Placer Sheriff Transparency

About Placer Sheriff Transparency

About this page

This page brings to the forefront what Wayne Woo doesn't want exposed or talked about. The first is transparency of what actually goes on at PCSO.

First, I would like to say thank you to the PCSO staff. They are the ones who are running short handed under the toxic culture created by Wayne Woo. The staff do an amazing job by coming to work every day and providing the best service possible given the current circumstances they are under. They absolutely deserve better! They deserve a Sheriff who actually sets them up for success and supports them in their chosen career. The administration should be creating leaders, not servants to the Sheriff. In retrospect, It is the administration who should be serving the staff. By changing this, the staff of PCSO is able to better serve the citizens of Placer County.

You as citizens in Placer County pay taxes to the county which fund the Sheriff's Office. I'm not sure about you, but if I am helping fund an organization, I definitely want to make sure the funds are properly used without it having waste or abuse. This is unfortunately not occurring with approximately $550,000 in mandatory overtime paid over just 3 months because staff is leaving so rapidly due to the toxic culture. In fact, the waste is in the millions of dollars. That should make you not just angry, but inquisitive as to why there is so much of our money being wasted and why good deputies and correctional officers are so eager to leave an agency that was once where people came to stay, but now is just a training ground and people leave within a couple of years of being hired.

This brings up transparency. The lack of transparency in order to hide the several criminal occurrences by PCSO staff in an attempt to avoid public backlash should anger you. By not being transparent on instances such as an inmate being assaulted by a correctional officer, or a transport van full of inmates forgotten about and left for over an hour with the engine running causing the inmates to start yelling and screaming to get the attention of a staff member to let them out.

The frivolous spending on shiny distractions (Academy, Substations, statue in front of the sheriff's office) to give the Sheriff's Office better optics from the citizens is only a trojan horse or a facade in order to give the illusion he is capable of leading that agency, when the truth is he has proven he is not.

Transparency is also giving the public the information they have requested without the unnecessary redactions to hide incriminating information spotlighting his inability to effectively lead that agency.

Financial Waste and Abuse

Approx. $2M in Mandatory Overtime for one year (May, June, July 2026 Approx. $550,000)

$11M year-over-year increase for salaries/benefits (Unnecessary positions)

$236,892 mid-year appropriation increase to FY 2025-2026 budget

$1.1M planned deficit on Axon contract (FY 2026-27)

$20M beyond original budget to finish Mental Health Unit /

Vocational Training Center

$940K Police Academy - Approved unanimously with minimal questioning

Projected negative ending balances in Public Safety Fund - $2M in 2025, $6.5M in 2026 and growing

History of always being over budget due to unnecessary spending.

Zero Transparency / Hiding the Truth

2023 violent crime suspect escapes custody, the sheriff's Office met public questions with redactions instead of answers.

2023 PCSO Correctional Officer and wife solicit prostitute in Sacramento / Cited and released. No Press Release

2024 PCSO Deputy Sheriff has sexual relations with inmates mother in exchange for the Deputy providing information to mother regarding son. No Press Release.

2026 PCSO Correctional Officer assaults inmate. No Press Release.

2026 PCSO Correctional Officer assaults other PCSO Correctional Officer and releases classified jail information to public. No Press Release.

2026 PCSO Deputy Sheriff Sergeant involved in Domestic Violence with spouse. Prevented spouse from calling 911. PCSO Deputy responded to the above residence. No arrest, call was deleted from CAD system, Deputy Sergeant was taken to rehab. No Press Release.

2026 Transport van with 6 inmates unintentionally left in van for over 1 hour while running at jail. Internal Affairs investigation / No Press Release

Press Releases for deputy / correctional officer misconduct

Placer County / PCSO press releases quoting or issued by Sheriff Wayne Woo (2022–2026)
2022
• July 26, 2022 — Board of Supervisors appointment / swearing-in of Sheriff-Elect Wayne Woo as 29th Sheriff-Coroner-Marshal (Placer County BOS memo; PCSO Facebook announcement).[facebook +1]
• July 27, 2022 — “Introducing Sheriff Wayne Woo” official introduction video/release.[youtube]
2023
• March 30, 2023 — “Placer County adopts innovative model to manage emergency response and planning” (joint PCSO/Fire/OES).[ca]
• July 10–15, 2023 — News conference and county newsletter statement on the recapture of escaped inmate Eric Abril (Placer County GovDelivery bulletin; ABC10 coverage of Woo news conference).[abc10 +1]
• Aug. 22, 2023 — “PCSO Sheriff Wayne Woo’s Response to Community Meeting” on SVP William Stephenson housing in Auburn.[youtube]
• Sept. 15, 2023 — Sheriff Woo’s address to the Board of Supervisors on the Abril escape investigation.[youtube]
• Sept. 26, 2023 — “Placer County, Deputy Sheriffs’ Association reach labor agreement” (Woo quoted).[ca]
2024
• Early 2024 — Public message from Sheriff Woo to CCW holders opposing SB 2 (quoted in FOX40 via Yahoo News).[yahoo]
• Dec. 5, 2024 — “Fentanyl dealer receives 20 years to life in prison for selling deadly fentanyl to Roseville resident Kade Webb” (Woo statement).[ca]
2025
• May 24, 2025 — “Placer County Sheriff’s Office launches Blue Envelope program” (Woo statement).[ca]
• Sept. 17, 2025 — “Placer County to expand service to West Placer residents with new sheriff’s station and county service center” (Woo statement).[ca]
• Sept. 30, 2025 — Public statement on Proposition 50 (posted via Woo’s campaign/personal channel).[facebook]
• Oct. 8, 2025 — “Placer County Sheriff’s Office Holds Ribbon Cutting for New Mental Health and Vocational Training Facilities at South Placer Jail” (Woo statement).[ca]
2026
• April 27, 2026 — Press conference announcing arrest in the 1991 Cindy Wanner (Warner) cold-case homicide (Woo statement).[cbsnews]
• April 29, 2026 — Sheriff’s FY 2026–27 budget presentation to BOS (cold-case, Operation Meltdown, staffing).[citizenportal]
• April 30 / May 5, 2026 — Recognition on Assembly Floor for PCSO’s 175 years of service (Woo statement).[asmrc]
• May 19, 2026 — “Inmate medical services contract awarded” — CHP $131.28M jail medical services agreement (Woo statement).[ca]
• July 16, 2026 — News Flash: sentencing of James Lawhead to life without parole for 1991 kidnap/rape/murder of Melinda Beardsley.[ca]