Eddie Engram sworn in as Sonoma County’s next sheriff

A new era arrived for the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday as Eddie Engram was sworn in to lead the region’s largest law enforcement agency.

The ceremony marked a pivotal moment for Engram, who has 20 years of experience working for the department, and is among several newly elected or appointed officials stepping into top leadership positions across Sonoma County’s criminal justice wing.

Engram was elected last June with 50.34% of the vote in a three-way race. He is the first Black person to serve as sheriff in the county.

Addressing the crowd of emergency responders, elected officials and government leaders who gathered in Santa Rosa for the ceremony, he committed to making the Sheriff’s Office more accessible to the public it serves — a change he vowed to personally lead.

“I want to ensure that the lines of communication are open and that communication goes both ways, both from the community and from us at the Sheriff's Office,” said Engram, 49. “You’ll start seeing me at town halls and different events.”

Event invitations should be sent to his office, Engram said. He pledged to “attend as many as I can.”

The emphasis on public engagement and communication marks a shift for the department, which has struggled in recent years with criticism of its public engagement and accessibility.

Department-hosted town halls started under former Sheriff Mark Essick, but stopped when the pandemic hit, Engram said in an interview following the ceremony. Engram said he was committed to holding six town halls throughout the county by the end of the year.

Mental health emergency response, homelessness and the fentanyl epidemic are among other challenges facing the county and department, Engram said.

He added that he is focused on shoring up the Sheriff’s Office’s sworn ranks, which have been thinned by high turnover.

In December, county staff reported a 20% vacancy rate among correctional deputies and a 29% vacancy rate among communications (911) dispatcher positions.

“You can’t do anything unless you have people,” Engram said.

The Board of Supervisors recently approved the first part of an incentive program designed to hire positions under the correctional deputy, communications (911) dispatcher and Deputy Sheriff Trainee categories. The program, proposed by the Sheriff’s Office, would offer incentives ranging from $25,000 to $30,000, among other benefits, according to a staff report.

“I look forward to rebuilding the Sheriff’s Office so that it is more representative of the community that we serve,” Engram said in his address.

From the podium at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts Wednesday, Engram also shared with the audience that his “moral compass” was shaped early in life, independent of his work as a peace officer.

“When I began my career I already knew who I was, I already had my core values and the badge did not define me,” Engram said. “I had those values that were instilled in me from an early age. I think that is something that has helped me throughout my career.”

Raised in Union City, he said he grew up in a neighborhood where he didn’t “always feel safe,” and “didn’t always feel that things were fair.”

“What I wanted to do when I grew up was to make sure that people were safe and that things were fair,” Engram said. “I don’t know when that idea came to my head but I thought law enforcement was the best way to do that and I never wanted to do anything else.”

You can reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MurphReports.