The Civil Oversight Commission found that deputies wrongly allowed drugs into San Diego County jails

By Jeff McDonald
San Diego Union-Tribune

SAN DIEGO — The civilian oversight board that hears complaints against the Sheriff’s Department has adopted two more findings of misconduct by a deputy in connection with two recent deaths in San Diego County jails.

IN report reviewed by the Civil Rights Enforcement Review Board late last week, investigators found that prison guards were partly responsible for the deaths Ryan Patrick Thuresson’s senior year and Joshua Fosbinder in 2022.

“Although SDSD (San Diego Sheriff’s Department) implemented and took measures to prevent the entry of drugs into the jails, Fosbinder acquired fentanyl, which ultimately contributed to his death,” the review board’s report reads.

“Despite all efforts to apprehend him, there is no doubt that Fosbinder, while in custody and in the custody of SDSD, purchased and ingested fentanyl, which contributed to his death,” investigators said.

The review board reached virtually the same findings after investigating Thuresson’s death at the Vista Detention Center in February 2023, about four months after his arrest.

“Ultimately, the investigation was unable to determine how the deceased obtained the drugs that contributed to his death,” the report reads. “However, evidence shows that the deceased used illicit drugs while in the care of SDSD.

“The evidence supports the allegations and the act or conduct was not justified,” investigators said.

The discoveries are the latest in a long-running series independent investigations that blamed the Sheriff’s Department and its staff for contributing to deaths in San Diego County jails.

Sheriff Kelley Martinez and her predecessors have said for years that they are doing everything they can to protect people in county jails.

Yet the documents show that people are still dying in custody and taxpayers are continuing to pay for the negligence or misconduct of MPs.

Department officials are currently implementing a multi-year, modernization for almost 500 million dollars in county jails. They also hired additional doctors, nurses and mental health providers and now spend more than $100 million a year on health care for the roughly 4,000 people in custody each day.

The sheriff rejected one persistent recommendation from a civilian oversight commission, a county grand jury, the California state auditor and others: deputies to X-ray bodies every time they enter jail facilities. Martinez said that is the practice they are not needed.

During the event at the penal training center, 19 vehicles and two motorcycles of the New Arrivals and Aztec Legacy brands were presented.

“Medal of Honor: Stories of Courage” explores topics such as what defines a hero, why individuals risk their lives for others and the nature of sacrifice

The initiative is a response to growing mental health challenges among prison workers in the face of staff shortages and budget constraints.

Officials said the department uses a variety of methods to prevent drugs from entering prisons. There is no evidence that officers were involved in smuggling illegal drugs or other items into county jails.

“We have developed a strategy to address gaps in our security system that could allow drugs to enter our facilities,” officials wrote in response to a board letter published earlier this year. “This includes searches, investigations, intelligence gathering, body scanners and drug-detection police dogs, among other measures.

“This comprehensive strategy has reduced the amount of drugs entering our facilities to almost zero,” the response added.

At least one of six deaths in custody this year involved the use of Narcan, an opioid overdose reversal drug, indicating that the drugs continue to flow into county jails.

Twice in recent years, deputies have been arrested and charged with drug-related offenses on jail property. Both deputies were convicted and dismissed from their duties with the Sheriff’s Department.

More than 240 men and women have died in San Diego County jails since 2006, according to department records and outside reviews.

Six people died this year in local prisons, including: 42-year-old man who was found unconscious on the shower floor at San Diego Central Jail on Wednesday.

The case is ongoing, and the cause of death has not yet been released. A lawyer representing the plaintiffs suing the county said she believes the death was caused by improper treatment of withdrawal symptoms.

Deaths in San Diego County jails continue to draw criticism from family members of people who have died in custody, as well as activists who want review board members and other public officials to do more to protect people in prison.

“Drug overdoses are not the problem; the problem is access to drugs in custody,” said Yusef Miller of the North County Equity and Justice Coalition. “We need to make sure all staff are drug scanned.”

David Settles, whose brother Matthew died by suicide two years ago at the George Bailey Detention Center despite a long history of mental illness, said the Sheriff’s Department needs to do a better job of meeting the health care needs of people in county jails.

“(Matthew) didn’t get the treatment he needed; that’s why he’s not here,” Settles said. “We keep hearing the same story, so we need to get better.”

The Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board is tasked with monitoring both the Sheriff’s Department and the Probation Service. The volunteer board is supported by a staff of 10 and a $2 million endowment.

The Supervisory Board is also looking for a successor to former CEO Paul Parker, who he gave up in frustration earlier this year after several of his reform initiatives stalled.

Parker was there last week appointed to the highest management position on the City of San Diego’s Police Practices Commission. The board that oversees law enforcement in the county expects to hire a new director as early as this summer.

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