use of force prompted county leaders to craft a civilian oversight commission to increase accountability at the Sheriff’s Department.