More than 500 county and local law enforcement officials heard Governor Jerry Brown at the Innovations in Public Safety and Justice in California conference in Sacramento this morning: “I’m not leaving Sacramento until we get the constitutional guarantee that protects law enforcement and the whole realignment.”

The Governor pointed to the November 2012 ballot as his goal for achieving those constitutional protections. “I know you’re worried about the money,” he said, “but we are going to get a constitutional guarantee.” CSAC President John Tavaglione expressed his appreciation for those remarks on behalf of all counties. Counties’ long-held position from early 2011 is that constitutional protections and dedication of revenues are fundamentally necessary to make realignment work.

See the joint press statement released by CSAC, the California State Sheriffs Association, and the Chief Probation Officers of California here.

CSAC President John Tavaglione and California State Sheriff Association President Mark Pazin, Merced County Sheriff are interviewed on Captiol Public Radio’s Insight about realignment and the importance of constitutional protections.

By Erin Treadwell, Communications Coordinator for the California State Association of Counties