(a) The Counties of Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and San Benito may each develop within its respective jurisdiction a Central Coast Rural Crime Prevention Program, which shall be administered in San Benito County, Santa Barbara County, Santa Cruz County, and San Luis Obispo County by the county district attorney’s office or the county sheriff’s office under a joint powers agreement entered into pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 6500) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code.
(b) The parties to each agreement shall form a regional task force that shall be known as the Central Coast Rural Crime Task Force, that includes the respective county office of the county agricultural commissioner, the county district attorney, the county sheriff, and interested property owner groups or associations. The task force shall be an interactive team working together to develop crime prevention, problem solving, and crime control techniques, to encourage timely reporting of crimes, and to evaluate the results of these activities. The task force may operate from a joint facility in order to facilitate investigative coordination. The task force may also consult with experts from the United States military, other law enforcement entities, and various private organizations as deemed necessary to maximize the effectiveness of this program. Media and community support may be solicited to promote this program. Each of the participating designated counties shall adopt rules and regulations for the implementation and administration of this program.
(1) The Central Coast Rural Crime Task Force may develop rural crime prevention programs containing a system for reporting rural crimes that enables the swift recovery of stolen goods and the apprehension of criminal suspects for prosecution. The task force may develop computer software and use communication technology to implement the reporting system, although the task force is not limited to the use of these means to achieve the stated goals.
(2) The Central Coast Rural Crime Task Force may develop a uniform procedure for all participating counties to collect, and each participating county may collect, data on agricultural crimes. The task force may also establish a central database for the collection and maintenance of data on agricultural crimes and designate one participating county to maintain the database.
(c) The staff for each program shall consist of the personnel designated by the district attorney and sheriff for each county in accordance with the joint powers agreement.
(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 43, Sec. 82. (SB 1023) Effective June 27, 2012.)