Board Meeting Update - April 2021
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Deputy Christian Cordoba out of the Yucaipa Station is April's Member Spotlight. During the fires that plagued the community, Christian took immediate and decisive action to keep residents safe. Christian was assigned to patrol the outlying areas, giving special attention to the distinct needs of the community. His knowledge of the area, combined with his quick-thinking in a time of emergency, helped ensure an organized police response to the recent fires. Good job Christian for keeping your community safe.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
In this month's President's Message, Grant Ward discusses Qualified Immunity, Show of Force Reports, new legislation, and SEBA’s new Executive Director.
QUALIFIED IMMUNITY
Qualified Immunity continues to be a buzzword at both the state and national levels, as lawmakers continue legislative attempts to reform law enforcement. At SEBA, we continue to have the necessary conversations with lawmakers and community stakeholders to help them understand the facts. Too many people have been led to believe that qualified immunity shields peace officers from accountability for unlawful actions. This is simply not true.
Qualified immunity is designed to protect peace officers from personal liability only when they act in good faith on behalf of the government. Any deputy who knowingly violates a person’s rights is currently not entitled to qualified immunity. At SEBA, we will continue to educate our elected officials about the unintended consequences of ending qualified immunity. Attempts to end qualified immunity would be extremely costly for law enforcement personnel and the entities that employ them. It would open the floodgates for claims and frivolous civil actions.
SEBA ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Lolita Harper, SEBA Executive Director
Lolita Harper speaks during a 2016 rally outside the San Bernardino County Government Center pushing for higher pay for sheriff’s deputies.
Harper graduated the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Academy, Class 161, in 2005 and spent 10 years with the Department.
The Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Association (SEBA) has announced the appointment of Lolita Harper to the position of Executive Director.
Harper holds a B.A. from the University of Southern California and worked for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department for 10 years. She was hired by SEBA in 2016 to enhance the organization’s public relations and government affairs. As the new SEBA Executive Director, Harper will manage the operations of the organization and strategically work to implement the goals and objectives outlined by the Board of Directors.
“Lolita brings a deep commitment to our profession and the people we serve,” said SEBA President Grant Ward, who is a sergeant with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. “She knows our members and what is important to them because she was a member herself. She also brings extensive experience in communications, public policy, government relations and community relations, which made her the clear choice for this important role.”
Harper was raised in Southern California and is a proud resident of San Bernardino County. After graduating from USC in 2000, Harper worked as a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times and The San Bernardino Sun newspapers covering public safety and local government. In 2005, Harper graduated the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Academy, Class 161, and began her work as a deputy sheriff. During her 10 years with the department, she promoted to the rank of detective and specialized in Community Relations, Public Affairs, Media Relations, Diversity Training, Crisis Intervention and investigations.
“The leadership of the SEBA Executive Board and Board of Directors has prompted a lot of growth and progress in the organization,” Harper said. “I’m extremely proud to have been a part of many milestones in my five years working at SEBA. Looking forward, I want to continue to improve and better serve our membership, the profession, and our community. I am excited to have a greater role in helping shape the direction of the organization.”
SEBA is the Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Association proudly representing 3,800 public safety officers in San Bernardino County since 1946.
SEBA BBQ MAKES ITS ROUNDS
SEBA is happy to be putting its new, state-of-the-art BBQ trailer to good use by taking it to requesting stations for some good food and fellowship. Most recently, Central Courts held a St. Patrick’s Day lunch, serving delicious tri-tip and chicken at lunch time. This month, we will head to the Fontana station to help them feed their troops.
Stations can request the SEBA BBQ through their designated SEBA station representative. SEBA will provide money toward the food and staff to help serve, while working with the station. We look forward to visiting more locations as the year goes on.
PEACE OFFICER MEMORIAL CEREMONIES CANCELLED
Sheriff's Honor Guard attending the California Peace Officer Memorial to pay tribute to officers killed in the line of duty.
The California Peace Officer Memorial ceremonies will be cancelled for the second year due to closures at the state capitol as a result of COVID. The state capitol building and the memorial are not accessible to the public and are surrounded by large fences, designed to protect them from vandalism. Because of this the California Peace Officer Memorial Foundation has decided to cancel the traditional ceremonies to honor fallen officers from across the state.
Similarly, the nation’s capital is also shut down, surrounded by large gates keeping the public out. The national committee is hoping to postpone the annual ceremony to sometime in the fall with the hopes Washington DC will be open by then.
PORAC REPORT: NEW LEGISLATION
The Peace Officer Research Association of California (PORAC) is sponsoring a bill designed to answer the call for a higher level of academic training in law enforcement.
SB 387, authored by State Senator Anthony Portantino, would require POST to work with stakeholders from law enforcement, the University of California, the California State University, the California Community Colleges, and community organizations to develop a list of courses to include as requirements for obtaining a basic certificate, as specified. The bill would require an applicant for a basic certificate to complete those courses before obtaining the certificate.
The bill would also establish the Statewide Law Enforcement Education Fund and make money available to provide financial support towards a higher education degree for individuals that commit to pursuing a law enforcement career. The bill would require the commission to establish statewide recruitment teams for purposes of actively recruiting elementary and secondary school pupils to pursue careers in law enforcement and performing education and outreach within schools.
Many critics have argued peace officers are not college educated and have even introduced bills attempting to mandate a college degree as a requirement to become a peace officer in California. SB 387 offers a reasonable solution to providing college-level training courses for future law enforcement, without going to the extreme as to disqualify anyone without a degree.
SHOW OF FORCE
Our members continue to complete Show of Force Reports in Blue Teams as mandated by policy that was updated to comply with new POST Use of Force best practices. SEBA leaders have met the Office of the Sheriff regarding the impacts of the new policy on working conditions, specifically the amount of time it takes to complete a Show of Force Report.
Gathering audio recordings from all deputies present at a show of force incident continues to be the most time-consuming portion of the new policy. We want to hear from our members regarding the impacts of the new reports: how long they are taking to complete, who is responsible for uploading the audio and other trouble-shooting issues.
SEBA is committed to working with the Office of the Sheriff to improve the current policy so it stays compliant with POST mandates while being functional for our members.
