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Sheriff Complaint
updated: Sep 20, 2012, 3:05 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

How would I go about filing a complaint against a Santa Barbara Sheriff?

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 322330	2012-09-20 03:18 PM
It's simple. You can't
COMMENT 322332	2012-09-20 03:18 PM
I'd call the Sheriff's department. They may have a website and/or email for the community for this sort of thing.
COMMENT 322336	2012-09-20 03:20 PM
Cal NOAA or the Santa Barbara Land Trust.
COMMENT 322338	2012-09-20 03:21 PM
You can complain, but don't expect it to go anywhere. And don't expect that Sheriff to have any consequence for whatever he/she did/said. The buddy system is alive and well there.
COMMENT 322343	2012-09-20 03:24 PM
I agree with Mitzi. If you feel it's a minimal complaint, you can go to the sheriff's office and fill out a complaint. But if you feel your rights have been violated, contact a lawyer and ask what to do if you really want something to be done about it.
COMMENT 322346	2012-09-20 03:28 PM
You need to file an official claim with the county of SB. They investigate and respond. You can call the county counsel's office and see if they will help you get the claim form. If you are not happy with their response to your claim you will be able to go forward from there. They are use to people filing claims. If the claim is rejected you can file a lawsuit. Do not be intimidated.
COMMENT 322362	2012-09-20 04:01 PM
You go to the Sheriff's Dept and ask to file a complaint. Simple. Even if you seek out legal advice the first thing they'll ask is whether you filed such a complaint and what followed.
COMMENT 322376P	2012-09-20 04:22 PM
@336, LOL!
COMMENT 322393	2012-09-20 04:51 PM
You can't file a complaint against a Sheriff or Highway Patrol Officer...well, you can try, but it's not going to go anywhere. Just look at all the videos of officers using excessive force, or actually killing someone, and nothing happens. Suck it up and just hope it does not happen again.
BECKY	2012-09-20 05:09 PM
You file a complaint by calling them and asking them how to file a complaint. They *will* investigate and take it seriously. I disagree with the judgments I'm reading here. While the SBSO isn't as good as it should be (straight from the mouths of those who work there), I know one of the officers who is often assigned to investigate complaints, and you could not ask for a more fair and conscientious person to do the job. He does his best to keep an open mind, interviews everyone involved, and tries to resolve any problems while constantly improving the professionalism of the officers and the effectiveness and service orientation of their community policing. He lost a lot of sleep over one of the cases he was investigating last year, making sure he did a thorough and fair job. I'd give the SBSO a 7 on a 1-10 scale (for good law enforcement departments), while the SBPD would only get a 5.
D8VANILLA	2012-09-20 05:19 PM
What exactly is your complaint and we will talk about that first.
COMMENT 322414	2012-09-20 05:22 PM
Just sue them else you'll get caught in a bureaucratic nightmare.
COMMENT 322420	2012-09-20 05:28 PM
Becky - one good cop does not make the entire force good.
COMMENT 322447	2012-09-20 06:43 PM
I filed a complaint against a sheriffs deputy last year. I can tell you in all honesty my complaint was legitimate, the deputiies' actions were entirely inappropriate and unwarranted, and I went through the proper avenues in a timely, diplomatic, and civil manner. I was kinda shocked that it was dismissed, but I had the feeling it would be when I found there was a video tape of my incident, and they intercepted it, and refused to let me view it...
COMMENT 322455	2012-09-20 07:18 PM
322447, that's when you get a lawyer and sue for the tape.
COMMENT 322460	2012-09-20 07:31 PM
You can file a complaint, and the formality of an investigation will take place, it will be closed as unfounded, and your name and vehicle will then be on "the list". Take it from someone who knows, you do NOT want to be on "the list". It ended up costing a lot of dough and the involvement of some influential "friends" to get off the list.
COMMENT 322471P	2012-09-20 08:24 PM
Call Attorney Derryl Genus. He'll grind it for ya.
COMMENT 322480	2012-09-20 09:18 PM
Call a bunch of attorneys and prepare a sshort presentation of your case and ask them about it. Someone will be interested. Just keep pursuing it until what happened gets see for what it really was...and that's lawsuit and court...but many; lawyers work on contingency basis.... it does drag on so dont count on that money for living on yet.
FRANKFROST	2012-09-21 10:43 AM
Write out your complaint accurately and concisely. Apply to speak at the weekly supervisors' meeting during public comment. Give them copies of your complaint. Also give copies of your complaint to the attending media. If it is newsworthy your complaint may get reported and you may even be interviewed by a TV reporter. If you are complaining about some systemic flaw in the SBSO it may get corrected because they don't like being embarrassed in public
EARO65	2012-09-21 01:35 PM
Good luck!

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