Riverside County’s Board of Supervisors issued a response on Tuesday to a Grand Jury report that found an alarming number of county jail deaths.
A Grand Jury report released in June called on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to create an independent civilian oversight committee in response to 29 jail deaths since March of 2023.
The report featured nine findings and a recommendation for each. The jury wrote that the number of in-custody deaths reflected “systemic deficiencies” in the sheriff’s office staffing, documentation practices and emergency response procedures.
In their response, the board wrote that the deaths warrant serious review but they alone do not signify deficiencies.
County Executive Officer Jeffrey Van Wagenen said any potential oversight body would have to respect confidentiality laws and respect the sheriff’s independence.
“The county’s position is that transparency and accountability matter but any oversight, audit, dashboard or strategic planning framework must be lawful, workable and fiscally responsible,” Van Wagenen said.
Additionally, the report wrote that past investigations into in-custody deaths lacked structure and incident reporting to the public was inconsistent.
“Existing oversight mechanisms are fragmented, limited in scope and largely internal to the Riverside County sheriff office’s chain of command,” the Grand Jury report wrote. “This structural design restricts independent review of critical incidents.”
The sheriff's office approved and issued their own response that said the claims of “systemic deficiencies” lacked evidence.
“This grand jury report will be taken into consideration for exactly what it is: a predetermined attempt to force or intimidate the board of supervisors and the sheriff to comply with demands of activists,” the sheriff’s office wrote in response to the finding.
The board established an Ad Hoc Committee to evaluate the need for an oversight body. They are set to report their findings in January.