Race highlights policing styles

In a four-way race for Monterey County sheriff, the contest is shaping up to be a battle between insiders and outsiders, with elements of trust, honesty and transparency being heralded as some of the common goals of all the candidates.

The Sheriff's Office has seen its share of rancor over the past few years, with sitting Sheriff Steve Bernal having been censured for what the Board of Supervisors considered inappropriate spending. Candidate and sheriff's Capt. Joe Moses is facing lawsuits relating to the 2018 sheriff's race when he supported Bernal.

Two of the candidates are from within the department and two are outsiders to the county Sheriff's Office. One of those outsiders is Chief Tina Nieto of the Marina Police Department, who has not minced words about what she says are serious shortcomings in the Sheriff's Office, particularly with community trust.

Among the issues the 59-yearold said the department is facing are budget shortfalls, low morale, recruitment and retention challenges, internal distrust of the current leadership team and distrust by some of the county's communities.

“At the core of the many issues facing the (Sheriff's Office) is the lack of trust among the members of the organization and its own executive leadership team, the distrust between the (Sheriff's Office) and the Board of Supervisors, and the distrust with some of our communities and an agency sworn to protect them,” Nieto said in an email interview with The Herald.

Nieto, the only woman in the race, said she follows an adaptive leadership model by anticipating challenges and addressing root causes, an approach she's garnered during her 33 years in law enforcement. Change in law enforcement is inevitable and Nieto notes that modern law enforcement is rapidly changing, with transparency chief among those changes.

“The changes in our laws,

the implementation of advanced technologies and the evolving relationship with our communities are continually shifting the very foundations of public safety,” she said. “People don't like to feel like they are kept in the dark, and across the board, community members express a desire for transparency from their Sheriff's Office. Our current Sheriff's Office has had some serious breaches of trust in the past.”

Candidate Joe Moses has been with the Sheriff's Office for 27 years and is now a captain overseeing the $72 million Corrections Operations Bureau and 320 fulltime and contract staff. Moses said the mental health crisis is a major issue underlying homelessness and substance abuse.

“I have a plan to take meaningful action to address mental health and reduce the drain on our patrol and jail resources while giving those in mental health crisis an opportunity to overcome their mental health issues,” the 50-yearold Moses said in an email interview. “By addressing mental health, our deputies will have more opportunity to interact with our communities and keep our neighborhoods safe.”

Moses said he is also a

champion of transparency, particularly among different law-enforcement agencies.

“In order to build and maintain those relationships, we have to be able to trust each other,” he said. “The only way I know how to build that trust is through transparency. Be open and honest about why or how we go about solving problems, and sometimes why we can't share information. (That) is what true transparency means.”

Moses emphasized that his approach to management is collaboration. He said he seeks input from his employees on how best to approach a problem before making decisions.

“I also continue to assess the progress we are making and I am willing to adjust course if something doesn't seem to be meeting the goals or objectives,” Moses said. “I have always strived to be the leader that people want to follow, not a manager that people have to follow.”

Another candidate for the top slot in the Sheriff's Office is 47-year-old sheriff's deputy Justin Patterson. Patterson has spent some 22 years as a deputy. He notes that during that time he has garnered a broad cross-section of knowledge about the inner workings of the department, including spending 14 years on the department's Special Weapons

and Tactics Unit.

He has also worked as a K9 handler and has volunteered for the Homeless Outreach Safety Team. Patterson said honesty and transparency with the public are critical to the Sheriff's Office. He also works by building a strong team around him.

“I check my ego at the door and expect those around me to do the same,” he said. “We will build public trust and increase department morale. I will accomplish these things by working directly with the community, as the sheriff is for the people, by the people.”

Transparency within the department is an attribute that Del Rey Oaks Police Chief Jeffrey Hoyne fully embraces in his candidacy for sheriff. The 33-year veteran of law enforcement also views transparency as a critical element in serving Monterey County residents.

“Transparency and communication are vital to build a trusted reputation within the communities that the Sheriff's Office serves, and it starts with the Sheriff and their leadership team,” Hoyne said in an email interview. “Part of my plan is to reform the command environment and ensure the leadership in the agency is the example of transparent and ethical leadership, not believe they are the exception to it.”

He cites a wide diversity of experience that would make him a good choice for sheriff, specifically noting his “operational, administrative and tactical/ specialty assignment positions in patrol, schools, training, SWAT, K9, civil disturbance, and emergency operations at linelevel, supervisory, management and executive levels.”

Hoyne said he uses use a variety of leadership styles based on individual situations and the people he is working with.

“Whether it is an overall servant style in leading the agency and serving my community, a transformational leadership style to bring about meaningful change and improvement in how the Sheriff's Office operates, or a coaching leadership style for training and mentoring others, I can adjust as necessary,” he said. “I would add however, that the most important aspect of any leadership style is that you be honest and authentic day in and day out, no matter how or who you are leading.

The sheriff's election is a non-partisan race. If any candidate achieves over 50% of the vote in the June 7 primary, they are elected and the contest will not appear in the general election. In the event that no candidate receives over 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will move forward to the general election.