Just months after the sheriff's office expanded the county’s network of ALPR cameras, two local elected officials are calling for them to be removed. The change of heart comes amid growing statewide scrutiny of the company’s data-sharing practices and local community concern over privacy and surveillance.
Two dozen people have died while incarcerated at the Shasta County Jail over the last six years. A review of postmortem investigations indicates more intensive monitoring of high-risk individuals could prevent deaths.
In an announcement today, the city said three police captains will rotate through chief responsibilities this summer until an interim chief takes over in August. The mayor said a new police chief may start in September or October.
Chief Brian Barner will finish his 34-year career with the Redding Police Department today. The city has initiated a process to recruit the next police chief, City Manager William Tarbox said, with interviews likely starting in July.
Shasta supervisors eliminated impact fees for developers several years ago, hoping to incentivize more construction in Shasta County. That’s had a negative effect on his department’s budget, Sheriff Michael Johnson told supervisors during last week’s budget hearings.
The district attorney’s and public defender’s offices asked for higher salaries and more manageable caseloads to address ongoing staff shortages. As a temporary solution, the board gave all attorneys a $10,000 retention bonus. It’s “a meaningful first step,” DA Stephanie Bridgett said — but “there’s still a long way to go.”
King, who claimed self defense after shooting Michael Hale in April 2024, was charged with attempted murder. A jury has acquitted him of all charges related to the shooting.
James Redmill Sr. was 71 when he was reported missing in July of 2021. Today, nearly five years later, the Shasta County Sheriff notified the public of a significant update in the case after Redmill’s body was found on a neighboring property
After unsuccessfully pushing for more competitive pay from the county, several prosecutors from the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office are leaving for better opportunities elsewhere, leaving the county in a “critical” prosecutor shortage.
Amid an ongoing shortage of prosecutors, four of the county’s current prosecutors will leave by the end of May, the office said.
