| Sonoma County, CA | June 3, 2014 Election |
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REFORM THE OFFICE INVOLVED SHOOTING PROTOCOLBy Victoria I. ShanahanCandidate for District Attorney; County of Sonoma |
This information is provided by the candidate | |
It is time for independent review and investigation into officer involved shootings. I will lead the way in actually reforming the protocol and working in conjunction with any citizen review board that is established. I will release the ultimate report to the public on every officer involved death.As a starting point, the District Attorney's Office employs a full staff of experienced Investigators who were previously employed as police officers at various agencies throughout the state. They are typically experienced in conducting homicide and violent crime investigations, officer involved shootings, and work independently as a District Attorney investigator. Many counties throughout the state rely on the District Attorney investigators to handle officer involved shooting investigations. However, Sonoma County has routinely relied on local agencies to investigate each other. As we have seen over the past year, this protocol has caused distrust within the community. Also, the practical effect is that when a local agency has another homicide occur while the investigation is pending, the investigation is put on the "back burner" while they focus on the new case. This creates additional delay that is unnecessary. Since 2011, the District Attorney investigators have been underutilized to simply manage witnesses and conduct basic trial support for the attorneys. Since they receive investigator wages, I believe the investigators should be utilized as independent investigators. It is certainly a starting point for serious change for how we have been conducting business for many years. I will also ensure that both attorneys and investigators who are assigned to handle these investigations receive the necessary training. I will stop the troubling practice of allowing the agency being investigated to review and provide input on the ultimate opinion of whether or not criminal liability exists. Since we are conducting an independent review, it should be just that. On cases where criminal liability is not clear, I will not hesitate to convene a criminal grand jury. Additionally, I will release any final report to the public so that the public can better understand the independent review and analysis process, as well as the ultimate opinion. Should a citizen review board be implemented, I will work in conjunction with it and ensure a transparent and independent process of review that will help rebuild trust and confidence in the process. |
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Created from information supplied by the candidate: May 5, 2014 20:18
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