Jonsen said he also values transparency in law enforcement. "I'm feeling very hopeful and optimistic, cautiously. "CCW licenses should not be given out in exchange for campaign donations. "It's a sad day for the Sheriff's department," said retired Undersheriff John Hirokawa, who was defeated in a runoff by Sheriff Smith in the election that year and wonders what role the money played. Nate Gartrell covers crime and corruption in Contra Costa County. Palo Alto Police Chief Robert Jonsen said he wants to apply his experience working in the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department to fix some of the long-time issues in Santa Clara Countys office. So he is also a liar. We are a bit troubled by the words overwhelmingly and unanimously (and others) when it comes to any voting. Allen said in his first 100 days in office he wants to meet with every politician in the county and glean ideas about how to improve his office. Emergency: 9-1-1; Emergency and Non-Emergency Number from all phones: (408) 299 - 2311; General Information from cellular phone: (408) 808 - 4400 Political action committees for the Deputy Sheriffs Association and the Santa Clara County Correctional Peace Officers Association supported Jensens campaign when he ran against Smith in 2014. Neil Valenzuela takes over Sheriffs West Valley Patrol Division, 2 brothers found guilty of murdering groom at California wedding party, With Californias soaring mountains steep in snow, heres how to avoid an avalanche, Southern California mountain residents head home, for many its the first time in days, Oakland police investigating spate of shootings that left one dead, five wounded, Woman found fatally shot on I-580 off-ramp. Local News | Kristi Myllenbeck covers all things Cupertino, from crime and breaking news to education and development. Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team. The second half of the agreed-upon donation amount wasstymied by the DA investigation, authorities said. All rights reserved, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Campaign Scandal Widens, Donors to Sheriff's Political Campaigns Far More Likely to Get Concealed Gun Permits, Los Gatos Mom Accused of Hosting Alcohol-Fueled Teen Parties Attacked in Jail, Hospitalized, Viral Kids' Star Ms. Rachel Is Taking a Break From Social Media After Backlash Over Co-Star Who Uses They/Them Pronouns, Another Bay Area Storm This Weekend: Rain and Snow Forecast. Closed on Santa Clara County holidays. At a Cupertino City Council meeting on Aug. 2, Ken Binder, former division commander, introduced Urena and described him as an experienced officer, ready for the new role. A retired Santa Clara County sheriffs captain who ran for office in 2014 and lost, Kevin Jensen believes he has the momentum to take the seat. If theres problems with speeding or people running stop signs, (these events) give them more direct access to us and assist them in a better way.. The complete transcript of the grand jury's findings will be released in the coming weeks. You don't even need to live in the county, which is required by law. "They should not be for sale. A look at the best video roundup of snow falling across California, Has CA hit the all-time state snow record? Source: https://nationallibertyalliance.org/files/sheriffmemo/Power%20and%20Authority%20of%20The%20County%20Sheriff.pdf. In 2017, she received $449,767.49 with overtime and benefits, on a $142,530.12 base salary. Monday through Friday through 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Civil process includes restraining orders, bench warrants, arrest warrants, evictions and any other notice or order from the courts. Click hereif you are having trouble viewing the slideshow on a mobile device. He replaces Capt. Related Articles As the new captain assigned to the West Valley patrol division, Im committed to the legacy weve built here in the city of Cupertino, he said. Contact Eli Wolfe at[emailprotected]or@EliWolfe4on Twitter. Kevin Jensen, who announced his run for sheriff last September.The association's members voted overwhelmingly to support endorsing him. "If you made a campaign donation and if Captain Jensen knew you to be a VIP, then you got special treatment and you got a CCW license," Rosen said. Were changing the face of journalism by providing an innovative model for delivering reliable, truthful news to the nations 10th largest city. Woman found fatally shot on I-580 off-ramp Occupation. Jensen later instructed AS Solutions Inc. to have their executive protection agents falsify the names of their employer on their CCW applications, and for those agents living outside the county, to falsify their addresses as well, according to the indictment. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Jail reform is one of the key issues in the Sheriff's race, pitting former Palo Alto Police Chief Bob Jonsen against former . The department also said it's monitoring the situation and has no additional information to provide at this time. With all of the county's 754 precincts reporting as of 5 p.m. Wednesday,. If elected, Jensen said he will focus on addressing staffing and morale decline in the sheriffs office, including the correctional facilities. . Jonsen said he has experience stabilizing organizations bleeding staff, noting he helped staunch the flow of people leaving the Menlo Park and Palo Alto police departments, in part by raising salaries to a competitive level. A retired Santa Clara County sheriff's captain who ran for office in 2014 and lost, Kevin Jensen believes he has the momentum to take the seat. Were changing the face of journalism by providing an innovative model for delivering reliable, truthful news to the nations 10th largest city. To address the offices transparency, Nagaye said she would provide the Board of Supervisors and Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring with all materials that have been requested. Harry Stern, Jensens attorney, reiterated that Jensen did not have the power to grant the concealed-gun permits. Allen, 51, has mostly worked in the jail system. The Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office named Valenzuela the new commander of the West Valley Patrol Division last month. At Best in the West, according to the indictment, Nichols introduced Nielsen to Jensen, where they agreed to a deal where AS Solution's agents would receive CCW permits in exchange for a large donation to the Sheriff's campaign. Our jail is among the 100 systems nationwide with an inmate population of more than 1,000. Photo courtesy of Kevin Jensen. Neil Valenzuela takes over Sheriffs West, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Los Gatos: Hundreds still without power as Black Road repair project finishes early, Capt. Sheriff spokesman Sgt. A gun parts manufacturer and two South Bay lawyers were the other three individuals named in the indictment. The morale will get better, then the whole department, Jensen told San Jos Spotlight. His command experience includes serving as the assistant director of the protective services department at Valley Medical Center, the assistant division commander of the investigations division and the division commander of the court security division. She would combat this by setting up a retention program. Comments are moderated and approved by administrators. A look at the best video roundup of snow falling across California, Has CA hit the all-time state snow record? public and her constituents and say what's going on. Jonsen, 59, spent the last four years working as police chief in Palo Alto. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group;. The other three members of her command staff including former Mountain View . Get San Jos Spotlight headlines delivered to your inbox. In the 20 years that Neil Valenzuela has worked for the Sheriffs Office, he keeps coming back to Saratoga. It is extremely painful to have his integrity questioned after spending years dedicated to serving the people of Santa Clara County. San Jos Spotlight is the citys first nonprofit, community-supported digital news organization. By comparison, Sacramento County has more than 5,000 active permits. Local News | Three other AS Solution security employees at the time who got permits Leonard Lawrence, Rachael Paskvan and Jonathan Taunton were also described as listing home addresses or non-AS employers on their applications, and have not been charged. I was at the sheriff forum and only one candidate said she would uphold the US Constitution. All of these people do not feel safe, and they feel threatened, Nagaye told San Jos Spotlight. There were 44 reported burglaries from January to October of 2021, while 59 burglaries were reported in the same time period in 2022. Palo Alto police are out-of-control and Palo Alto has lots of payouts to victims. He says it's time for Sheriff Smith to speak out if she knows anything The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office issued the following comment to ABC7 News. "My concern is not whether the sheriff grants many or few CCW licenses, but whether they are being granted or denied for the wrong reasons," Rosen said. | All donations are tax-deductible. In addition Robert Johnson has done his best to avoid transparency. Hiscampaign filings dont reflect a total amount raised to date, but Allen said hesraised $21,000. Sheriff Smith herself was not among those indicted Friday, but Rosen said his office's investigation is wide ranging and far from over. Rick Sung as commander of the patrol division. Hes also interested in growing the jails mental health resources by potentially enlisting interns and clinicians in training from local universities. In addition to bribery, the indictment charges Jensen with conspiring with AS Solution employees to put false information in their CCW license applications. Santa Clara County sheriff-elect Bob Jonsen will take office early after Board of Supervisors vote Jonsen, who was elected sheriff with 50.81% of the vote in November, will become the. This is your newsroom. A San Jose native, he graduated from UCLA with a BA degree in history and from the University of Maryland with a MA degree in journalism. Both Smith and Undersheriff Rick Sung invoked their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination when they appeared before a criminal grand jury Aug. 3, and refused to answer any questions about the scandal, according to transcripts of the proceedings. No other candidate mentioned the Constitution. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. He wants to prioritize building morale in the office, which he said has been low for many years, and to rebuild relationships with the San Jose Police Departmenthe claims Smith neglected. Kinda like if you are applying for a cook job and you are not aware that preparing meals is the basic part of your job then what is the point of continuing the job interview? Santa Clara County Sherif Saturday and Sunday through Closed. Allen has been in the trenches for bit and dont think he is a good ol boy either. According to the transcripts, Deputy District Attorney Matt Braker asked Montonye, (Jensen) said that Sung was the individual who brought Martin Nielsen to his attention? to which the investigator replied, Correct. Montonye also testified that Jensen said he was directed by Sung to give the money tell him to give the money to Schumb.. "People have often said the only way to obtain a permit in Santa Clara County is to make a donation to the sheriff's office.". I will not vote for him for Sheriff. Capt. Rosen said the office has been cleared of any conflict by the state Office of the Attorney General, which will represent the DAs office in the motion hearing. The DA's Office said it is continuing to investigate additional crimes and individuals in relation to the issuing of CCW licenses. "And it's very clear that that's not the case under Sheriff Smith and her office. First published on August 7, 2020 / 11:34 AM. He cited a internal solutions group he helped create inPalo Alto to address issues like morale and promotions. There may have been policies or procedures broken with regard to that project, but there must be more to the story," said Retired Undersheriff and Chief of Correction, John Hirokawa who in the past oversaw the jails. A sheriff sergeant with almost 30 years of service in the office, Sean Allen said his platform boils down to transparency, accountability and reform. I think its a trend that were seeing, property crimes increasing, now that were going back to work, Valenzuela said. Number of employees at Santa Clara County with job title Sheriff's Correctional Captain is 35. This is the organizations third time endorsing an opponent of incumbent Laurie Smith, who has served as head of the Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office since 1998. Jensen, 58, retired in 2013. Christian West, AS Solutions CEO at the time of the alleged scheme, was charged separately on two felony conspiracy counts. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. She has been working for Silicon Valley Community Newspapers since 2015. After Smith won that race, she promoted Le to captain. Comments are moderated and approved by administrators. As a detective he was assigned to the West Valley division, he was also one of our tactical flight observers up in our sheriffs helicopter, a field training officer and recruit training officer at the academy.. A Santa Clara County Sheriff's captain, a gun parts manufacturer, and two local lawyers - one a prominent political backer - have been indicted by a grand jury on felony bribery and. If convicted could get 11 years in prison. Jonsen, who filed his papers to run in January, has received endorsements from former state Sen.Jim Bell, the Democratic Asian Pacific American Club and the Sunnyvale Democratic Club. Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Capt. Hirokawa said Jensen's quick rise to captain after Smith's re-election raised eyebrows in the office at the time. Allen has received endorsements fromReverend Jeff Moore, former president of the Silicon Valley NAACP, and several retired sheriff employees. The defendants are expected to be arraigned on the charges on Aug. 31. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters, SAN JOSE, CA - AUGUST 31: Christian West, left, the former CEO and Founder of the security company AS Solution is photographed outside of the Hall of Justice on Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in San Jose, Calif. West pleaded guilty to two conspiracy charges involving concealed weapon permits in Santa Clara County. Southern California mountain residents head home, for many its the first time in days I would love to serve in that role.. In an interview described in testimony from DA investigator Mike Montonye, Jensen said he received direction from Sung, the undersheriff, in brokering the illicit deal. Hannah Kanik is a Bay Area News Group reporter covering Santa Clara County's West Valley for The Mercury News, East Bay Times, The Los Gatos Weekly and The Saratoga News. When it comes to enforcing the law, which is to say enforcing the Constitution for the United States of America, the Sheriff, being the Chief Law Enforcement Officer, answers to We the People The County Sheriff is a Constitutional Officer elected by the People and bound by oath as guardian of the Peoples unalienable rights secured by the Constitution. Jensen advised Nielsen to instruct AS Solution employees who were not residents of Santa Clara County to use local corporate addresses as their residence addresses in their applications. Jensen started working as a deputy at Elmwood Correctional Facility in 1985. We know hes the best candidate to address these issues (in the office).. Neither Smith, who has the sole authority in her agency to grant the gun permits, nor Martin Nielsen an AS Solution manager who provided security for Facebook executives has been charged. In a lawsuit filed Nov. 13 in Santa Clara County Superior Court, Amy Le says the Sheriff's Office effectively forced her to resign in retaliation for alerting higher-ups about a female lieutenant's sexual harassment complaint against a high-ranking officer. California law requires candidates for county sheriff to have experience as certified law enforcement officers. In 2020, Luis was selected as the Acting Captain of the Special Operations Division and officially became fulltime Captain of this same division in September of 2021. Jensen said hes concerned about the large number of mentally ill inmates in the jail system, butbelieves those with violent offenses need to be incarcerated. We are not done.". 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"I know they used a lot of that money on social media, slamming me," he said. Copyright 2023 KGO-TV. She is now on paid administrative leave. ", Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Sung is now the assistant sheriff for the administrative division. Whether applicants received a permit depended on which group they belonged to. . Prosecutors allege that Nielsen and West were connected to Jensen by Schumb, Nahal and Nichols to get $90,000 split between the Santa Clara County Public Safety Alliance whose assistant treasurer was Schumb, a veteran South Bay litigator and the Sheriffs Advisory Board. Besides sketching out the donation-for-permits plan, he surreptitiously recorded a conversation with Jensen using a DA-provided phone app, at a meeting just days before the corruption probe became public knowledge when search warrants were served at the sheriffs office. "You don't even need to live in the county, which is required by law.". As a lieutenant, Le was the first female president of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Correctional Peace Officers Association, and steered the union's endorsement to Sheriff Laurie Smith this past election.
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