Source: https://www.ada.gov/citruscofl.htm
Timestamp: 2019-03-20 00:03:39
Document Index: 444763622

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 12131', 'art 35', '§ 794', 'art 42', '§ 35', '§ 35', '§ 101', '§ 35', '§ 35', '§ 12131', 'art 35', 'art 42', '§ 794', '§ 42', '§ 12132', '§ 35', 'art 36', '§ 35', '§ 4', '§ 7', '§ 4', '§ 4', '§ 4', '§ 35', '§ 35']

Settlement Agreement Between The United States of America and The Citrus County, Florida, Sheriff's Office Under the Americans with Disabilities Act
THE CITRUS COUNTY, FLORIDA, SHERIFF'S OFFICE
DJ 204-17M-384
This matter was initiated by a complaint filed under title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12131-12134, with the United States Department of Justice (Department) against Citrus County, Florida. The complaint was received by the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, under the authority of 28 C.F.R. Part 35, Subpart F. The complainant alleges that Citrus County violated title II with respect to the Countys self-evaluation, transition plan, grievance procedures, ADA Coordinator, teletypewriters, interpreters, employment forms, public meetings, emergency preparedness and access to facilities. Specifically, among other things, the complaint alleges that the emergency preparedness plan does not provide for an evacuation procedure that addresses the needs of people with disabilities and that emergency shelters do not allow service animals.
The Citrus County Sheriffs Office is headed by elected officials who oversee the operations of law enforcement, 9-1-1, and emergency preparedness. The Department has drafted a separate Agreement with the Citrus County Board of Commissioners regarding the other aspects of this complaint.
Because the Sheriffs Office receives financial assistance from the Department of Justice, the investigation was also conducted under the authority of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794, and the Departments implementing regulation, 28 C.F.R. Part 42, Subpart G. The Department expanded the scope of the investigation to include the Sheriffs Offices compliance with the following title II requirements:
to notify applicants, participants, beneficiaries, and other interested persons of their rights and the Sheriffs Offices obligations under title II and the Departments regulation, 28 C.F.R. § 35.106;
physical changes to buildings (required to have been made by January 26, 1995), in accordance with the Departments title II regulation, 28 C.F.R. § 35.151, and the ADA Standards for Accessible Design (Standards), 28 C.F.R. pt. 36, App. A, or the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS), 41 C.F.R. § 101-19.6, App. A.
where the Sheriffs Office communicates by telephone, to communicate through a text telephone (TTY), or other equally effective telecommunications system, with individuals who have hearing or speech impairments, 28 C.F.R. § 35.161;
to provide information for interested persons with disabilities concerning the existence of the Sheriffs Office Special Needs List in the event of an emergency, 28 C.F.R. § 35.163(a);
The Departments program access review covered the programs, services, and activities that operate in the Citrus County Sheriffs Office and the Emergency Operations Center.
The Department also reviewed the Sheriffs Offices policies and procedures regarding effective communication to persons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and emergency management and disaster prevention to evaluate whether persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity to utilize these programs.
1.	The ADA applies to the Sheriffs Office because it is a public entity as defined by title II. 42 U.S.C. § 12131(1).
2.	The Department is authorized under 28 C.F.R. Part 35, Subpart F, to investigate the complaint in this matter to determine the compliance of the Sheriffs Office with title II of the ADA and the Department's implementing title II regulation, to issue findings, and, where appropriate, to negotiate and secure voluntary compliance agreements. Furthermore, the Attorney General is authorized, under 42 U.S.C. section 12133, to bring a civil action enforcing title II of the ADA should the Department fail to secure voluntary compliance pursuant to Subpart F.
3.	The Department is authorized under 28 C.F.R. Part 42, Subpart G, to investigate the complaint in this matter to determine the Sheriffs Offices compliance with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to issue findings, and, where appropriate to negotiate and secure voluntary compliance agreements. Furthermore, the Attorney General is authorized, under 29 U.S.C. § 794 and 28 C.F.R. §§ 42.530, 42.108-110, to suspend or terminate financial assistance to the Sheriffs Office provided by the Department of Justice should the Department fail to secure voluntary compliance pursuant to Subpart G or bring a civil suit to enforce the rights of the United States under applicable federal, state, or local law.
4. The parties to this Agreement are the United States of America and the Citrus County, Florida, Sheriffs Office.
ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT
7.	The Department surveyed the Citrus County Sheriffs Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC receives the 9-1-1 emergency calls for the County. There is a TTY at each station and employees receive training every 6 months on how to operate the TTY. The County was scheduled to obtain Print Track on November 18, 2002, which automatically receives and responds to TTY calls on a computer console.
8.	The Department reviewed the Countys Comprehensive Emergency Plan. The Plan includes a Special Needs Registry where disabled residents can choose to sign up to be contacted and evacuated in the event of an emergency.
9.	The Sheriffs Office will monitor its incoming 9-1-1 TTY calls to ensure they are answered as quickly and accurately as other calls received.
10.	The Sheriffs Office will incorporate correct TTY call-taking procedures into 9-1-1 call takers performance evaluations and will amend its personnel policies to include written disciplinary procedures for call takers who fail to perform TTY call-taking consistent with the training and procedures. The Sheriffs Office will implement and report to the Department its evaluation and procedures within three months of the effective date of this Agreement.
11. Within two months of the effective date of this Agreement, the Sheriffs Office will adapt for its own use and implement the Citrus County Sheriffs Offices Policy Statement on Effective Communication with People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing [Attachment A] and distribute to all Sheriff Department Officers the Guide for Law Enforcement Officers When in Contact with People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing [Attachment B].
12.	Within two months of the effective date of this Agreement, the Sheriffs Office will contract with one or more local qualified oral/sign language interpreter agencies to ensure that interpreting services will be available to the Sheriffs Office on a priority basis, twenty-four hours per day, seven days a week, or make other appropriate arrangements (such as contracting directly with or hiring qualified interpreters).
13.	Within one month of the effective date of this Agreement, the Sheriffs Office will ensure that each sheriff station or substation is equipped with a working TTY to enable persons who are deaf, who are hard of hearing, or who have speech impairments to make outgoing telephone calls.
14.	Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the Sheriffs Office will ensure to the Department that the Special Needs Registry is voluntary and confidential and will not be used for any purpose other than to notify and serve those who have disabilities in the event of an emergency.
15.	Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the Sheriffs Office will implement and report to the Department its written procedures that ensure that at least one emergency shelter has a back-up generator and a way to keep medications refrigerated (such as a refrigerator or a cooler with ice). Such shelter(s) will be made available to persons whose disabilities require access to electricity and refrigeration, for example, for using life-sustaining medical devices, providing power to motorized wheelchairs, and preserving certain medications, such as insulin, that require refrigeration. The written procedures will include a plan for notifying persons of the location of such shelter(s).
16.	Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the Sheriffs Office will implement and report to the Department its written procedures that ensure that persons who use service animals are not separated from their service animals when sheltering during an emergency, even if pets are normally prohibited in shelters. The procedures will not unnecessarily segregate persons who use service animals from others but may take into account the potential presence of persons with disabilities who should not be in contact with certain types of animals, such as those with asthma, severe allergies, or certain phobic reactions.
17.	Some of the of the Sheriffs Offices emergency shelters may be owned or operated by other public entities subject to title II or by public accommodations subject to title III and, as such, are subject to the obligation to provide program access or remove barriers to accessibility under the ADA. This Agreement does not limit such future enforcement action against the owners or operators of these facilities by any person or entity, including the Department.
18.	Within five months of the effective date of this Agreement and until all emergency shelters have accessible parking, exterior routes, entrances, interior routes to the shelter area, and toilet rooms serving the shelter area, the Sheriffs Office will survey, identify, and widely publicize to the public and to disability rights groups the most accessible emergency shelters.
19.	The elements or features of the Sheriffs Offices facilities that do not comply with the Standards, including those listed in this section, prevent persons with disabilities from fully and equally enjoying the Sheriffs Offices services, programs, or activities and constitute discrimination on the basis of disability within the meaning of 42 U.S.C. § 12132 and 28 C.F.R. §§ 35.149 and 35.150.
20.	The Sheriffs Office will comply with the cited provisions of the Standards, 28 C.F.R. Part 36, App. A, when taking the actions required by this Agreement.
Program Access in Existing Facilities: In order to ensure that each of the Sheriffs Offices programs, services, and activities operating at a facility that is the subject of this Agreement, when viewed in its entirety, is readily accessible to and usable by persons with mobility impairments, the Sheriffs Office will take the actions listed below:
21.	The Parties agree that the technical requirements and, where appropriate, the scoping requirements of the Standards are used as a guide for determining whether a program or activity held in an existing facility is readily accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities and for determining what changes are necessary to make this program or activity accessible if it continues to be provided in the existing facility in question. See 28 C.F.R. §§ 35.150(b)(1), 35.151.
22.	Within six months of the effective date of this Agreement, the Sheriffs Office will make the following modifications to the Citrus County Sheriffs Offices facilities:
A.	Parking. The parking space for persons with disabilities is not designated as van accessible. Provide a sign designating the space as van accessible mounted below the symbol of accessibility in a location that cannot be obscured by a vehicle parked in the space. Standards §§ 4.1.2(5)(b), 4.6.4.
B.	Service Counters. The service counters throughout the building are too high. Provide counters that are at least 36 inches wide and no more than 36 inches high, or provide access to services transacted at this counter through alternate means (e.g. by offering these services at an accessible location for individuals who use wheelchairs). Standards § 7.2(1).
1.	The womens and mens toilet room identification signs are mounted on the doors. Provide signs with raised characters and Braille on the walls adjacent to the latch side of the doors so that the centerlines of the signs are 60 inches above the finished floor and a person can approach within 3 inches of the signs without encountering protruding objects or standing within the swing of a door. Standards §§ 4.30.1, 4.30.4, 4.30.5, 4.30.6.
2.	The highest operable parts of the paper towel dispensers in the womens and mens toilet rooms are 64 inches high. Provide paper towel dispensers in the womens and mens toilet rooms so that the highest operable parts are no more than 48 inches above the finished floor for a front approach or 54 inches for a side approach. Standards §§ 4.27.3, 4.2.5, 4.2.6.
3.	The highest operable part of the seat cover dispenser in the womens toilet room is 59 inches high. Provide a seat cover dispenser in the womens toilet room so that the highest operable part is no more than 48 inches above the finished floor for a front approach or 54 inches for a side approach. Standards §§ 4.27.3, 4.2.5, 4.2.6.
23.	Except as otherwise specified in this Agreement, at three, six, and 12 months after the effective date of this Agreement, and annually thereafter until the termination or expiration of the Agreement, the Sheriffs Office will submit written reports to the Department summarizing the actions the Sheriffs Office has taken pursuant to this Agreement. Reports will include detailed photographs showing measurements, architectural plans, work orders, notices published in the newspapers, copies of adopted policies, and proof of efforts to secure funding/assistance for structural renovations or equipment.
24.	Throughout the life of this Agreement, consistent with 28 C.F.R. § 35.133(a), the Sheriffs Office will maintain the accessibility of its programs, activities, services, facilities, and equipment, and will take whatever actions are necessary (such as routine testing of accessibility equipment and routine accessibility audits of its programs and facilities) to do so. This provision does not prohibit isolated or temporary interruptions in service or access due to maintenance or repairs. 28 C.F.R. § 35.133(b).
25.	Within four months of the effective date of this Agreement, the Sheriffs Office will develop or procure a two-hour training program on the requirements of the ADA and the etiquette of interacting with persons with disabilities. The Sheriffs Office will use the ADA technical assistance materials developed by the Department and will consult with interested persons, including individuals with disabilities, in developing or procuring the ADA training program.
26.	Within one year of the effective date of this Agreement, the Sheriffs Office will deliver its training program to all Sheriffs Office employees who have direct contact with members of the public. At the end of that period, the Sheriffs Office will submit a copy of its training curriculum and materials to the Department, along with a list of employees trained and the name, title, and address of the trainer.
27.	If at any time the Sheriffs Office desires to modify any portion of this Agreement because of changed conditions making performance impossible or impractical or for any other reason, it will promptly notify the Department in writing, setting forth the facts and circumstances thought to justify modification and the substance of the proposed modification. Until there is written agreement by the Department to the proposed modification, the proposed modification will not take effect. These actions must receive the prior written approval of the Department, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.
28.	The Department may review compliance with this Agreement at any time. If the Department believes that the Sheriffs Office has failed to comply in a timely manner with any requirement of this Agreement without obtaining sufficient advance written agreement with the Department for a modification of the relevant terms, the Department will so notify the Sheriffs Office in writing and it will attempt to resolve the issue or issues in good faith. If the Department is unable to reach a satisfactory resolution of the issue or issues raised within 30 days of the date it provides notice to the Sheriffs Office, it may institute a civil action in federal district court to enforce the terms of this Agreement, or it may initiate appropriate steps to enforce title II and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
29.	For purposes of the immediately preceding paragraph, it is a violation of this Agreement for the Sheriffs Office to fail to comply in a timely manner with any of its requirements without obtaining sufficient advance written agreement with the Department for an extension of the relevant time frame imposed by the Agreement.
30.	Failure by the Department to enforce this entire Agreement or any provision thereof with regard to any deadline or any other provision herein shall not be construed as a waiver of the Department's right to enforce other deadlines and provisions of this Agreement.
31.	This Agreement is a public document. A copy of this document or any information contained in it will be made available to any person by the Sheriffs Office or the Department on request.
32.	This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties on the matters raised herein, and no other statement, promise, or agreement, either written or oral, made by either party or agents of either party, that is not contained in this written Agreement (including its Attachments), shall be enforceable. This Agreement does not purport to remedy any other potential violations of the ADA or any other federal law. This Agreement does not affect the Sheriffs Offices continuing responsibility to comply with all aspects of the ADA and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
33.	This Agreement will remain in effect for two years from the effective date of this Agreement, or until the parties agree that full compliance with this Agreement by the Sheriffs Office has been achieved, whichever is later.
34.	The person signing for the Sheriffs Office represents that he or she is authorized to bind the Sheriffs Office to this Agreement.
35.	The effective date of this Agreement is the date of the last signature below.
For the Sheriff's Office: For the United States:
Date 1/6/2004
Date 2/27/2004
CITRUS COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE