A state appellate court has tentatively ruled that Sonoma County’s civilian law enforcement watchdog agency can issue subpoenas to deputies as part of its whistleblower investigations into the Sheriff’s Office.
If upheld, the long awaited ruling could settle a major disagreement between the Sheriff’s Office and independent watchdog over the extent of its oversight authority. The case and ruling also could have broader ramifications, as counties across California establish and test new civilian oversight powers granted by state law in recent years.
The Jan. 8 ruling came from a three-judge panel of the state’s First Appellate District.
It stems from a July 2024 lawsuit filed against the Sheriff’s Office by the county’s Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach, or IOLERO. The suit took issue with the department’s refusal to comply with subpoenas issued by the watchdog in response to a whistleblower complaint involving at least four Sheriff’s Office employees.
The outlines of the case remain shrouded in secrecy. But the investigation was IOLERO’s first attempt to exercise expanded powers granted in 2020 by voters through Measure P, which touched off years of legal wrangling and negotiations with deputies’ associations over the enforceability and terms of the ballot initiative.
While Measure P bestowed IOLERO subpoena power, the Sheriff’s Office and the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association argued that subsequent labor agreements precluded the watchdog from issuing...
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