(KRON) — The Sonoma County Sheriff Eddie Engram announced he will not require his deputies to interview with the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO), citing constitutional law and labor rights. Engram’s statement became public a day after sealed court documents were mistakenly released to the media by sheriff’s deputies union representatives.
The documents came out in an email alleging IOLERO’s abuse of power, claiming they leaked sensitive and confidential information to a reporter from the Press Democrat. The deputies union representatives say that the oversight committee is lying, shaming, and colluding against the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
The IOLERO, an independent civilian police oversight agency, was established by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors in 2016 to strengthen the relationship between the Sheriff’s Office and the public after the death of Andy Lopez. Voters in Sonoma County passed Measure P in 2020 which expanded the reach of IOLERO’s duties and powers in an attempt to grow accountability, responsibility and community trust in the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. This granted the oversight committee the ability to interview Sheriff’s Deputies, until now…