SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — A job supposed to provide independent oversight and accountability for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has sat empty for seven months.
That changes Tuesday when Kevin Gardner begins his contract as Sacramento County Inspector General.
The previous inspector general, Francine Kerridge, resigned at the end of her contract back in August 2023. She went to work for the city of Long Beach as its first Director of Police Oversight.
This week, county supervisors unanimously approved Gardner’s two-year contract after conducting a nationwide search.
During the hiring process, Gardner spoke with two interview panels, one with members of the public and the other including elected officials, like Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper.
In a news release, the county said everyone on the two panels supported hiring Gardner.
“I think he’s got a good background,” Cooper said. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table.”
Gardner most recently served as Interim Director for the city of Sacramento’s Office of Public Safety Accountability. Before that, he served two years with the California Department of Justice (DOJ) as the Chief of the Division of Law Enforcement. He's also worked for the Sacramento and Vallejo police departments.
“People want transparency. They want accountability, and I think he’s that person. Obviously, the head of DOJ; he worked for Attorney General Becerra,” Cooper said. “When they did the investigation for the Stephon Clark shooting, he was in charge of that DOJ component, so he’s got a very extensive background and I think he knows what the public wants.”
Cooper, who spoke about the importance of transparency while running for sheriff in 2022, says he welcomes the oversight and accountability of the Inspector General.
“If we have officer-involved shootings, he’ll be out there on those and just really a check-and-balance,” Cooper said. “I have nothing to hide, so – to me – we’re an open book. Let’s talk about it and he can be that liaison between the department and the community and really investigate it. He’s independent, so he has that leeway to go and get those investigations done, so I think it really benefits the community at the end of the day.”
Gardner’s contract with Sacramento County runs April 2, 2024 to March 31, 2026, with the option to renew for an additional two-year term.
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