SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The County of Santa Cruz will hold a public meeting to collect input on establishing an Independent Sheriff’s Auditor (ISA), a position the County says will provide oversight into the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
The meeting will take place Tuesday, Aug. 30, and will collect community feedback before the County issues a Request for Proposals to select an ISA.
The ISA will be responsible for investigating complaints from the public regarding the Sheriff’s Office, looking into use-of-force instances and auditing the department’s investigations.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously moved to hire an ISA in January. Sheriff Jim Hart brought forward the recommendation to hire a neutral third-party auditor for his agency.
His recommendation comes two years after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1185 into law, a bill that allows every California county to create an official watchdog group or individual to oversee sheriff’s offices.
Members of the public initially asked the board to consider forming a Sheriff’s Office citizens oversight committee to increase public oversight further, but the supervisors unanimously limited oversight to a single police auditor.
The meeting will take place from 6-7:30pm in the Board of Supervisors Chambers,701 Ocean St., 5th Floor, Santa Cruz. Join virtually at bit.ly/3CL9Lwd.
