About
the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office:
The
720 sworn personnel and 332 civilian personnel of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office are organized into four bureaus:
Administrative Services Bureau; Custody Services Bureau; Field Operations Bureau; and, the Support Services Bureau.
The
Custody Services Bureau operates three detention facilities within the Detention Division, which are located in Marsh Creek,
Martinez and Richmond. The three facilities average an inmate population in excess of 1,500. Custody Alternative and inmate
transportation are also responsibilities of the Detention Division. Deputy Sheriffs provide security for the Superior Courts
as well as Commissioners. The Marshal’s Office, with its accompanying duties pertaining to the Courts, was merged with
the Office of the Sheriff in 1988, and now constitutes the Court Security Division within Custody Services Bureau.
The
Field Operations Bureau consists of three service divisions: Patrol, Investigation and Coroner's. The Patrol Division provides
patrol services for the unincorporated area of the County; the five contract cities of Danville, Lafayette, Oakley, Orinda
and San Ramon; and the special districts in Alamo, Blackhawk, Crockett, Diablo and Roundhill; as well as contracted services
with the Contra Costa County Housing Authority, A.C. Transit, the Contra Costa Water District and Contra Costa Regional Medical
Center.
The
Investigations Division is responsible for follow-up investigation of all reported felony offenses and certain misdemeanor
crimes that occur in unincorporated areas. The Investigations Division investigates roughly 9,400 felony and misdemeanor crimes
annually, to include homicides, robberies, burglaries, as well as all sex crimes and narcotics violations. Detectives are
assigned to Narcotic Enforcement Teams (NETS), which are staffed by local law enforcement agencies and supervised by the Department
of Justice (DOJ) and Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement (BNE) Agents. Detectives also provide service to contract cities and special
districts.
The
branch of Administrative Services is one of the four Bureaus in the Office of the Sheriff. Five distinct units described below
provide the majority of services performed by this Bureau: Inspections and Control, Personnel and Finance, Planning and Research,
Professional Standards and Employee Development. The Office of the Sheriff has its own Crime Laboratory, which provides service
to all law enforcement agencies in the County and is known for its excellence.
The
Communications Center dispatches for all Sheriff’s patrol units and contracted services, as well as all emergency medical
and Animal Control services countywide. Annually, 800,000 phone calls are received in the Dispatch Center. The communications
center was recently upgraded and remodeled.
Source:
cocosheriff.org
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Dr. Douglas W. Perez is an Associate Professor of Sociology
and Criminal Justice at the State University of New York, Plattsburg. From 1970 to 1975, Douglas Perez was a deputy sheriff
for the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office (California). Currently, Dr.
Douglas Perez teaches courses in the criminal justice field and has significant experience also in the sociological theory
area. His classroom foci include the study of the police, law and society, the drug war, and introductory level courses. Dr.
Douglas Perez is the author of The Paradoxes
of Police Work and Common Sense about Police Review. His is also the
co-author of Police Ethics: A Matter of Character.
According to the book description
of Police Ethics: A Matter of Character,
“Police officers make thousands of important, life-changing decisions everyday. In order to promote and ensure justice,
these decisions must be fair and even-handed. Police officers cannot think or act as if they are free to define what is legal
and what is illegal or to decide who is inherently good and who is inherently bad. They must act in an ethical manner. Yet,
police officers are given a limited amount of training in police ethics. Often times, it consists solely of a list of do's
and don'ts. This book was written to emphasize the importance of police ethics. The authors seek to treat police officers
as the intelligent and knowledgeable people that they are, instead of discussing what to do and what not to do. This book
discusses various schools of ethical thought in a way that works from the ground up, moving from a general understanding toward
practical applications. Readers will gain a workable understanding of ethics that can be applied to the entire gamut of situations
they encounter on the street every day.”
According to the description of
The Paradoxes of Police Work, it “relates
real cop experiences and realities and leads the reader through the policies and political contradictions of law enforcement.
Examples of real-life situations that occur constantly in the day-to-day operations of "routine" patrol offer glimpses into
the frustrations and stresses of the law enforcement career. The covered topics provide an unequaled basis for classroom discussion.
Whether the book is used as a reader to support an introductory course or in an academy, the thought-provoking and insightful
topic coverage will clarify the paradoxes in modern police work. Strongly suggested for introductory courses and academies
and for anyone considering a career in law enforcement.”
Common Sense about Police Review is “the
first comparative study to consider both civilian and internal police review processes. Using survey research of police attitudes
and citizen complaints compiled over fifteen years from police departments across the nation, Douglas W. Perez analyzes past
and current review systems as a way to develop criteria for comparing three archetypal systems of police review: internal,
external (civilian), and hybrid forms of the two. High media visibility of several events—the 1988 police riot in New
York City's Tompkins Square, the 1991 videotaped beating of Rodney King, and the 1992 beating death of Malice Green by Detroit
police detectives—has brought police review back into the public arena; not since civil rights demonstrators clashed
with police in the 1960s has officer accountability been so hotly debated.
Crucial to any monitoring system
are guidelines, which Perez stresses must insist on rigorous investigations of alleged police abuses, outline strict limitations
of police action, strive to bridge gaps between police officers and citizens, and exonerate officers who are found to have
acted properly and legally. With these standards, the author asserts, a balance between self-sanctioning and enforced regulation
can be achieved. Examining fairness, objectivity, and thoroughness in review systems throughout the country, Perez offers
a model for the "ideal" police review system. Included are valuable discussions of both the causes of police attitudes and
behavior and the misconceptions and expectations that can contribute to a pervasive public image of police malpractice. Perez
provides helpful reflections on the role of politicians and administrators in implementing and maintaining police accountability.”
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