Isleton’s police force has once again ceased operations and authority has been transferred to the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department. It is the second time this year that the department has been at least temporarily shuttered.
The small town’s police force was in trouble. Two of the three patrol officers are not certified for work and cannot be on the streets. Then, last week, the police chief was unexpectedly placed on leave. The situation worsened on Thursday when the remaining available officer in the city was also placed on leave following a police shooting. He reportedly shot a pit-bull that was attacking other dogs. One of the bullets grazed another man who was trying to break up the dogs.
Now, the Sheriff’s office has stepped in to provide emergency services.
It remains unclear as to when the city will be ready to reassume responsibilities. However, until they do, police capacity in the city will be limited. There are no plans for the Sheriff’s department to provide patrols of the city. Response times to the city will be extensive – it’s more than 15 minutes to the nearest Sheriff’s substation.
The Sheriff’s office had previously been forced to take over policing duties in January when it was discovered that the department was not covered by workers compensation.