The 2018-2019 Shasta County Grand Jury released their final report on June 27, 2019, known as the Consolidated Report. This report contains a summary of the activities of the Grand Jury and four investigative/informational reports.
Summaries from two investigative reports are summarized below.
Medical Services at Shasta County Jail
In September 2018, the Shasta County Grand Jury received a complaint alleging inadequate medical services and treatment of inmates at the Shasta County Jail. An investigation was conducted relative to the complaint and was expanded to better understand and comprehensively review medical services provided to inmates at the Jail.
The Grand Jury was unable to find evidence supporting the complaint, but instead found that the Jail’s medical services:
• Provide effective, unbiased and timely care for inmates
• Are within budgeted costs
• Met State regulations
• Are largely successful due to effective cooperation between the staff of the Sheriff’s Office and the medical services provider
The Grand Jury commends those staff members and offers this report as an overview of and insight into a program that works.
SHASCOM, 911-“ What’s Your Emergency”
Over the past 23 years, Shasta County Grand Juries have conducted six reports of the Shasta Area Safety Communications Agency (SHASCOM): 1995/96, 2000/01, 2003/04, 2005/06, 2007/08, 2009/10. This year’s report brings the total to seven. As the County’s emergency communication provider, SHASCOM is responsible for a vital public service. Similarly, the Grand Jury provides an important public service by periodically assessing SHASCOM. After nine years a thorough, fresh assessment with recommendations on its operations was overdue.
The 2018/19 Shasta County Grand Jury found that many concerns highlighted in past reports are still significant today. In particular, vacant dispatcher positions continue to be a chronic and debilitating issue. Unfilled dispatcher positions lead to excessive overtime and low employee morale. Inadequate recruitment efforts fail to meet staffing needs.
Dispatching is a difficult job. Excessive overtime is an added burden that increases stress. Overtime and related personnel management issues need to be resolved for the good of the employees and for the good of SHASCOM. SHASCOM has adopted the standards for training from California’s Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). However, not all training required by POST gets completed, in part because dispatchers have insufficient time to complete their training. We recommend that an outside consultant be hired to analyze SHASCOM’s operational needs and propose fixes for staffing and related personnel management issues.
The Grand Jury also identified issues related to SHASCOM’s technical support systems. The Agency has a new Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system that became operational in October 2018 and is still undergoing modification and fine-tuning. Because the new CAD does not yet meet the complex, multi-agency dispatching needs of SHASCOM, it is imperative that member agencies and SHASCOM’s Board receive regular updates on CAD performance and system integration. This information will aid the Board in determining if the CAD system is adequate.
CodeRED is the County’s emergency alert system. It warns the public of emergencies and advises on how to respond. The system communicates information that is critical to everyone’s safety. Citizens of the County increase their options for receiving emergency alerts by registering for CodeRED. Our primary concern is that CodeRED is underutilized because it is poorly advertised to the public and is minimally user-friendly. We are especially concerned about citizens with disabilities or other conditions that limit their ability to receive and respond to emergency alerts. SHASCOM needs to promote CodeRED to the public. Read further to learn more about this important public service.
The SHASCOM Board is ultimately responsible for how well the Agency functions. Ongoing issues suggest the Board needs to be more proactive in its oversight of SHASCOM. To be more effective, the Board needs regular updates on performance-related issues, data to analyze the issues, and options on how the issues can be resolved. We found no clear process of how the Board makes recommendations for improvement. An outside consultant could recommend how best to optimize the communication of performance data and other important issues between the Board and the Director. We recommend a stepwise process to advance Board oversight:
• Hire a management consultant to analyze SHASCOM / Board operations.
• Schedule a workshop including the Board, Director, and consultant to address important issues, and review and clarify the roles and expectations of the Director and Board Members.
• Establish a standing Advisory Board composed of community volunteers to assist the Board.
The Grand Jury believes outside eyes can help the Board and management of SHASCOM find new ways of addressing important issues and improve transparency.
June 27, 2019
East Valley Times
By Judy LaRussa
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