Yolo County Creates “Independent Working Group” to Examine Sheriff’s Department

After the Yolo Grand Jury released a report that revealed a history of intimidation, harassment, and nepotism by Yolo County Sheriff-Coroner Ed Prieto, the board of supervisors agreed to create an “independent working group” to address the jury’s concerns. 

Woodland’s outgoing mayor Skip Davies will chair the working group, and representatives from labor organizations that serve the sheriff’s department are also expected to be present on the board. 

The grand jury’s report, which compared the Yolo Sheriff’s Department to the “Wild, Wild West,” was initially prompted by the Yolo Board of Supervisors, who were concerned about the sheriff’s conduct.

 The group will look at issues raised by the report, such as “workplace climate, hiring process, current training practices and employee evaluation processes.”

Sheriff-Coroner Prieto recently won his fifth election as sheriff coroner in the June primary elections.

Read more about the working group here.