Did Sheriff Chad Bianco Really Say That?

RIVERSIDE — Pleas to immediately release those incarcerated in Riverside County jails and detention centers to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 are falling on deaf ears – at least when it comes to Sheriff Chad Bianco.

“Activist groups,” according to the Sheriff, are trying to convince him to let criminals out of jail, and he’s not about to budge.

He has a better solution.

Wait for it.

One so-called activist, Adriana, contacted Bianco to argue that, “Limited testing, lack of medical supplies, understaffing of medical professionals, and inability to follow CDC’s guidelines for social distancing make incarcerated people our most vulnerable community members.”

She continues to argue that of the “nearly 4,000 people in Riverside County’s jails and detention centers, almost 60% of them are there because they cannot afford bail.

You omay find her plea on the Sheriff’s Facebook page.

Riverside has had 190 cases and the only two coronavirus-related inmate deaths reported in the four counties of Riverside, Orange, LA, and San Bernardino.

Hoping to persuade the Sheriff, Adriana tells him that San Francisco, LA and Orange County have released thousands of people from their jails.

In a response posted on Sheriff Bianco’s Facebook page, he shares his disagreement with Adriana’s premise.

“First, our most vulnerable community members are victims of crime,” he said.

Second, those in jail are there because there is probable cause to believe they committed crimes – not because they cannot afford bail.

He then has a suggestion – and it’s not release.

Wait for it.

“I would suggest future crimes not be committed in Riverside County,” the Sheriff wrote. “I might also suggest one of those other counties, Los Angeles or perhaps San Francisco where release is more of a possibility.”

Did Sheriff Chad Bianco really just encourage residents to commit crimes in other counties?