The commission appointed Monday to dissect the workings of the Santa Clara County jails is the best hope for substantive reform in the wake of Michael Tyree’s brutal murder. The chair, retired judge and San Jose Independent Police Auditor LaDoris Cordell, is perfect to lead it, and the membership looks great — except for one missing link:

Somebody who actually has worked in the county’s cellblocks.

We’re with the sheriff’s deputies and correctional officers on this one. The commission will be evaluating what’s wrong in the jails and how operations need to change. It’s only logical to include someone with direct experience to clarify problems, suggest reforms and flag ideas that seem impractical.

The county’s excuse — that nobody applied — isn’t good enough. Surely some of the commission appointees or the groups they represent were approached beforehand by county officials.

Sheriff Laurie Smith and corrections Chief John Hirokawa will be on the 25-member commission. But their sense of what’s been going on in the jails is obviously incomplete, or this tragedy would not have happened.

Three jail officers have been charged with the beating death of the mentally ill Tyree in his cell in August. Since then, Smith has welcomed scrutiny and promised reform. She has said all the right things, including rejecting recommendations by County Executive Jeff Smith to limit the blue ribbon commission’s agenda. For example, Smith wanted to bar public testimony from people complaining of mistreatment in the jail.

Image shaping is a priority for the county. After the killing, Smith hired politically connected lobbyists Tom Saggau and Dustin DeRollo for $95,000 to help frame the sheriff’s message. The same consultants were hired — for another $95,000 — to manage public perception of the county’s legal fight with Turner Construction over the meltdown of a Valley Medical Center construction contract.

Some $200,000 for damage control is not a common expenditure of tax dollars. It calls into question whether the county’s apparent openness and eagerness to fix whatever’s wrong in the jails might be more public relations than sincere intent. This is why the commission is so important.

Naming Cordell to chair it improves the county’s credibility. She is not susceptible to political influence, has a heightened sense of public responsibility and does not suffer fools gladly. She’ll make sure the recommendations are thorough, and she’ll watch to make sure they’re implemented.

We hope jail officers and former officers will attend the all-public meetings or watch the YouTube videos of them that Cordell promises to post. Then they can step up during public testimony when they think commissioners would benefit from their ideas or a reality check.

But if the county wants to further lift its credibility in all this, it will invite a representative to the table.

The commission appointed Monday to dissect the workings of the Santa Clara County jails is the best hope for substantive reform in the wake of Michael Tyree’s brutal murder. The chair, retired judge and San Jose Independent Police Auditor LaDoris Cordell, is perfect to lead it, and the membership looks great — except for one missing link:

Somebody who actually has worked in the county’s cellblocks.

We’re with the sheriff’s deputies and correctional officers on this one. The commission will be evaluating what’s wrong in the jails and how operations need to change. It’s only logical to include someone with direct experience to clarify problems, suggest reforms and flag ideas that seem impractical.

The county’s excuse — that nobody applied — isn’t good enough. Surely some of the commission appointees or the groups they represent were approached beforehand by county officials.

Sheriff Laurie Smith and corrections Chief John Hirokawa will be on the 25-member commission. But their sense of what’s been going on in the jails is obviously incomplete, or this tragedy would not have happened.

Three jail officers have been charged with the beating death of the mentally ill Tyree in his cell in August. Since then, Smith has welcomed scrutiny and promised reform. She has said all the right things, including rejecting recommendations by County Executive Jeff Smith to limit the blue ribbon commission’s agenda. For example, Smith wanted to bar public testimony from people complaining of mistreatment in the jail.

Image shaping is a priority for the county. After the killing, Smith hired politically connected lobbyists Tom Saggau and Dustin DeRollo for $95,000 to help frame the sheriff’s message. The same consultants were hired — for another $95,000 — to manage public perception of the county’s legal fight with Turner Construction over the meltdown of a Valley Medical Center construction contract.

Some $200,000 for damage control is not a common expenditure of tax dollars. It calls into question whether the county’s apparent openness and eagerness to fix whatever’s wrong in the jails might be more public relations than sincere intent. This is why the commission is so important.

Naming Cordell to chair it improves the county’s credibility. She is not susceptible to political influence, has a heightened sense of public responsibility and does not suffer fools gladly. She’ll make sure the recommendations are thorough, and she’ll watch to make sure they’re implemented.

We hope jail officers and former officers will attend the all-public meetings or watch the YouTube videos of them that Cordell promises to post. Then they can step up during public testimony when they think commissioners would benefit from their ideas or a reality check.

But if the county wants to further lift its credibility in all this, it will invite a representative to the table.

The commission appointed Monday to dissect the workings of the Santa Clara County jails is the best hope for substantive reform in the wake of Michael Tyree’s brutal murder. The chair, retired judge and San Jose Independent Police Auditor LaDoris Cordell, is perfect to lead it, and the membership looks great — except for one missing link:

Somebody who actually has worked in the county’s cellblocks.

We’re with the sheriff’s deputies and correctional officers on this one. The commission will be evaluating what’s wrong in the jails and how operations need to change. It’s only logical to include someone with direct experience to clarify problems, suggest reforms and flag ideas that seem impractical.

The county’s excuse — that nobody applied — isn’t good enough. Surely some of the commission appointees or the groups they represent were approached beforehand by county officials.

Sheriff Laurie Smith and corrections Chief John Hirokawa will be on the 25-member commission. But their sense of what’s been going on in the jails is obviously incomplete, or this tragedy would not have happened.

Three jail officers have been charged with the beating death of the mentally ill Tyree in his cell in August. Since then, Smith has welcomed scrutiny and promised reform. She has said all the right things, including rejecting recommendations by County Executive Jeff Smith to limit the blue ribbon commission’s agenda. For example, Smith wanted to bar public testimony from people complaining of mistreatment in the jail.

Image shaping is a priority for the county. After the killing, Smith hired politically connected lobbyists Tom Saggau and Dustin DeRollo for $95,000 to help frame the sheriff’s message. The same consultants were hired — for another $95,000 — to manage public perception of the county’s legal fight with Turner Construction over the meltdown of a Valley Medical Center construction contract.

Some $200,000 for damage control is not a common expenditure of tax dollars. It calls into question whether the county’s apparent openness and eagerness to fix whatever’s wrong in the jails might be more public relations than sincere intent. This is why the commission is so important.

Naming Cordell to chair it improves the county’s credibility. She is not susceptible to political influence, has a heightened sense of public responsibility and does not suffer fools gladly. She’ll make sure the recommendations are thorough, and she’ll watch to make sure they’re implemented.

We hope jail officers and former officers will attend the all-public meetings or watch the YouTube videos of them that Cordell promises to post. Then they can step up during public testimony when they think commissioners would benefit from their ideas or a reality check.

But if the county wants to further lift its credibility in all this, it will invite a representative to the table.