Grand jury investigates ‘power struggle’ at Stanislaus 911 Center. Oversight recommended
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Grand jury urges sheriff oversight board after divisive 911 dispatch dispute.
- CAD system dispute splits sheriff and county partners; mediation recommended.
- Report cites fractured relations, calls for mediation and independent review.
The civil grand jury recommends that Stanislaus County leaders create an oversight commission for the Sheriff’s Department after its investigation found the Regional 911 dispatch center was “fraught with divisive controversy.”
The oversight commission could be established by the Board of Supervisors or through a ballot measure, says the grand jury report released June 25.
The 21-page report resulting from a four-month investigation focuses on a conflict over the replacement of an outdated dispatch system.
The investigation concluded that an inordinate amount of staff time and government resources have been expended over three years on a flawed process. Interviews with key officials fleshed out more details of a power struggle between Sheriff Jeff Dirkse, who’s intent on developing a computer-assisted dispatch system with Oracle Corp., and the other agencies involved with Stanislaus Regional 911, who are aiming to activate a widely used CAD system in September.
Social justice advocates including Bianca Lopez of Valley Improvement Projects also have called for a civilian review board for the Sheriff’s Department, following the arrest of a sheriff’s deputy who is charged with sexually assaulting women while on duty. Lopez told county supervisors in June a review board would build trust and communication between the sheriff’s office and disadvantaged communities.
Dirkse and other Sheriff’s Department officials did not return messages seeking comment on the grand jury findings. In a statement Thursday, the Sheriff’s Office acknowledged receipt of the grand jury report and said the sheriff will provide a formal, detailed response to each finding and recommendation within 90 days.
At this time, Dirkse will refrain from making public remarks about contents of the report, the statement said, adding “the sheriff remains committed to a thoughtful review of the report and to fulfilling all statutory obligations with the required time frame.”
The grand jury conducted interviews from February to May with county supervisors and administrative staff, sheriff’s department staff, Modesto police officials and leaders associated with Stanislaus Regional 911 and the county Office of Emergency Services.
The investigation also examined documents such as written policies, a report on a Sheriff’s Office investigation at the dispatch center, and correspondence between the city of Ceres and the Sheriff’s Office regarding a proposal to jointly operate a separate dispatch center.
The report says that the current director, Kasey Young, hired in 2022, has turned around a toxic culture and personnel problems at SR911 and helped establish cooperative relationships among the emergency responders. The regional center, which handles 911 calls for the Sheriff’s Department, its contract cities, Modesto police and fire departments, has a history of turmoil since its formation in 1999.
As of May, one faction, including county leaders, Modesto, the county Probation Department, fire districts and SR911 officials, was unified behind a plan to activate a CAD system called Central Square and continue with centralized dispatch for the various agencies. Apparently, due to the more harmonious environment, Modesto police dropped the idea to leave SR911.
According to the grand jury, the other faction is the sheriff and its staff, who are intent on developing an Oracle system with long-desired records and jail management capabilities. Because the joint project with Ceres fell apart, a tentative compromise would house both the Oracle and Central Square systems inside the dispatch center on Oakdale Road.
What’s known as a CAD-to-CAD bridge for the two systems, for preventing delays in dispatch of fire and ambulance units, may not be developed in time for the Central Square launch in September and could be problematic, some officials told the grand jury. The report cites estimates of three months to a year for effectively bridging the Central Square and Oracle systems, so that call transfers are minimized during emergencies.
Dirkse insists the Oracle system will be less costly and superior to the Central Square CAD, the grand jury report says.
“The sheriff remains optimistic that the Oracle system will be ready and has expressed resistance to implementing Central Square, threatening to go back to radio, paper and pencil if necessary,” the report says. The supposed comment about primitive radio communications doesn’t seem likely.
During interviews with the grand jury, people shared concerns that formerly good relations between the sheriff and county supervisors have soured amid the controversy and Dirkse’s behavior is out of character for him. The sheriff’s behavior was described in interviews as intimidating, inflexible and “off the rails,” the report says.
The grand jury said the sheriff’s office is an outlier among the partners in SR911, and political tactics, threats of litigation, personal attacks and refusal to work with key officials has damaged working relationships. While supportive of Young in the past, witnesses told the grand jury that Dirkse has made it clear he does not trust the director today and refuses to work with her.
Search warrant served at dispatch center
The report sheds more light on a sheriff’s investigation and search warrant served at Stanislaus Regional 911 in January. The sheriff learned that California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS) data was accessible to firefighting personnel who share the antiquated SR911 CAD system. The CLETS network provides information from national databases intended only for police.
The sheriff’s inquiry, which was dismaying to county supervisors, served to restrict the dispatch center’s sole engineer from accessing the CAD system operation pending the investigation, the report says.
“The CAD engineer, the primary person at SR911 with the capabilities of keeping the obsolete system functional and implementing the new authorized CAD system, was suspended by the sheriff’s office as a result of their investigation and therefore was incapable of performing job duties.” The engineer was denied access to the system for a three-month period starting Jan. 24, the report says.
The sheriff’s investigation determined the confidential law enforcement data was exposed by software glitches, as early as 2012. With the engineer unable to access the system, an outside firm was hired recently to repair the software.
In a report on the investigation issued in April, the Sheriff’s Office said no criminal violations were discovered. According to the grand jury, the Sheriff’s Office report claimed the SR911 director and the engineer should have been aware of the problem. The engineer was reinstated.
Sheriff says comment was misunderstood
During a briefing with county supervisors Feb. 20, regarding the proposal for a Sheriff’s Department and Ceres dispatch center, two supervisors thought they heard Dirkse suggest that a decision approving the Oracle system would make the SR911 investigation go away, the grand jury report says. Dirkse said in an interview with the grand jury his comment was misunderstood and he was not engaging in a quid pro quo, the report says.
Under Assembly Bill 1185, passed into law in 2020, counties may establish a sheriff oversight board with authority to issue subpoenas and improve transparency. A dozen counties in California have created oversight boards.
In a 2023 interview with The Bee editorial board, Dirkse said he didn’t believe the Modesto Community Police Review Board will bring about changes. He said civilian oversight is another layer of bureaucracy and voters not happy with the Sheriff’s Office can vote him out in elections held every four years. Dirkse created Project Resolve bringing law enforcement and community members together for quarterly meetings.
In addition to a commission to review the Sheriff’s Department, the grand jury recommends the SR911 joint powers authority arrange for independent outside intervention in the form of professional mediators and other experts in interpersonal relationships.
This story was originally published July 10, 2025 at 4:57 PM.
