Kings County supervisors table letter after debate over Hanford Police withdrawal from Major Crimes Task Force

The Kings County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to table a proposed letter to the Hanford City Council seeking intervention after the Hanford Police Department withdrew from the Kings County Major Crimes Task Force, following a lengthy study-session briefing and an extended public discussion that included the county district attorney, the sheriff and Hanford’s police chief.

The board voted unanimously to postpone the letter and directed staff to rewrite it, incorporating suggestions from supervisors and public-safety leaders; the revised draft is to return to the board within two weeks. The action came after more than two hours of testimony about the task force’s structure, staffing and how the withdrawal could affect regional investigations and prosecutions.

The Major Crimes Task Force is a multi‑agency coalition, the county presentation said, originally formed from a narcotics and a gang task force to coordinate investigations of gang violence, narcotics trafficking and human trafficking. Kings County administrative staff told the board the task force is staffed by representatives from the Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office and Probation, and that local police departments and the California Highway Patrol participate. The county presentation estimated shared clerical costs at about $20,550 per participating agency for the 2024–25 fiscal year and said operational expenses are paid from multiple department budgets.

Hanford Police Chief Stephanie Huddleston told the board her department established an in‑house Street Crimes Unit in 2023 to take a “tactical, proactive” approach to gang and narcotics enforcement that places officers on the street during nights and weekends. Chief Huddleston said…