With Senate Bill 54 (SB54), the California Values Act, becoming law on January 1, 2018, many people have questions regarding the changes that may be necessary for local law enforcement. The Sheriff’s Department already has policies in place that are in line with SB54 and very little will change for our field operations in relation to this law. First and foremost, we absolutely want all residents in our communities to feel safe when reporting crimes or coming forward as a witness to criminal acts. Here are some other things we would like you to know.
• A deputy sheriff will not contact a person based upon a perception of their country of origin or their immigration status. We do not and will not ask people their immigration status. We do not investigate or enforce immigration law.
• We work in a number of task forces. We believe that leveraging our regional county, state and federal resources is the most effective way to combat crime and keep our communities safe. Our role in the task forces we participate in does not involve immigration enforcement.
• The task forces that we participate in focus on violations of state and federal law related to narcotics, human trafficking, violent criminal acts, weapons, gangs and terrorism. Any task force we work with will comply with SB54.
In our Detention Facilities, we currently comply with all state and federal laws. We comply with the Trust and Truth Acts and we will comply with the California Values Act. Here are some other things we would like you to know.
• We will not provide information regarding a person’s release date or respond to requests for notification by providing release dates or other information unless that information is available to the public or the inmate has a qualifying conviction as specified in the Act.
• We will not transfer an individual to immigration authorities unless authorized by a judicial warrant or judicial probable cause determination. However, if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is present at the time of release, the individuals may be taken into custody by ICE.
A Message From Sheriff Bill Gore
