Santa Clara County takes proposals for monitor of Sheriff’s Office, jails
SAN JOSE >> Santa Clara County is taking applications for an independent monitor who will audit and evaluate the Sheriff’s Office and jails, the centerpiece of reforms spurred by the beating death of a mentally ill inmate by jail deputies three years ago.
The county sent out a request for proposals on Monday, with a July 31 deadline. According to a county news release, the Board of Supervisors aims to select a contractor by December, and have that person or firm in place by the following February.
“I think we’ve put a good process in place. This is a challenging endeavor. Getting it right takes great care. Striking the right balance is key,” board President Joseph Simitian said in a statement. “We have to keep our officers safe and protect their due process rights. And we have to build and maintain the public’s trust in law enforcement, which is in everybody’s interest.”
Interested parties can submit a letter of interest through the county’s bid system at bidsync.com.
A selection of a monitor would fulfill one of the primary reforms recommended by the blue-ribbon commission created in the wake of the 2015 killing of Michael Tyree at the Main Jail, which led to murder convictions of three correctional deputies.
It resulted in the establishment of a county Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring and an accompanying community advisory board, aimed at increasing scrutiny of county law enforcement functions. The board decided on an ordinance to create the contractor role after initially considering a charter amendment that would have made the post a county employee.
Under the ordinance, the board will contract with an “independent entity,” which could be a person, a business or firm. The monitor will track and report back to the board about law enforcement operations and the use of force and other conditions in the jail, including solitary confinement and the sheriff’s response to public and inmate complaints. The monitor also will keep tabs on mental and other health services offered in the jail, which inmate advocates say remain deficient, as well as make policy recommendations.