Fresno County Sheriff’s Office correctional officers will become peace officers under a bill signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom that also extends the designation to correctional officers in San Joaquin County.

Newsom approved Assembly Bill 2004, known as the “Scanlan Bill,” on Monday. The measure, authored by Assemblymember Juan Alanis, adds Fresno and San Joaquin counties to state law granting peace officer status to deputy sheriffs assigned to custodial duties.

The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

Correctional officers working in county jails are responsible for the care, supervision, security, movement, and transportation of incarcerated people. Under the new law, Fresno County correctional officers will be designated as correctional deputies and permitted to carry firearms while on duty.

Their families will also become eligible for certain line-of-duty death benefits that were not previously available to them, the sheriff’s office said.

Sheriff John Zanoni said Fresno County had fallen behind many other agencies across California that already grant peace officer status to employees performing custodial duties.

“There’s about 50 other sheriff’s offices in the State of California that have either correctional deputies, jail deputies or custody deputies in some capacity working in their custodial facilities,” Zanoni said at a Tuesday press conference.

2016 Shooting of Fresno County Correctional Officer

He pointed to the 2016 shooting of Fresno County correctional officer Toamalama Scanlan as an example of the risks correctional officers can face.

Scanlan confronted an armed man in the Fresno County Jail lobby and attempted to protect others despite not carrying a firearm, the sheriff said. Scanlan was shot, along with correctional officer Juanita Davila, who later recovered from her injuries.

Scanlan suffered severe injuries and died in 2021.

Zanoni said Scanlan’s name is on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., but not on California’s peace officer memorial in Sacramento because he did not have peace officer status when he was wounded.

He said the new peace officer designation will allow correctional officers to carry firearms while on duty, including in areas such as the jail lobby.

State law limits the peace officer authority granted under AB 2004 to officers performing their custodial duties or other law enforcement duties directed by their agency during a local state of emergency.

The sheriff said the legislation was the result of a team effort and would bring long-sought recognition to the department’s correctional officers.

“Just a real team effort and the right thing was done for the right reasons,” he said. “And I’m very proud that they will be peace officers come January of 2027.”

Watch the Full Press Conference Here

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