Politics & Government
Petaluma Woman May Lead Countywide Law Enforcement Watchdog Group
Sonoma County supervisors are set to appoint a new director for the independent group formed after the fatal shooting of teen Andy Lopez.
SANTA ROSA, CA — The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is considering a former deputy public defender to be the next director of the county's independent law enforcement review and outreach office. The board will consider appointing Karlene Navarro at its meeting Tuesday. If appointed, she will replace Jerry Threet, who retired last week.
The Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (ILOERO) conducts independent reviews of complaints against the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, makes policy recommendations to improve the responsiveness of the Sheriff's Office to the community, and maintains continual engagement with the public.
Navarro, of Petaluma, is an attorney and law professor at the University of San Francisco. She taught legal research, writing and analysis last fall.
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Navarro was in private practice between 2014 and 2018. She was retained and appointed by the court to handle serious and violent felonies.
She was an appellate attorney between 2016-2018 with the First District Appellate Project and the Sixth District Appellate Program. She was a deputy public defender between 2007 and 2014.
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The ILOERO opened in 2016 following the fatal shooting of teen Andy Lopez by a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy in 2013.
"I have developed a deeper understanding of the complex and nuanced interplay of law enforcement officers' duties, criminal defendants, the community at large the criminal justice system and the media," Navarro said in a news release.
"When community members are not treated fairly and with dignity, trust and respect for law enforcement, the criminal justice system erodes," Navarro said.
"At the same time, law enforcement officers are tasked with the tremendous responsibility of keeping us safe while negotiating dangerous and volatile situations," Navarro said.
"If there is a communications gap between law enforcement and the community regarding the unique and important experiences of either group, or the community does not feel like it has a forum where it can express its grievances, we all lose," she said.
By Bay City News Service
