POTENTIAL CONFLICT AVOIDED BY DEP CTLR WHEN OBSERVING AN INCORRECT DEP TURN USED BY THE FLT CREW OF A DEP B737-700 OFF RWY 16R AT SMF; CA.

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I RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING CLRNC FROM SMF CLRNC DELIVERY. 'COMPANY FLT NUMBER; AFTER DEP; FLY HDG 010 DEGS FOR RADAR VECTORS TO RED BLUFF (RBL); THEN AS FILED; MAINTAIN 11000 FT DEP FREQ AND XPONDER CODE.' READ IT BACK AS STATED. WE HAD A FULL ACFT WITH ONE OF OUR PLTS IN THE JUMPSEAT. EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL AND ALL CHKLISTS AND CREW BRIEFINGS WERE COMPLETED. THE CAPT WAS AWARE OF THE CLRNC AND TURN AFTER TKOF. WE WERE PARKED AT GATE. A TKOF WAS PLANNED FOR RWY 16R. WE WERE GIVEN TKOF CLRNC BY THE TWR ON RWY 16R AND NO OTHER INSTRUCTIONS. THE CAPT WAS THE PF AND THE TKOF WAS NORMAL. AT 500 FT; HE BEGAN HIS R TURN TO 010 DEGS AND THE TWR HANDED US OFF TO DEP CTL. AS HE STARTED HIS R TURN; I COULD SEE A COMPANY JET ON THE R DOWNWIND IN OUR TURN. I THOUGHT IT WAS STRANGE THAT WE HAD BEEN GIVEN A CLB TO 11000 FT AND A TURN. AS I CHKED IN WITH DEP; I MADE SURE I TOLD HIM THAT 'COMPANY NUMBER IS OUT OF 1000 FT CLBING TO 11000 FT; R TURN TO 010 DEGS.' AT FIRST HE DID NOT SAY ANYTHING BACK; BUT THEN CAME BACK AND TOLD US TO STOP THE CLB AT 2000 FT. AT THE TIME; WE WERE AT AROUND 1600 FT AND A NORMAL LEVELOFF AT 2000 FT WAS PERFORMED. DEP THEN INFORMED US THAT WE HAD TURNED THE WRONG DIRECTION. WE SHOULD HAVE TURNED TO THE L; AND TO MAINTAIN 2000 FT FOR COMPANY JET AT 4000 FT ON DOWNWIND. NO PROBS WERE ENCOUNTERED BY THE COMPANY JET BECAUSE OF US AND NO TCASII CONFLICTS WERE NOTED. WE CLRED THE COMPANY AND RESUMED OUR CLB. DEP WAS VERY NICE ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND TOLD US THAT IT HAD BEEN DONE AT LEAST 2 OTHER TIMES. HE ASKED IF THE TWR HAD ISSUED THE HDG; AND WE SAID NO IT WAS GIVEN BY CLRNC. HE SAID THE TWR SHOULD HAVE BACKED UP THE HDG BECAUSE IT WAS NOT A NORMAL THING TO TURN TO THE L ACROSS THE ACTIVE RWY 16L AND IN THE LONG WAY AROUND TO 010 DEGS. THE CAPT AND I DISCUSSED THIS ISSUE AT LENGTH. I BELIEVE THE PROB NEEDS TO BE ADDRESS ASAP. CLRNC DELIVERY SHOULD NOT BE GIVING TURNS AFTER TKOF. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE TWR ALMOST ALWAYS DOES EVERYWHERE WE FLY INTO. THEN THE TWR SHOULD HAVE STATED THE NEED FOR A NON-STANDARD L TURN AROUND TO 010 DEG HDG. THE ARPT WAS NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST BIT BUSY. NO REASON FOR THE TWR NOT TO GIVE THE HDG AFTER TKOF. SUPPLEMENT INFO FROM ACN 587042: DURING PREFLT BRIEFING AT THE GATE; FO ADVISED AFTER TKOF WE WERE ASSIGNED A 010 DEG HDG. I WROTE DOWN R TURN 010 DEGS. I REPEATED TO THE FO R TURN; 010 DEG CLB TO 7000 FT. AT THE END OF THE RWY; TWR CLRED US FOR TKOF WITHOUT ASSIGNING A HDG OR A DIRECTION TO TURN. I CONFIRMED THE HDG AND TURN WITH THE FO. HE STATED 'CLRNC DELIVERY DID NOT GIVE A DIRECTION TO MAKE THE TURN' AND HE ASSUMED IT WAS A R TURN ALSO. I WAS SURE OF THE R TURN DUE TO RWY 16L BEING ACTIVE; AND THE PREVIOUS DEP; NO LONGER IN USE; CALLING FOR A R TURN.