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WHY IS'NT STATE CORRECTIONS DOING THEIR OWN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS?

by F.D. Crandall, published on February 26, 2009 at 8:13 AM

Storyline: Are You Kidding Me???

Community Tags business Crime culture law enforcement People politics prison sheriff state

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In a recent article in the Sacramento Bee, dated February 26, 2009, The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced that the death of an inmate in their Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga was being investigated by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department.

My question to CDCR is simple: Why does the largest law enforcement agency in the western United States, with over 30,000 sworn peace officer personnel, allow a county sheriff’s office to conduct their criminal investigations?

CDCR is, bar none, the biggest cop-shop in California, yet they are running on decades-old policies and doctrine, mainly that they (CDCR) are not really law enforcement, but are actually a social service agency for the benefit of the inmate population.

Apparently, the directors, under secretaries, and even the secretary of the agency are still resistive to the concept that they are, whether they like it or not, law enforcement officers of a police agency, and they should be acting accordingly.

They certainly shouldn’t be allowing other agencies to investigate criminal activity in any prison under their control. The special agents of the Special Services Unit, Law Enforcement and Investigations, and the institutional investigators should be the primary, no, the only investigators of criminal activity related to inmates under their jurisdiction.

Until the CDCR hierarchy begins to accept their role as law enforcement officers, the prisons in this state will forever be nothing but welfare agencies for inmates.

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Mark Forsyth

February 26, 2009 | 10:33 AM

I would imagine that it is against ethical standards to conduct their own criminal investigations. For instance, if one of their guards turned out to be responsible, an internal investigation would be more apt to try to hide that fact. However, the Fresno Sheriff is not connected with the correctional officers and will provide (theoretically) an unbiased and truthful report.

It's a system of checks and balances.

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F.D. Crandall

edited on March 4, 2009 | 9:09 PM

Ethical standards are not at issue regarding criminal investigations of inmate criminal behavior, And, should an internal affairs investigation become necessary, the special agents of the CDCR internal affairs unit would be conducting that.

The sheriff's department is only called in because the department is afraid to allow their own peace officers to act as peace officers.

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wtshim

November 28, 2010 | 8:29 PM

The article above pretty much hammered the nail. The upper (political), administrators of CDCR only want Correctional Staff considered "Law Enforcement" when it suits their agenda; I.E. court cases and for the purpose og behavioral management of the inamtes. The Department approaches very little with a Law Enfocement mindset, from the equipping of it's vehicles properly to aramament. How many agencies do you know of who still rely on a wheel gun? The overall concern about the department is 2 things, on relaity boiling down to one...money.

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Dan

February 26, 2009 | 4:50 PM

I thought this article, with the all-caps, was satire.

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F.D. Crandall

March 4, 2009 | 9:03 PM

Really?

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Tony Sheppard

February 26, 2009 | 5:51 PM

Jurisdiction?

oops, sorry...

JURISDICTION?

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F.D. Crandall

edited on March 4, 2009 | 9:11 PM

The Fresno County Sheriff's department does not have jurisdiction inside a state prison. That's the reason for my article. The CDCR isn't allowing their own cops to be cops, and bringing in an outside agency, that doesn't have jurisdiction, to conduct an investigation into inmate criminal activity that the institutional investigators should be doing is an insult to the peace officers of CDCR. It says that their own department doesn't back them as cops.

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David Cook

March 20, 2009 | 10:47 PM

CDCR does not inestigate crimes per se. They manage people who are already convicted. When President Kennedy was shot, the Dallas County authorities had the jurisdiction to investigate the murder. I would not expect the CDCR to have a staff of homicide detectives or crime labs. They are prison guards. I would have been much more suspicious if CDCR HAD done the investigation.

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wtshim

November 28, 2010 | 8:35 PM

CDCR only wants to consider it's Correctional Officers "Law Enforcement" when it suits the agenda of the sate. From the initial hiring process it's evident little is examined for posession of a law enforcement mindset in perspective employees. The state in it's training, it's all about minimization of liability againt the state through policy and procedure. The department administration places little importance on presentation as a professional law enforcement agency, painfully evident in how it equips it's vehicles and arms it's staff. How many agencies are still relying on a Barney Fife wheel gunyou know of? The department is so afraid of liability they don't even allow their officers to carry their own personal equipment.

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