Posted on June 14 at 6:47 p.m.

I'm amused that "dragging [someone] along the ground" following their arrest for physical resistance qualifies as police misconduct. I always thought that being shot, hit with a nightstick repeatedly, or beaten unconscious would be good watermarks, but now it seems that being arrested alone is enough.

On Judge Hands Down Probation Sentence in Cooney’s Case

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Posted on June 14 at 6:26 p.m.

RHS, your inappropriate and narrow view of the tribulations facing the Board of Supervisors is laughable, to say the least. Your bias to the issue is also evident- Referring to Law Enforcement, Fire, and Probation personnel in quotation marks as "safety personnel" shows only that you have no basis as to what they do, or why. Unfortunately, your perspective has allowed you to believe that the retirement costs will somehow go down, or should go down, if the Board did what you want- give no pay increases to cops or firefighters. That's not going to happen. Basic financial common sense indicates otherwise. Further, if no pay increases were given, the County would be hit even harder, as the Sheriff's Department would be unable to hire new personnel, as they would go elsewhere in the state to gain employment with some other police department or sheriff's department. I would guess (but feel free to check for yourself) that less than 5% of agencies in California have 100% employment, as the pool of candidates drops every year. If SB County offered benefits significantly less than what everyone else had, the Sheriff's Department would have to hire sub-standard employees, resulting in less than quality service, and resultant litigation costs that would be sure to follow. This, of course, is assuming that anyone, even the sub standard ones, would even bother to apply. Good luck getting any cops in your neighborhood if any Board Member listens to you, though. Our Deputies could, no doubt, move on to some other occupation that would give them a salary commersurate with their proven ability, and our paradise would become less Halcyon and more hell...

On County Budget Bludgeoning