Sonoma County assistant sheriff on paid leave amid internal investigation

Assistant Sonoma County Sheriff Randall Walker is under investigation for an undisclosed personnel matter and has been placed on administrative ?leave, sheriff’s officials confirmed Wednesday.

Sheriff Rob Giordano said Walker, who oversees the county’s jail system, was put on leave April 4 after a “recent personnel issue” came to his attention, prompting an investigation by the department’s internal affairs division. Giordano said state law bars him from discussing details about any personnel investigation, including Walker’s case.

“We want the community to understand we’re taking care of our business, and we’ll do the right thing,” Giordano said.

Walker didn’t respond to messages seeking comment Wednesday.

Walker’s absence leaves Captain John Naiman as the highest-ranking sheriff staff member overseeing the county’s jail system, which employs 285 personnel and housed 1,114 inmates as of Wednesday afternoon. The county has two jails, the main adult facility adjacent to Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa and the minimum-security North County Detention Facility near the county airport.

Giordano said he will ultimately determine whether the case merits any action. Walker is an at-will employee and can be removed without cause. Giordano said he doesn’t know how long the internal investigation will take. In a typical case, detectives interview witnesses, outline available facts and present a report for the sheriff to review.

Personnel investigations can involve outside investigators or internal ones, and the process is similar for entry-level workers and command staff.

Jerry Threet, director of the Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach, said state law bars him from answering questions about whether he has received any complaints about Walker.

Walker’s law enforcement career started at the Sonoma County Jail in 1991 when he was hired as a correctional deputy following nine years of Army service. He rose through the ranks at the jail and was appointed as assistant sheriff in 2012 by then-Sheriff Steve Freitas.

Giordano spoke highly of Walker and his stewardship of the detention division.

“Randall is incredibly amazing to us. He’s done such great work and he’s well respected by the community,” Giordano said. “He’s done things to help us be on the cutting edge in serving inmates. That’s how I feel about it, but I’m obligated to investigate things thoroughly so that’s why I’m in this position.”

Walker will continue to receive a base salary of $189,927 while on leave.

Giordano declined to say precisely when the matter involving Walker came to his attention. He also declined to comment on whether the investigation into Walker is related to a pending excessive-force civil rights case against the Sonoma County Jail staff lodged by former inmates.

“I will say this, the jails are a source of litigation,” Giordano said.

He said no other sheriff personnel were facing internal investigations related to Walker’s case.

The Sonoma County Jail has been the subject of several civil rights lawsuits in recent years, including an excessive force case that resulted in a $1.25 million payout to a Forestville man shot 23 times with Taser in 2013 while being booked into the jail on drunken-driving charges. The case led to procedural changes in the jail, including new tactical decision-?making training for staff and added equipment for restraining unruly suspects during booking.

A pending federal case against the jail involves six former inmates who claim they were all subjected to beatings on May 28, 2015, after complaining about the rough treatment of another inmate who refused to get out of bed.

The Sheriff’s Office alerted department staff that Walker had been placed on leave “until further notice” in an April 4 email. The email said anyone with “information to share” can contact internal affairs personnel.

Public Defender Kathleen Pozzi said she was “shocked” to hear Walker was the subject of an internal investigation and said Walker was notably responsive to requests from her department regarding inmate welfare and other issues pertaining to clients represented by county defense lawyers.

“He’s benefited our clients in many different ways in getting me the answers I need,” Pozzi said. “There’s not a single negative thing I could say about Randall.”

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 707-521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com.