Policy Text
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office is committed to work in partnership with our community to enhance the safety, security, and quality of life for the
residents and visitors of Kern County through professional public safety services.
Donny Youngblood
Sheriff-Coroner
1350 Norris Road, Bakersfield, California 93308-2231
Telephone (661) 391-7500
Senate Bill 43 “Gravely Disabled”
This training bulletin is to inform and update Sheriff’s Office personnel on the expansion
of “gravely disabled” as it relates to Welfare and Institution code section 5008.
Effective January 1, 2024, the definition of gravely disabled expands so that a
conservatorship (including a 72-hour hold placed by law enforcement or other authority)
may be ordered for a person suffering from severe substance abuse and chronic
alcoholism. The definition includes a condition in which a person, as a result of a severe
substance use disorder (including chronic alcoholism) or co-occurring mental heal