A Chance to Rein in Sheriff’s Dept. : * Two ballot propositions could curb abuses at jail, tighten fiscal control

Besides electing a new sheriff, San Diego County voters this fall have two opportunities to rein in a law enforcement system that has countenanced too little fiscal accountability and too much abuse in their jails.

Proposition A on the county ballot asks voters whether to create a citizens review board for the Sheriff’s Department. Proposition B would empower supervisors to remove the jail from the sheriff’s control and create a separate Department of Corrections.

Voters can take steps to curb violence by the sheriff’s deputies and exercise greater fiscal control by approving both measures.

Supervisor Brian Bilbray summed up the need for a police review board when he said: “The greatest tool the law enforcement officer has out in the streets is not his gun or his badge but the trust and confidence of the general public.” Today, that confidence is badly shaken.

The shooting death of Jeffrey Bray by a reserve deputy, still under investigation by the county Grand Jury, has shaken public faith in sheriff’s patrol officers. The widespread beatings in county jails, including a roving, unchecked “Rambo squad” of deputies in the El Cajon jail, can only be blamed on outgoing Sheriff John Duffy and his underlings.

In a single week last month, jail beatings cost the county more than $1.6 million in judgments in two separate lawsuits. The awards also proved the need for a review board.

The measure, placed on the ballot by county supervisors, would create a strong review panel. Its scope of authority would include misconduct of many kinds by sheriffs, probation officers and corrections officers. The panel could investigate everything from excessive use of force to sexual harassment of the citizens.

Unlike its weaker counterpart in the city of San Diego, it would have the power to subpoena witnesses and documents.

Supervisors, a former Grand Jury foreman and the two Sheriff candidates have signed arguments for the proposition, or rebuttals of arguments against it. Duffy is alone in opposition. It is important to understand that Proposition B would not create a corrections department; it would only empower the supervisors to do so. That authority could be held in reserve--while the supervisors determine whether the new sheriff cleans up the jails--or put into practice.

Proponents of a separate department tout it as a cost-savings measure. Corrections officers would be paid less than sheriff’s deputies. There is no room for praise of the county’s handling of jail acquisition and funding, but it is equally true that Duffy has consistently mishandled and overspent his budget.

Critics say that corrections officers would receive less training than sheriff’s deputies do now and that supervisorial control of the jails would politicize the department. But given the recent history of the Sheriff’s Department, it’s time to spread the responsibilities around.

We recommend a Yes vote on Propositions A and B.