There's a video on InstantRiverside.com of an interview with Sheriff Bob Doyle explaining that he hasn't actually resigned yet. He does say that he's hoping to get a job on the State Parole Board, but that it hasn't come yet.

He also goes on to say that if he doesn't get the job, he's going to resign anyways.

See it here..
http://www.instantriverside.com/newsheadline.php?id=758

Labels: Sheriff

Late last night, Sheriff Bob Doyle resigned from his post, in order to accept a position on the State Parole Board, a position appointed by the Governor.

Red County Riverside has published pieces from all the local newspapers on this, and you can go through it there...
http://www.redcountyriverside.com/2007/08/late-night-news.html

The articles in the paper go on to suggest that he resigned his post because he had been embattled with the District Attorney, the Board of Supervisors, and the deputies' union. I imagine a high profile person such as Sheriff would always be embattled with other persons, and I don't see how a position with the State Parole Board would be any more glamorous.

While Doyle easily won his second election to office, it came largely on voter disinterest with all the candidates, or lack of voter knowledge of the candidates. I had published an account of the Sheriff's debate that took place in Sun City.

Undersheriff Neil Lingle is expected to run the department in the interim, but the search for an official replacement has not started.

Labels: Sheriff

Last month I wrote a summary of the Sheriff's new budget proposal and mentioned that the new Perris substation was close to opening.

The Californian published an update on that, providing details on what the new facility will look like...

The new 45,000-square-foot station is part of a 17-acre "campus" of much-needed county buildings at Perris Boulevard and San Jacinto Avenue.

The $30 million project encompasses the new station, a 20,000-square-foot warehouse for evidence and property, a 10,000-square-foot forensics lab and a 25,000-square-foot family health center just a short distance from the sheriff's facility.

The Perris substation serves the Menifee Valley.

You can read the full article here...
http://www.nctimes.com/..../21_06_097_5_07.txt

Labels: Perris, Sheriff

Yesterday, Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner Bob Doyle presented the Board of Supervisors with his budget proposal.

You can review the entire proposal online here...
http://www.riversidesheriff.org/budget/index.html

To summarize the key points made by Sheriff Doyle...

1. The new Perris Sheriff Substation is expected to open this August.



2. Requesting slightly over $2 million to hire an additional 34 deputies to patrol the unincorporated areas. This is to maintain a current policy of having an average of 1.2 officers for every 1,000 residents.



3. Requesting $2 million to assign tazer guns to every deputy.



4. Open up a new "Cold Case Unit" staffed by three investigators to address some 2,400 unsolved murder cases dating as far back as 1941.



5. Requesting over $7.2 million to hire another 179 positions in the Corrections division



6. Requesting $3.5 million to buy a replacement helicopter for an older helicopter they have now, which will become unserviceable in two years. It takes about a year-and-a-half for a new one to come in.



7. Requesting $335,018 to hire three new positions into the County Gang Task Force.

There's several more items, but I think the ones above are the bigger items, and the ones that particularly impact Menifee Valley the most.

In item #2 above, the policy of 1.2 officers for every 1,000 residents in the unincorporated areas is a new policy that the Board of Supervisors put into effect last year, when the old ratio was 0.96 officers. It required the Sheriff to hire additional 241 deputies, and since that time, the Sheriff reports that crime has dropped by 3%. This year's request for another 34 deputies allows the Sheriff to maintain the 1.2 ratio.

Labels: Police, Sheriff

This evening, two of the candidates running for Sheriff of Riverside County met in Sun City to debate over the County's law enforcement issues.

The two candidates who attended were Robert Ritchie and Rick Sayre. The incumbent, Bob Doyle, was invited but did not appear. Refer to your voter guide for background information on the candidates.

Much of meeting centered around a question/answer session with questions coming from the audience. The two took turns answering, and were given the opportunity to rebut, though in most cases neither rebutted.

Opening Statements

Both candidates acknowledged the need to find alternative ways to boost the number of law enforcement personnel.

Ritchie expressed his desire to get kids more involved and more exposed to law enforcement, such as getting department personnel to operating programs in schools.

Sayre expressed his desire to take the department back to the fundamentals of responding to calls, investing into the front line personnel, and expanding jail space.

Question & Answer Session

It's worth noting here that in many of the questions, Sayer received the first opportunity to answer. Ritchie's responses often seemed to agree with Sayer, however, instead of reiterating what Sayer had to say, he instead expanded on it, providing examples and details.

Also note, answers I've reported below are summarized.

Question #1: How will you plan for resources in light of rapid growth of population?

Sayer pointed out that the Supervisors have historically been willing to provide adequate funding to the department, but that it's been mostly a matter of spending that money wisely, naming on the front line personnel, such as deputies and dispatchers.

Ritchie called for creating a cadet program where by teenagers could enroll immediately after graduating high school and take on duties that don't require the use of a deputy. He also talked about bringing retired deputies back to help new recruits.

Question #2: Will you continue the practice of allowing officers to put on a DEA patch to arrest people using medical marijuana?

Ritchie said he would not allow any deputy to wear a different patch.

Sayer said he too would not allow deputies to make such arrests and pointed out there are other agencies that should address it.

Question #3 (posed to Sayer only): How do you differentiate the medical marijuana law between federal and state?

Sayer said that it is a state issue superceding federal.

Question #4: What is your position on handling illegal aliens?

Sayer responded by saying that illegal immigration laws should be enforced and that he will not allow his deputies to let personal opinions or desires to get in the way.

Ritchie went on to say that he supports building a wall on the border, and that he has personally arrested illegal aliens shoplifting in area stores. He also said that any illegal alien who commits a crime should not only be arrested but deported under the full effect of state and federal law.

Question #5: How will you keep pedophiles away from schools?

Ritchie said he wants to push for a state law to impound the cars of registered sex offenders who violate the terms of their probation, noting that offenders usually use their cars to wisk children away.

Sayer took the opinion that our penal system should not even allow sex offenders out, and wants changes to keep them incarcerated for much longer periods, perhaps indefinitely.

Question #6: Will you create written policies on how to handle medical marijuana patients?

Ritchie said that there should definitely be written policies and procedures in place to avoid miscommunication on how such cases be handled.

Sayer reiterated the same opinion, but went on to add that if a physician has prescribed a course of treatment, assuming that treatment is within the law, it should be respected.

Question #7: What is the problem with enforcing trespassing laws?

Sayer said that trespassing is a misdemeanor and that in order for an officer to take action on a misdemeanor he or she must personally witness the act. He went on to recommend that citizens take some first-level course of action, such as posting "no trespassing signs", or setting up cameras, to provide deputies with evidence.

Ritchie elaborated by recommending citizens obtain restraining orders to give law enforcement an additional tool towards arresting and prosecuting trespassers.

Question #8: What is your opinion on operating a tent city?

Sayer expressed his support for running a tent city, but went on to say that the biggest offenders we face in our society today are the repeat "mid-level" offenders, such as the trespassers, the taggers, the hookers, vandals, etc. On the other hand, the murderers are always put away. There is not enough jail space to house the mid-level offenders and thus are set free. He said that at the current pace, Riverside County is about 8-10 years away from getting more jail space, and that jail space is the number one problem in Sheriff's department right now, with adequate radio equipment being number two.

Ritchie also supports the idea of a tent city and went on to provide more examples of county jails being overcrowded.

Question #9: Will you crack down on street corner vendors?

Sayer said that this a code enforcement issue and not a adequate use of deputy personnel. He said that we have a bigger problem of not having enough deputies answering calls.

Ritchie seemed to agree with Sayer, but went on to say that if street corner vendors are particular problem for a community, the community needs to organize itself and make it a perogative.

Question #10: What will you do for calls for crime?

Sayer spent time detailing his desire to take the department back to the fundamentals of focusing on answering calls. He said deputies are currently doing tasks that civilian workers can handle. By doing this it allows the department to put more deputies and dispatchers on the front lines.

Ritchie went on to elaborate on the problem of deputies not being able to find the location of calls. He pointed out the rapid growth of new communities and housing tracts, and not having adequates maps. He suggested deputies be outfitted with cell phones specifically for calling the callers and asking for driving directions. He said that having GPS devices would be a big help too.

Question #11: What about going after gangs, domestic terrorists, and bad cops?

Sayer focused on the need for increasing the education of Sheriff's personnel, particularly in the area of understanding the communities they service. He stressed helping personnel achieve their own personal goals to prevent them from going bad, and to give them the tools they need to do their jobs.

Ritchie elaborated on his desire to get more kids involved and exposed to law enforcement as a key towards preventing them from getting into gangs. He also suggested that all department personnel be polygraphed on a regular basis to discourage them from illegal activity.

Question #12: How will you make the department more competitive with other law enforcement agencies towards luring the best talent?

Ritchie explained that deputies are having to contribute into their own retirement plans, and that by eliminating these paycheck deductions it would go a long ways to keeping and luring good officers.

Sayer seemed to reiterate the point about offering competitive retirement plans, but also went on to say that officers are more attracted to work places that help them achieve their career goals.

Closing Statements

Ritchie went first mostly by reiterating his desire to get kids involved and exposed to law enforcement. He reiterated his background as a police officer and city councilman. He also made the remark that deputies should hand out quality surveys to the people they answer calls to.

Sayer continued to stress his desire to bring the department back to the fundamentals of answering calls, answering them quickly, and investing resources into the front line personnel. He again questioned why deputies were handling tasks that could be handled by civilian personnel, or even volunteers.

Labels: Elections, Sheriff

I have worked at a Chamber in Menifee Valley for over 3 three years and I have been appalled by the lack of public safety.

Do you realize that Menifee Valley has 50,000 residents and yet Sun City only has 2 part-time deputies (Perris Sub-Station) with Menifee having about 4 part-time deputies (Temecula Sub Station). Every City and County strives to have 1 cop for every 1000 citizens. By that standard we should have 50 cops for Menifee Valley. The reason I'm told by the Sheriff Department is that Sheriff Bob Doyle doesn't have the funds to expend for more officers in Menifee Valley.

One of the reasons for the lack of funds is due the county building the infamous TajMahal Southwest Detention Center (French Valley) to the tune $156 million dollars (it was only suppose to cost $50 Million).

One year later, we still need more jail/prisons. Supervisor Jeff Stone had a great solution of using an vacated jail in Eagle Mountain. It would only cost $10 Million to buy and renovate the building. Call me stupid, but I have always like the idea of having prisons/jails away completely away from residents and neigborhoods.
Sheriff Bob Doyle said no, because if a deputy got hurt, medical services were an hour away. I'm sorry, the logic to that doesn't play out. Put a doctor on site and it would solve the problem.

So we will again pay for another Taj Mahal jail facility to be built, while Menifee Valley residents go without public safety. Last Thursday, Sun City had another bank robbery (across the street from the Chamber office).

I should also point out that Sun City (of all places) only has 1/2 of a paramedic in the Fire Department.

I think its time that the residents get mad about not having adequate public safety. Write Sheriff Bob Doyle and tell him to stop playing politics and start protecting Menifee Valley!
Administration
Sheriff Bob Doyle
4095 Lemon Street
Riverside, CA 92501
(951) 955-2400
or SHill@riversidesheriff.org

Labels: Police, Sheriff