Kudos to Bonta for investigating the sheriff. Let’s hope he moves quickly

Finally, the Riverside County sheriff’s department will be getting some oversight.

The Desert Sun Editorial Board commends Attorney General Rob Bonta for launching an investigation into whether sheriff's department practices have violated civil rights.

Bonta announced Feb. 23 that his investigators will probe whether Sheriff Chad Bianco's department has taken part in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional conduct in violation of state or federal law, citing a sharp and "disturbing" rise in deaths in the county's jails, as well as allegations of excessive force and other misconduct.

Bianco decried the investigation on a YouTube video: "This investigation is based on nothing but false, and misleading statements, and straight-out lies from activists, including their attorneys," Bianco said. "This will prove to be a complete waste of time and resources."

This brash statement is utterly dismissive of the members of the public, activists and journalists who have been trying for over a year to get factual clarity, often through public records requests, as to why there were 19 deaths in county jails last year. It is also deeply disrespectful toward family members of the deceased, many of whom waited weeks or months to find out how their loved one died in jail.

According to recent Press Enterprise reporting, the union representing sheriff’s deputies, corrections officers and other law enforcement personnel is standing by Bianco.

“Drug overdoses and inmate-on-inmate violence constitute the vast majority of inmate deaths in the Riverside County jails,” Riverside Sheriffs’ Association President Bill Young said. “A fair, unbiased investigation of the jail system will reveal no systematic mistreatment of inmates by Riverside County Sheriff employees.”

Young is all but declaring one possible outcome for this probe, which is that the sheriff’s department did nothing wrong.

That’s not how investigations work.

With all due respect, Young, you don’t get to narrate the facts of 20 prison deaths once the state Attorney General starts asking the questions.

People in law enforcement should respect the process, and respect the attorney general's investigation.

And to be clear, if it’s a fentanyl crisis in the jails, it’s the sheriff's job to keep fentanyl out of these facilities. It’s also his job to manage inmates so they don’t kill one another.

While we commend the Board of Supervisors for finally stepping up and calling for more oversight and information, we think they could have done more, and sooner. Why?

County supervisors got “in-depth briefs” from sheriff’s executive staff on “the overdose deaths, the smuggling of drugs into the jails, a review of the reporting requirements for the department,” Supervisor Kevin Jeffries admitted to the Press Enterprise.

“The deaths have been very tragic, and the circumstances as to how the drugs are making it into the jails are suspicious and deserving of further in-depth review,” said Jeffries, the board’s 2023 chairperson. “I am certain that fellow members of the Board of Supervisors will be looking for options to seek continuing improvements.”

Asked by The Desert Sun about those briefs, Jeffries said the supervisors got access to these from several members of the sheriff’s executive staff late last year.

When asked if the Board shared the information with the public, and why or why not, Jeffries responded:

“They were closed session discussions. Sensitive jail security issues — (illegal drug smuggling tactics and countermeasures). We may have also had a grieving family threatening litigation — but I am not sure of that one.”

Unless the discussions around prison deaths were related to specific personnel issues or pending litigation, these talks should have been held in public. There’s no good reason to keep this behind closed doors.

We urge Bonta to provide a timeline and frequent updates during the investigation to ensure transparency and build back public trust.

He must also ensure this investigation is expedient, particularly as jails are already overcrowded, and people are sitting for extended periods of time awaiting trial.

We hope this takes months, not years.

The process should play out in public, not behind closed doors as it has to our county’s detriment for far too long. Bianco has another five years on the job. If he actually takes this probe seriously, and whatever recommendations come out of it, there is hope for change.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Kudos to Bonta for investigating Riverside County sheriff's department