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Board receives IOLERO annual report as public testifies for stronger oversight and access
Summary
Sonoma County’s independent oversight office presented its annual report, citing two independent custody‑death investigations and ongoing disputes with the Sheriff’s Office over access to information. Public testimony was sharply divided: community groups urged full Measure P authority while the Deputy Sheriffs Association defended existing letters of agreement.
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors received the Independent Office for Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO) 2024–25 annual report on Tuesday, a presentation that underscored improved investigative staffing and lingering disputes with the Sheriff’s Office over information access under Measure P.
IOLERO Director John Alden told the Board the office completed two independent investigations into custody deaths this year and audited dozens of internal investigations. He said the office’s ‘‘agreement rate’’ with the Sheriff’s Office findings rose to 85 percent and that the office has adopted a timeliness checklist to improve case processing.<quote>"We completed our first independent investigations in the cycle...and we think that’s a positive,"</quote> Alden said during the presentation.
Alden also described operational challenges: turnover in audit staff, a backlog of cases awaiting review, and active litigation over IOLERO’s information access in whistleblower cases. He told the Board his office is expanding capacity and expects a lower backlog next year as staffing increases.
Sheriff Eddie Ingram acknowledged timeliness problems and said the Sheriff’s Office has added investigators and may need additional staffing if caseloads continue to grow. "The number of cases have pretty much buried the unit," the sheriff said, noting the office added a third investigator without extra budget authority and might add more.
Public testimony was sharply split. Supporters of IOLERO’s independence urged the Board to defend the office’s subpoena power and press for full cooperation from deputies. "Oversight works, obstruction costs money," urged Barbara (last name not specified), who pressed the Board to reaffirm IOLERO's authority under Measure P and to support director Alden.
Representatives of the Sonoma County Deputy Sheriffs Association countered that Measure P was adopted without required meet‑and‑confer bargaining and that court and PERB rulings have limited its enforceability. DSA speakers argued the negotiated letters of agreement (LOAs) between the union, the county and IOLERO are the controlling documents and warned that IOLERO's attempts to compel cooperation could violate members’ labor rights. "Exercising Fifth Amendment rights is not obstruction," said Zach Geddes, the DSA investigations representative.
The Board did not take substantive action on authority questions and noted litigation is pending that could resolve the scope of IOLERO’s powers. Chair Hopkins said the legal issues are largely for the courts to settle and urged rebuilding trust between IOLERO and the Sheriff’s Office while the appeal proceeds.
The Board formally received the report; Alden said the office will present further detail at a public town hall scheduled for Nov. 17, 2025.
