What do you want in a Sheriff watchdog?
Sonoma County will soon launch a nationwide search for the next director of the county’s Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO), the watchdog group that keeps tabs on law enforcement agencies.
Before the search begins, county officials invite input to help frame the recruitment process. Take the survey.
“We invite the public to give us your input before we embark on the process to find our next director,” said Chair James Gore, Board of Supervisors. “Your thoughts and ideas are vital to identifying the right candidate.”
The IOLERO director position became vacant in November 2021 when Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed former director, Karlene Navarro, to the county Superior Court bench. The board appointed Garrick Byers in January to serve as interim director.
The office was established by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors in 2015 following public outcry over the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Andy Lopez by a Sheriff’s deputy. The department has a troubled history of excessive force and brutality.
As an independent, non-police county agency, IOLERO’s mission is to “strengthen the relationship between the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and the community it serves and its primary functions include reviewing complaints against the Sheriff’s Office, community outreach, and making policy recommendations to the Sheriff’s Office.”
The director will manage a budget of $1.8 million and a staff of seven including two additional attorneys, and two interns. In 2021, IOLERO processed 38 complaints from the public, completed more than 30 audits, and is on track to eliminate its backlog by early 2022.
“Going forward, this will enable us to audit investigations immediately upon their completion without any delay,” states the most recent annual report.
Members of the public are invited to provide responses to a short survey that will inform the recruitment process. The survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.
Survey responses are due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022, and will be confidential. The survey is available in both English and Spanish through the links below.
- Director, IOLERO Survey (English): www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZWDQWZN
- Director, IOLERO Survey (Spanish): www.surveymonkey.com/r/JTBST3G
The recruitment process for the permanent director of IOLERO is slated to begin in March 2022 and an appointment is expected in August 2022.
