Chief Deputy Law Enforcement Auditor

• Performing audits of investigations involving Sheriff’s Office sworn personnel and highly confidential issues, including the review of available evidence such as surveillance video, dispatch records, recorded interviews, medical records, transcripts, and police reports.
• Conducting independent investigations, interviewing witnesses, performing depositions, and appearing in court to litigate subpoenas and other issues related to law enforcement administrative investigations.
• Assessing and making recommendations regarding policies, procedures, strategies, training, and practices based on the complaints received and issues identified in Sheriff Office policies and procedures; advising if any investigations appear incomplete or otherwise deficient, and requesting further review as deemed necessary.
• Liaising with Sheriff’s Office management, outside law enforcement agencies, community groups, CAC members, and the public; working collaboratively with law enforcement staff, and educating the community on law enforcement practices, policies, strategies, incident trends, and challenges.
• Working with other County departments to advance the needs of the Office and the County. 

• Current active membership in the State Bar of California
• A Juris Doctor degree or equivalent from an accredited U.S. law school
• Four or more years of experience as a licensed attorney, typically in civil rights and/or criminal law, and experience working with individuals of diverse ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds
• The ability to successfully complete a thorough background investigation
• Not been a sworn law enforcement officer within the last five years
• Zero immediate family members (defined as spouse, child, sibling, parent) who are currently employed in sworn law enforcement positions

• Hybrid, flexible work-schedule.
• Paid Time Off – Competitive vacation accrual and additional management leave annually; 12 paid holidays and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year; generous sick leave accruals.
• Health Benefits – A range of health plans with several options, in which the premium benefits cover 100% of the employee's cost; dental, vision, disability, life insurance, wellness and professional development, and more.
• Retirement – County Retirement Law of 1937, which has reciprocity with other public retirement systems. Retirement is fully integrated with Social Security. New employees, as defined and eligible, will be PEPRA plan members and receive a 2.5% at 67 formula, or those individuals who meet certain criteria, including establishing reciprocity eligibility, will be Legacy plan members and receive 3% at 60. For more information about reciprocity, please visit Sonoma County Employees’ Retirement Association website at https://scretire.org/
• Incentive Retirement Saving Plan – A defined contribution 401(a) plan; a 3% County “foundation” contribution and voluntary IRS 457 plan Pre-Tax employee contribution up to IRS annual maximum, plus a 100% County match of employee contribution deposit into the 401(a) account (up to 1% of base salary).
• Post-Retirement Medical – County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits.
• Relocation Reimbursement – Reimbursement may be authorized for the successful candidate.
• Cell Phone Stipend – Optional monthly stipend of $50/month (if not assigned a County-issued phone).
• Employee Assistance Program – County offered at no employee cost.

Experience and Education: Any combination of experience, education, and training which would likely provide for possession of the stated knowledge and abilities. Normally this would include at least four years of related legal experience, including two years as a licensed attorney, performing work similar to that conducted by the IOLERO, including law enforcement oversight/audit work, civil rights, criminal law, or other relevant experience, and possession of a Juris Doctor degree or the equivalent from an accredited U.S. law school. Supervisory or lead worker experience, bilingual Spanish/English skills, and prior experience working with individuals or groups with diverse backgrounds are desirable.
  
Special Requirements: Successful completion of a thorough background investigation; has not been a sworn law enforcement officer within the last five years; and does not have any immediate family members (defined as spouse, child, sibling, parent) who are currently in sworn law enforcement positions. Possession of the Certified Practitioner of Oversight (CPO) Credential is desirable.

License: Current active membership in the State Bar of California is required. Possession of a valid driver’s license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

Considerable knowledge of: the principles of civil and criminal law and rules of evidence; legal research methods and judicial procedures; the statutory and constitutional laws of the State of California; applicable policies/laws, weighing evidence in accordance with legal standards; the fundamentals of investigations including interviewingand interrogating principles andtechniques; legal researchprinciples; conducting depositions and litigating subpoenas and other issues in court; written and oral communications including language mechanics, syntax and English composition; legal document formatting and writing; the responsibilities, functions, policies, and procedures of lawenforcement; the fundamentals of investigations including evidence collection; conducting critical evaluations of findings and supportinganalysis; current Federal and California case law and statutes in the civil and/or criminal law; techniques of law enforcement training, instruction, and evaluation ofwork performance; techniques for dealing with persons of various ages and ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, who may have physical and/or emotional issues.

Working Knowledge of: limitations and authorities of the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach; local government organization, structure, and administration and its procedures, principles, and concepts; office practices and procedures, including filing and operation of standard office equipment such as a computer; laws related to public safety investigations and the essential elements of the California Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights (Government Code Section 3300); current trends on law enforcement review concepts and practices; research methods, statistical concepts and report writing techniques; public relations practices and techniques, including public speaking.

Knowledge of:local government organization, structure, and administration; principles of effective leadership and supervision.

Ability to: interpret and apply laws, policies, procedures, and regulations; conduct independent research, investigations, and fact finding assignments; perform statistical analysis, and prepare reports; act independently and remain unbiased, objective, and professional; demonstrate integrity and sensitivity; honor confidentiality and basic constitutional and legislative rights of all affected parties; establish and maintain effective and collaborative working relationships with other employees, public officials, community groups, other governmental agencies, and the general public, particularly those with diverse ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds; maintain effective media relations; work effectively under pressure; effectively facilitate and gain cooperation and participation of interested parties to achieve desired results; present recommendations and alternative proposals; prepare and/or edit clear, concise reports and to present them effectively both orally andin writing to a variety ofaudiences; provide training, supervision, and instruction to attorney staff and other related department personnel, as requested; assist in developing and recommending policies, procedures, and objectives for the Office.

The information contained in the application and responses to the supplemental questions will be evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the employment process. Applicants should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of the application and be as thorough as possible. Please include a resume and cover letter that articulates your experience in law enforcement oversight, pertinent accomplishments, and why you are interested in the position.

This is a position in the classified service. Therefore, an application screening will be conducted to evaluate satisfaction of minimum qualifications.

Selection Process & Key Tentative Dates