KCSO agrees to revise its use of force policies and practices in accordance with both federal and state constitutions; federal and state laws; and to include the concepts of sanctity of life, necessity, proportionality, and de-escalation. Deputies shall receive training on all new and updated policies. KCSO deputies and staff will use force only when necessary to defend against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury; when feasible, they will use de-escalation techniques, crisis intervention tactics, and other alternatives. The KCSO shall:

• Have an affirmative duty to intervene when another deputy/employee is about to use, or is using, unnecessary or excessive force;
• Require deputies to report all uses of force greater than an authorized control hold;
• Develop a strategic plan to meaningfully engage with the community and work with the CAC in developing the revised use of force policies;
• Develop a policy and process to inform the public about all officer involved shootings, deaths in custody;
• Prohibit chokeholds, carotid restrains, and other such maneuvers;
• Revise its canine-related policies and training;
• Mandate reportable uses of force to be investigated by supervisors; and,
• Use data to identify concerning trends and to identify and correct deficiencies revealed by analysis.

(Please see the full agreement for exact wording and details.)

KCSO agrees to ensure that all investigatory stops, seizures, and searches are conducted in accordance with federal and state constitutions. All investigatory stops will be adequately documented for tracking and supervision purposes. KCSO shall provide training on bias-free policing and implement additional accountability and supervision practices to ensure that unlawful stops, searches, and seizures are detected and effectively addressed. KCSO will work with the Monitor on a semiannual basis to analyze its stop data and revise policies and trainings as warranted.

(Please see the full agreement for exact wording and details.)

KCSO shall revise its policies to establish that deputies who are specifically trained in de-escalation techniques be dispatched to respond to calls involving a person in mental health crisis or suffering from a mental health disability. KCSO shall ensure deputies are equipped with methods to properly interact with this community, to reduce the number of individuals with behavioral health disabilities in the criminal justice system.

(Please see the full agreement for exact wording and details.)

KCSO will ensure all supervisors and managers exercise oversight of use of force incidents, conduct impartial investigations of those matters, are held accountable for meeting agency standards and expectations, engage with and listen to community feedback, and incorporate said feedback when able and appropriate. KCSO will develop specific metrics and guidelines for evaluating the effectiveness of the supervision of deputies and perform these evaluations annually.

(Please see the full agreement for exact wording and details.)

KCSO will ensure that all members of the Kern County community, regardless of their ability to speak, read, write, or understand English, will be provided with timely and meaningful access to police services and with effective communication. KCSO agrees to partner with the CAC and community stakeholders to develop and implement a language access policy consistent with applicable federal and state laws. KCSO will develop and audit protocol to determine how it is managing language access services and whether the services align with community needs. Audit results will be reported annually to the public.

(Please see the full agreement for exact wording and details.)

KCSO will develop and implement plans and policies to ensure it successfully attracts and hires a diverse group of qualified individuals for both patrol and detentions. These shall be designed to ensure that recruitment, hiring, and promotion decisions are made without favoritism or unlawful discrimination and incorporate enhanced strategies for promoting qualified applicant representatives of the Kern County community. KCSO will report annually on their promotional activities and outcomes.

(Please see the full agreement for exact wording and details.)

KCSO agrees to enhance, promote, and strengthen partnerships within the community, to engage constructively with the community to ensure collaborative problem-solving and bias-free policing, and to increase transparency and community confidence in KCSO. To do this, KCSO will:
• Develop identified policies with input from the CAC and other community stakeholders;
• Create easy points of access for community feedback and input;
• Develop a plan to actively attend community meetings and events;
• Provide annual training on community policing and problem-oriented policing methods;
• Report annually on its community engagement efforts; and,
• Conduct a Community Survey with the assistance of the Monitoring Team.

(Please see the full agreement for exact wording and details.)

KCSO will ensure that all allegations of personnel misconduct are received and fully and fairly investigated. Personnel who commit misconduct will be held accountable pursuant to a fair disciplinary system and consistent standards. All KCSO deputies and supervisors will receive training about proper complaint intake, classification, and investigative techniques. Audits of these practices will be conducted annually.

(Please see the full agreement for exact wording and details.)