DATE: June 4, 2019
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Margaret Mims, Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator
SUBJECT: Agreement with the County of Los Angeles for the Reciprocal Transportation of Prisoners
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a no-cost Agreement with the County of Los Angeles for the reciprocal transportation of prisoners, effective July 1, 2019, which shall continue indefinitely until terminated by either party.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The Sheriff’s Office has utilized the Los Angeles (LA) County Sheriff’s Department for transporting prisoners since 1989. The current agreement expires on June 30, 2019. The recommended action establishes that the County of Fresno, through the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, and the County of Los Angeles, through the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, agree to provide reciprocal prisoner transportation services to one another at no charge. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the agreement is not approved, the Sheriff’s Office would have to use Deputy Sheriffs, at the County’s cost, for the transportation of prisoners.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Both parties will be responsible for their own costs. It is not anticipated that the cost for transportation services for LA County will exceed the savings from utilizing LA County to transport prisoners for Fresno County. Sufficient appropriations are included in the current year budget for Org 3111 and will be included in future budget requests to fund transportation services for prisoners.
DISCUSSION:
Persons are frequently arrested or detained in other jurisdictions throughout the State of California on the authority of warrants issued from the County of Fresno. Some individuals are placed in custody with the LA County Sheriff’s Department for transporting these individuals back to Fresno County. The LA County Sheriff’s Department operates a statewide transportation system running throughout the State of California on scheduled weekly trips. Since its charges have been relatively low, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office has been contracting with the LA County Sheriff’s Department since 1989 for prisoner transportation services by the LA County Sheriff’s Department. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office utilizes these services whenever possible to generate a substantial cost savings to the County of Fresno.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office also operates a prisoner transportation system with trips between counties within the State of California. The recommended agreement provides that, upon request by the LA County Sheriff’s Department, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office would transport prisoners arrested and held by other law enforcement agencies within the State of California on the authority of warrants issued from the County of Los Angeles, to a place mutually agreeable to the parties. Because the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office will now also be providing prisoner transportation services to the LA County Sheriff’s Department, LA County Sheriff’s Department will no longer charge the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office for its prisoner transportation services.
Approval of the recommended action would authorize the Chairman to execute an agreement with the County of Los Angeles for the reciprocal transportation of prisoners, effective July 1, 2019, which shall continue indefinitely until terminated by either party. The agreement provides for termination with 60 days of advance written notice. This agreement also contains a mutual indemnification provision, which is common in agreements between public agencies. The Risk Management Division has reviewed the agreement and found the agreement acceptable.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI # 38, September 12, 2017
BAI # 34, September 13, 2016
BAI # 31, September 22, 2015
BAI # 28, July 15, 2014
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Agreement with LA County for Reciprocal Transportation of Prisoners
CAO ANALYST:
Jeannie Z. Figueroa