San Diego County Hires Retired FBI Agent to Lead New Citizen Oversight Office – San Diego Union-Tribune

The new director of the San Diego County Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board is no stranger to law and order.

Brett Kalina, a recently retired supervisory special agent with the FBI, was announced Wednesday as the new leader of the county’s civilian oversight board, which serves as an external check on the sheriff’s and probation departments.

Kalina retired from federal law enforcement earlier this month after formally being offered the county job. The 20-year FBI agent was selected as the executive officer earlier this summer, but the announcement was delayed while Kalina went through the hiring process.

The county did not make Kalina available for an interview. He starts work Tuesday.

Kalina succeeds former director Paul Parker, who resigned earlier this year amid frustration that the oversight agency was not doing enough to reform the sheriff’s department.

MaryAnne Pintar, the new chair of the civilian oversight board, said Kalina is the right person for the job.

“Brett has extensive experience with complex, high-profile investigations involving drug trafficking, violent crime, complex forensic evidence, and diverse communities,” she said in a statement.

“Since CLERB’s primary function is research, Brett’s deep knowledge will be an excellent asset to CLERB’s mission,” she added.

The review board was established in the early 1990s to provide an independent body to oversee the work of the sheriff’s and probation departments.

The board reviews critical incidents such as deaths in custody and complaints of misconduct against officers and probation officers. It also makes recommendations for policy changes and disciplinary action against sworn personnel who violate the rules.

Under Parker, who now heads San Diego’s police oversight body, the county’s Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board began to gain more authority than under previous administrations.

Parker urged the volunteer board, among other things, to take more aggressive action against officers and probation officers who violate the policy.

He also wanted to expand the board’s powers to include prison medical staff, who he said are often responsible for deaths and serious injuries in San Diego County jails.

More than 240 people have died in local jails over the past two decades, according to multiple outside investigations. Many of those deaths were the result of deficiencies in the quality of medical care provided to people in custody, a 2022 state audit found.

The Supervisory Board must still extend the powers of the assessment committee to doctors and nurses.

Kalina, who is 53, earned a bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of North Dakota in 1993, according to his LinkedIn profile. He enrolled in law school that same year and earned a juris doctorate in 1996, though he is not a lawyer.

In 2004, he was hired as a full-time FBI agent and in 2021 he was promoted to supervisory special agent.

Among other things, Kalina led a transnational organized crime task force. He is also a certified instructor in diversity and inclusion and led initiatives that resulted in updating language policies within the agency.

“Kalina has been recognized for promoting equal opportunity in the workplace and for his work to advance diversity and inclusion in the police force,” Pintar said.

The new executive officer will be hired as soon as he assumes his new responsibilities. The review board will meet Tuesday night to discuss a series of misconduct and other complaints.