On Saturday, San Diego families of in-custody death victims had an opportunity to meet with Allison Ganter, California's first-ever appointed Director of the In-Custody Death Review Division.
The families had an opportunity to learn more about the role at a forum that took place in Escondido.
“The last moments of my daughter I have no idea, she was 25 years old,” said Dianna Sanchez, mother of Diana Granillo, a victim of an in-custody death.
Ganter listened attentively as dozens of families shared their stories of losing loved ones to an in-custody death and their struggles finding answers, justice and transparency.
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“She was a drug-addict, yeah, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve the best medical care,” Sanchez said.
In her newly appointed role as California’s director of in-custody deaths, she will review investigations of any death incident within a state detention facility.
She will also make recommendations to sheriff’s offices regarding the incidents, policies, procedures, and practices.
“I accept that responsibility. We have a lot of work to do. The goal of this department is to reduce and prevent deaths," Ganter said.
Ganter said her office’s priority now is to focus on their mandate, which is to review in-custody deaths that have happened within county jails as of July 1, 2024.
One of the issues she may have with that mandate, according to Paul Parker, the former executive for the Citizens' and Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) is that almost 50% of in-custody deaths happen outside detention facilities, when people are taken to the hospital.
“Unfortunately, this program will not initially be able to look at those deaths, they do not have jurisdictions to look at those deaths,” Parker said.
Ganter said they are still in the early stages of the development of the new department.
“We don’t have an ability to sanction or to compel the sheriff’s departments, they are required to respond to our recommendations and that’s all that’s in the legislation,” Ganter said.
In a statement to NBC 7, Sheriff Kelly Martinez said in part, it “will not serve to make the jails safer; it will make it more difficult to hire staff and contract with high-quality health care workers and outside providers."
Ganter said the board will also include a position for a chair of medical care and a chair of mental health. They will also hire an attorney, research staff, inspectors, as well as analytical staff.
