Defeated Sheriff Candidate Drown Takes Job With Drug-Gang Unit in D.A.’s Office

Assistant Sheriff Jack Drown, who lost his bid to become San Diego’s sheriff in November and would have become unemployed Monday, instead will join the district attorney’s office Jan. 7.

Drown, 45, has been assistant sheriff for four years and has spent 21 years with the department. When he lost the November election to Sheriff’s Capt. Jim Roache, he and three other administrators were told to look for other jobs because Roache wanted to install his own managers.

The Times reported two weeks ago that Drown and Dist. Atty. Edwin Miller had discussed a job in which Drown could keep his hand in law enforcement and have contact with the Sheriff’s Department and other agencies.

Miller said Wednesday that Drown will coordinate efforts between the district attorney’s office and several agencies that are part of a drug and gang enforcement team that operate on a $1-million grant.

Police departments in San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, Oceanside, Escondido and El Cajon, the Sheriff’s Department, the probation department and the district attorney’s office are part of the unit that tracks down adults and juveniles involved in gang and drug activity.

Steve Casey, the district attorney’s spokesman, said the program is being expanded to include North County and East County. It had been limited to the juveniles in downtown San Diego until Wednesday.

Miller said he also might assign Drown to other duties related to law enforcement.

Drown’s precise job description has not been worked out, but he will report to Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Amador and Assistant Dist. Atty. Richard Neely.

The budgeted slot that Drown is filling was held by a forensic psychologist who left the department. Instead of filling that job, the district attorney’s office converted it to the position in the gang and drug program.

Although Drown is taking a pay cut, from $72,000 as assistant sheriff to about $60,000 in his new post, he said he is excited.

“I’m very grateful to Mr. Miller,” Drown said. “It’s a good opportunity and one that I look forward to. I can gain a different perspective on criminal justice, and I think I can be of some benefit to the district attorney’s office.”

Miller endorsed Drown for sheriff four days before the Nov. 6 election. Miller has endorsed only one other candidate--Maureen O’Connor for mayor in 1983--in more than two decades in office.

While working at his new job, Drown said, he will continue to look for other opportunities, especially chief-of-police positions in San Diego County. Police chief jobs are coming open in both Coronado and Oceanside, and Drown said he is interested in both.

“I certainly will look for other opportunities,” he said. “I ran for sheriff with the aspiration to be the chief executive of some law enforcement agency, and I still want to do that.”

Drown said he would prefer to stay in San Diego County but would leave the county for the right opportunity.

Last month, Drown said he would have mixed feelings about working with Roache because he believed his opponent ran a negative campaign. On Wednesday, Drown said he will have no problem dealing with Roache.

Roache had said earlier that Drown would be perfect in a job in which he could use his many law enforcement contacts.