If you read the recent letter from Sonoma County Sheriff Eddie Engram on “Why He Won’t Compel Deputies to Interview with IOLERO,” it sounds plausible and reasonable. But, after speaking with John Alden (Pictured), director of the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO), I find incorrect and misleading statements in Sheriff Engram’s letter. This letter was written because the long overdue review by IOLERO of the death of David Peláez-Chavez finally took place and raised critical issues.
David Pelaez-Chavez, an agricultural worker who had smashed a home’s window and then stolen a truck, was unarmed when he was shot and killed in 2023 by Sheriff’s deputy Michael Dietrick after an extended foot chase in rugged terrain east of Healdsburg. Dietrick fired three rounds as Palaez-Chavez bent over. The deputy claimed he feared the man was reaching for a rock to throw it. A second deputy had been in the act of firing a Tazer at about the same time.
Sheriff Engram states: This “meet and confer” process is mandatory under the law. I am not a party to these negotiations…