SONOMA COUNTY, CA – An amicus brief filed by the California Coalition for Sheriff Oversight (CCSO), the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), and the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU NorCal) has been accepted in the appeal of a 2024 Sonoma County Superior Court ruling that undermined civilian oversight of local law enforcement.
Sonoma County voters approved Measure P in November 2020, granting the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Oversight (IOLERO) subpoena power and the authority to investigate whistleblower complaints related to law enforcement misconduct. That same year, the California Legislature enacted Assembly Bill 1185, which mandated independent subpoena power for civilian sheriff oversight bodies statewide.
The Sonoma County Superior Court ruling invalidated IOLERO’s subpoena and investigatory powers, a decision that IOLERO promptly appealed to the California Court of Appeal, First District. The newly-filed amicus brief argues the Superior Court’s decision was legally flawed…