What's at stake?
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors approved the first of two votes needed to allow District Attorney investigators and prosecutors to carry weapons inside of government buildings.
The new ordinance comes a month after a DA was stabbed in Courthouse Park. Fresno DA Lisa Smittcamp said downtown Fresno's conditions are at least partially to blame.
The Fresno Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the first of two votes needed to pass an ordinance allowing investigators and prosecutors at the county’s district attorney’s office to carry firearms while on the clock and inside of government buildings, following an attack against a DA working downtown last month.
Prosecutors would need a concealed-carry permit to exercise the privilege. Workers will also be able to carry pepper sprays and tasers as alternative self-defense tools.
Both Fresno District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp and Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni said they’d be judicious in how they allow law enforcement officials to carry weapons, regardless of permits. Starting next year, the permits, known as CCWs, will last three years instead of two, decreasing how often residents need to reapply and prove firearm proficiency to get the document.
“That’s fine for our standard CCW holders,” Zanoni said. “But if you’re going to be carrying at different county facilities and county parks, and you really need to protect yourself, I’m going to emphasize training, proficiency and then security.”
There are about 15,000 active CCWs in the county, Zanoni said on Tuesday. He added that the permits are “extremely in demand,” with interest increasing constantly.
Smittcamp, who has served as the county’s DA since 2015, said the “status of downtown” makes workers, including herself, “vulnerable” to “violent and the mentally ill people that we have roaming around in our communities.”
The county’s ordinance comes after an individual attacked a deputy district attorney in Courthouse Park last month, sending them to the hospital with multiple stab wounds. The attack, according to Smittcamp, was retaliation for a case the prosecutor had worked on.
Zanoni said that Courthouse Park in particular used to be a place for many neighboring workers and residents to lounge or picnic in on their downtime. He said following Tuesday’s vote that he’d direct staff to help increase security in the area.
“We are going to be a good presence out there to ensure that people are there for the right reasons, and those that aren’t need to move on,” Zanoni said. He later added, “I think it’s time that we push back on some of these individuals that are there for the wrong reasons, because they’re impacting the safety of our staff and other individuals that come to Courthouse Park. ”
Downtown Fresno is largely in the city’s jurisdiction. However, many of the county’s services and law enforcement agencies are centrally located in the heart of the city.
Fresno police Chief Mindy Casto declined to comment Tuesday.
When asked by Fresnoland if he would like to respond to Smittcamp’s comments on the “status of downtown,” Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer did not directly answer the question.
Dyer did, however, endorse the county’s ordinance and echo Zanoni’s desire for proper education.
“I fully support prosecutors having the ability to carry firearms in public spaces and within government facilities where allowed. However, it is imperative that they receive consistent and ongoing training,” the mayor said in a statement shared through a city spokesperson. “Similar to police officers and judges, prosecutors become vulnerable targets due to their profession which requires them to prosecute criminals.
Prosecutors may become even more vulnerable near Courthouse Park where they may encounter defendants who are going to and from court.”
The city’s crime and homicide rates have been trending downward, according to citywide statistics from the Fresno Police Department.
But Tuesday’s comments from Smittcamp and Zanoni add to a consistent stream of frustration and criticism from top local law enforcement officials who believe that state lawmakers have been too soft on crime, creating an atmosphere that does not appropriately penalize criminals for their behavior.
The Public Policy Institute of California recently published a report saying that Proposition 47 — a recently rolled back statewide-measure that reduced the severity of certain criminal offenses from felonies to misdemeanors — was at least partially responsible for an increase in drug use and homelessness.
Smittcamp also levied criticism toward Proposition 57 and AB 109, two ongoing state laws that are still in effect, that she described as similar failures.
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz held a news conference last month to announce he’d authorize his department’s investigators and prosecutors to also carry weapons.
Smittcamp and Zanoni praised the county board’s ordinance, saying that it’s a step in the right direction to deter similar violent acts against prosecutors from happening again.
“People need to know that we are exercising our rights and protecting ourselves,” Zanoni said.
Smittcamp added that she would like to see the board increase security “in the courthouse” and to fund some extra sheriff’s deputies. The increase, she said, would not only protect prosecutors, but many people working in and around Courthouse Park.
“I don’t care what junk science people have been listening to for the last 20 years. Police presence and law enforcement presence deters crime,”Smittcamp said. “Period. End of story. It’s been proven over and over and over again.”
Fresno County will begin budget hearings next week, on Monday, Sept. 14. The proposed budget would keep employee counts at the DA’s office the same as it has been for the last three years, while eliminating three grant funded positions. It would also add three positions to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
On top of what they perceived to be shortcomings from state law, Smittcamp and Zanoni shared personal stories of threats and attacks levied toward them.
Smittcamp, in particular, said she has faced a threat against her life “on average two times a month.” She shared personal stories of threats against her that ranged in severity, including an instance years ago where an individual called into a radio program and threatened to kill her, and another recent incident where a man has begun to stalk her.
“I am so happy that my children live out of state,” Smittcamp said, bemoaning her situation. “If it’s not just for this man, it’s for every other.” She later added these threats are “another reason why we need more security for our county employees, because we cannot rely on the criminal justice system that we are a part of to protect us, to protect you.”
All five county board members have been consistent in their support of local law enforcement officials and gun-carrying residents. Last year, the board unanimously voted to approve an ordinance to reaffirm their support of the 2nd Amendment, a constitutional law that allows residents the right to bear arms.
Supervisor Garry Bredefeld, who is also the board chair, was among the first local county officials to publicly signal a move toward Tuesday’s ordinance, following the attack on the DA last month. He closed out Tuesday’s hearing by reaffirming the board’s support for law enforcement and CCWs.
“The fact is, police can’t be everywhere, unfortunately. Wish that they could,” Bredefeld said. “People have to protect themselves. I encourage, and have encouraged, citizens who are law-abiding citizens to get CCWs to protect themselves and protect their family.”
He added, “I also believe that an armed society of law-abiding citizens is a safe society. It’s also usually a polite society, so I encourage people to get that training and protect themselves and their families because, unfortunately, police and sheriffs can’t be everywhere.”
Tuesday’s vote is the first of two required hearings for the ordinance to be approved. The second hearing is scheduled for the next regularly scheduled supervisors meeting on Tuesday. Sept. 22 at the board chambers on the third floor of the county Hall of Records building.
