One morning 10 years ago, when he carried a gun and a shield for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Thomas John Sadler was driving his unmarked patrol car along El Cajon Boulevard when he saw a woman he knew to be a prostitute lingering at a North Park bus stop.

He pulled over and ordered her into his car, then drove to a remote Mission Valley parking lot. He forced open the woman’s legs, exposed her breasts and groped the victim, all while on duty.

“I was a man and I saw a prostitute and I wanted to have sex,” the sheriff’s detective told a Superior Court judge before he was handed a two-year prison sentence for felony assault and battery under the color of authority. “I didn’t want to hurt her.”


Sadler, now 57, served his time and successfully completed parole in 2012.

Earlier this month Sadler began a new job as a code compliance officer for the city of San Diego, where he once again is vested with government authority to investigate complaints, conduct field inspections and issue citations.

His hire comes at a time when the state is trying to give more ex-cons a fresh start, amid a growing restorative justice movement. But the particulars of his case — giving such an offender access to people’s homes under color of authority — give pause to some victim advocates.

Sadler, who started his new job Sept. 9 after clearing a full background check by San Diego city officials, did not respond to messages left at his work and home.


City officials defended the decision to hire Sadler. Personnel director Douglas Edwards said every position at City Hall is filled through a specific process that begins with a list of eligible candidates. Top prospects receive interviews and managers check references for their leading candidate before making a conditional job offer.

At that point, “We do a conviction history, fingerprint checks, then we make a determination as to whether that person would be suitable for employment and the position they are applying for,” Edwards said. “Thomas Sadler was cleared by our department.”

Thomas John Sadler (Department of Corrections)

Like every city employee, Sadler is on probationary status for the first year. That means after 12 months, if he successfully meets his work responsibilities and avoids serious issues with his boss, coworkers and the public, Sadler will become a permanent employee with full civil-service protections and benefits.


“Each person that’s working for the city has been cleared,” Edwards said. “We believe that their background is appropriate for the job they are currently in.”

Sadler is paid about $38,000 a year to work as a code compliance officer for the city of San Diego. He collected just over $60,000 in retirement benefits in 2017 for his 20 years of service with the sheriff’s department, according to Transparent California, a nonprofit that tracks public salaries and pension data.

As a code compliance officer, Sadler is responsible for responding to noise complaints, reports of abandoned vehicles, excessive towing charges and water waste or theft, among other things.

Compliance officers also conduct field inspections of businesses and other properties, meaning they travel the community and interact with the public in much the same way as police and sheriff’s deputies.


They also issue citations and report more serious crimes to higher authorities.

Sadler was convicted in March 2010, two years after his encounter with the prostitute on El Cajon Boulevard. The jury declined to convict the detective of any sex crime, instead finding him guilty of felony assault and battery by an officer and misdemeanor charges of assault and false imprisonment.

During the trial, the prosecutor presented testimony from four other women who claimed that Sadler had touched them inappropriately while on duty.

Jessica Pride, a San Diego a lawyer who specializes in defending victims of sexual assault, said allowing a convicted felon and accused sex offender to perform any enforcement function is concerning.


“He was a deputy sheriff in San Diego, so they are on notice that he has dangerous propensities,” said Pride, who also chairs the board of directors at the Center for Community Solutions, a nonprofit advocacy for victims of sexual assault. “The city is now subjecting the citizens of San Diego to potential harm without any warning.”

Paula Myers, another San Diego victim advocate, questioned whether empowering a convicted felon to enforce local ordinances and regulations is a good idea.

“Anyone who couldn’t obey the law shouldn’t be making judgment calls themselves, whether it’s noise complaints or anything else,” Myers said. “There are others jobs they can do instead of putting them out in the community interacting with people again.”

The issue of hiring people with criminal records has vexed employers and policymakers for years.


A report last year from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation found 46.1 percent of the nearly 36,000 inmates released five years earlier were convicted of fresh crimes within three years.

Without steady employment, ex-offenders are more likely to commit new crimes after being released from custody, experts say. Also, the growing economy in California and across the United States has increased competition for reliable workers.

California lawmakers recognized the need to provide ex-offenders a leg up in the job market.

They amended the Fair Employment and Housing Act to prohibit employers from conducting criminal background checks prior to tendering a job offer, although conditional offers may still be rescinded under specific circumstances.


Researchers at the Council of State Governments Justice Center, a nonprofit think tank in Kentucky, said conducting background checks at the end of the hiring process helps eliminate an innate bias against convicted felons.

“Delaying this inquiry encourages the employer to focus on skills and qualifications first and allows the potential employee to get a foot in the door and explain their record during an interview,” they concluded in a 2017 report.

Bettie Kirkland runs a nonprofit in Nashville, Tennessee, called Project Return that helps steer ex-offenders back into the workforce. She said it’s easy for employers -- and the public -- to adopt a fear-and-contempt mentality when it comes to hiring ex-convicts.

But that perspective is short-sighted, Kirkland said.


“The fact is, people who have previously been convicted of crimes can be and are productive, successful members of our communities,” she said. “They work hard, they pay taxes, they strive to do well, and in many cases, understandably, they inordinately value their jobs. exhibit great loyalty, and exceed expectations.”

Kirkland said more employers are realizing that a prior bad act does not fully define a person.

“In many cases, they even outperform and outlast their counterparts who do not have conviction histories,” she said.

San Diego officials could not say how many of the city’s 11,500 employees have criminal records. Edwards referred questions to the state Department of Justice, which did not immediately respond to a request for data.


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jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald