The County of Sonoma and two labor groups representing county law enforcement employees, the Sonoma County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association (DSA) and Sonoma County Law Enforcement Association (SCLEA), announced the finalization of an agreement Thursday to strengthen law enforcement oversight in the county.
The agreement, which expands the authority of the county’s Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO), is the result of more than a year of negotiations between the county and the associations.
The negotiations commenced after Sonoma County voters overwhelmingly adopted Measure P in November 2020, expanding IOLERO’s powers while signaling a strong desire for greater law enforcement oversight. Prior to implementation, however, the state’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) voided several provisions of Measure P in June 2021 following the associations’ complaint that the county violated their members’ collective bargaining rights by failing to “meet and confer” with the two unions about the changes, pursuant to state labor law. After PERB’s order, the county and the associations came together in a mutual effort to implement the voters’ will, ensure that IOLERO’s expanded authority represented smart and effective law enforcement oversight, and treat the associations’ members fairly.
The agreement meets all of these goals. IOLERO now has the authority to conduct independent investigations of serious instances of alleged misconduct, with greater...
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