For me, and for the Sheriff’s Office, I believe 2018 was the year of change. And I think that change will continue into 2019. I say this because, while change is good, it can also be challenging. It is my firm belief that we have risen to the challenge and implemented innovative, positive changes at the Sheriff’s Office.
One of the biggest challenges, which ended up being one of our biggest changes, is in the area of medical and mental health services in our County Jail. We hired a chief medical officer for the jail. We outsourced all medical, mental health and dental services to a private company that has expertise with in-custody health care.
Not only will this change provide expanded healthcare to inmates, but it will do so at a significant cost savings to the county. We are also getting closer to the opening of our new Behavioral Health Unit which will be able to treat inmates with mental health issues so they don’t become a danger to themselves or others.
Change was a big factor in the technology we use. We introduced a smart phone app to help in active shooter situations in schools. The Rave Panic Button smart phone app is designed to immediately alert law enforcement of an active shooter incident on a school campus. The app provides every school employee the ability to immediately connect to the 911 Dispatch Center for their school and at the same time send a message to the other employees on campus to alert them to the incident.
Another technological change we had was the debut of our new Sheriff’s Office mobile phone app. This free app is available to the public to download to their smart phones. It contains many of the same features you can find on our website like inmate information, press releases, and all the different Sheriff's Office programs. The app also features push notifications and alerts. You can receive updates on breaking news notifications like wildland fire evacuations or severe weather alerts directly to your phone.
We also had major changes in personnel. Chief Deputy Ron Hastie retired after a 31-year career at the Sheriff’s Office. Undersheriff Tim Olivas also retired after a long, distinguished career in law enforcement. We will miss them both and wish them well in their retirements. I have chosen some top-notch people here at the Sheriff’s Office to take over their positions. I selected Commander Jim Taylor for the Chief Deputy position and Commander Jim Voge as Undersheriff for my second-in-command.
One thing that didn’t change? The dedication and commitment to public service by the people who work at the Sheriff’s Office. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we have some of the finest professionals in law enforcement working for us. Thank you to all Sheriff’s Office employees and volunteers for their commitment to providing safety and security to the citizens of San Luis Obispo County, proving once again that we are truly leading the way!
IAN PARKINSON
San Luis Obispo County
Sheriff-Coroner
One of the biggest challenges, which ended up being one of our biggest changes, is in the area of medical and mental health services in our County Jail. We hired a chief medical officer for the jail. We outsourced all medical, mental health and dental services to a private company that has expertise with in-custody health care.
Not only will this change provide expanded healthcare to inmates, but it will do so at a significant cost savings to the county. We are also getting closer to the opening of our new Behavioral Health Unit which will be able to treat inmates with mental health issues so they don’t become a danger to themselves or others.
Change was a big factor in the technology we use. We introduced a smart phone app to help in active shooter situations in schools. The Rave Panic Button smart phone app is designed to immediately alert law enforcement of an active shooter incident on a school campus. The app provides every school employee the ability to immediately connect to the 911 Dispatch Center for their school and at the same time send a message to the other employees on campus to alert them to the incident.
Another technological change we had was the debut of our new Sheriff’s Office mobile phone app. This free app is available to the public to download to their smart phones. It contains many of the same features you can find on our website like inmate information, press releases, and all the different Sheriff's Office programs. The app also features push notifications and alerts. You can receive updates on breaking news notifications like wildland fire evacuations or severe weather alerts directly to your phone.
We also had major changes in personnel. Chief Deputy Ron Hastie retired after a 31-year career at the Sheriff’s Office. Undersheriff Tim Olivas also retired after a long, distinguished career in law enforcement. We will miss them both and wish them well in their retirements. I have chosen some top-notch people here at the Sheriff’s Office to take over their positions. I selected Commander Jim Taylor for the Chief Deputy position and Commander Jim Voge as Undersheriff for my second-in-command.
One thing that didn’t change? The dedication and commitment to public service by the people who work at the Sheriff’s Office. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we have some of the finest professionals in law enforcement working for us. Thank you to all Sheriff’s Office employees and volunteers for their commitment to providing safety and security to the citizens of San Luis Obispo County, proving once again that we are truly leading the way!
IAN PARKINSON
San Luis Obispo County
Sheriff-Coroner
Read the Full Sheriff's Office 2018 Annual Report Below
