Professional, Compassionate Service Exists Today in Sheriff & Coroner’s Office

Before the Sheriff – Coroner partnership is resolved in Sacramento, let’s take a look at how leaders worked together to solve a problem in Riverside County.

For context, let’s remember the Riverside County Board of Supervisors decided to consolidate the elected coroner’s office with the elected sheriff’s office decades ago. They did the same earlier with the Office of the Sheriff & County-elected Marshall’s. That worked, too.

Sheriff Larry Smith would become the first Sheriff-Coroner. While the merger wasn’t perfect it delivered results almost immediately for the public.

Why consolidate in the first place? Let’s just say the County Executive Office & the Board of Supervisors felt the Coroner’s office could be better and leave it at that.

The coroner’s budget was an issue and the felony homicide cases filed by our District Attorney had trouble in court. Some jurors didn’t respect the findings of examinations and corner testimony in court. Our coroner’s facility was totally inadequate and wasn’t meeting the needs of the rapidly growing county. Media coverage of coroner’s cases and personalities made the entire county appear ill-prepared to provide credible services.

Sheriff Larry Smith was respected for his leadership by the Board of Supervisors and the County Executive Officer. Smith directed a nationwide search for a new Chief Coroner. Smith would rebuild the Office of Coroner with a new team of full-time physicians who would be respected in court.

Neil D. Lingle, currently the Dean of the College of the Deserts Public Safety Academy, would serve as its first Chief Deputy Sheriff managing the day-to-day operations of this office and skillfully merge the two offices. Not an easy task. The former Desert Hot  Spring police officer and Marine shined in this role.

Then-District Attorney Grover Trask praised the move and results delivered by Smith   Lingle, and Dr Joe Cohen. So did our judges and attorneys.

Two new multimillion dollar Corners facilities were built. The first in western Riverside County and with the full support of Supervisor Roy Wilson. Savings from fourth quarter Sheriffs budgets were utilized to build a Coroners facility in Indio.

Under the late Sheriff Smith and the late County Supervisor Wilson, a problem was solved and justice in our courts was better served.

Today, our Sheriff has faced challenges from the Board of Supervisors, county appointees, state legislators, the attorney general, and special interest groups over just about every aspect of his operations and leadership style. Many bystanders believe this entire effort is simply political retaliation against a Sheriff who is a Republican.

Forty-eight of California’s 58 counties chose to consolidate Sheriff and Coroners operations for the good of their citizens. Sheriff’s staff investigates deaths while highly qualified forensic examiners perform the autopsies.

Today, politics seems to be all about “Red” versus “Blue.”  Recall in California that our complete legislative process is controlled by the “Blue” team. The “Red’ folks in the legislature can do little to stop the freight train.

Sheriff Chad Bianco has done admirable work in protecting the county. He had overwhelming bipartisan support in both his elections from voters.  He did the unheard of and defended an incumbent Sheriff. The law enforcement unions representing his employees overwhelmingly support him. Something Sheriff Smith didn’t always enjoy.

Smith was a very competent Sheriff, respected and trusted like Bianco and the other two Sheriffs that served after him, in custody deaths occurred on his watch.

Our jails are full and the inmates can have short fuses. Tension is high within the inmate ranks and fights happen despite the best efforts of deputies and correctional officers. Deaths can result.  Alleged killers are brought to justice. Families grieve. These are the harsh realities of life and of death in county, state, and federal prisons.

Working together the Board of Supervisors, chaired by Wilson solved many issues and disagreements. Working with the Executive Officer Larry Parrish Sheriff’s Executive staff found common ground. The Wilson Board and Sheriff Smith understood the Constitutional role of each other’s office.

In the end, working together, sometimes in heated debate, the Sheriff and Board of Supervisors got results. Riverside County families who had lost a loved one from a homicide or other cause of death had received compassionate and professional service by the Office of Sheriff & Coroner. That same professional and compassionate service exists today.

 

Editor’s note: The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Uken Report.