Although a law enforcement survey of Half Moon Bay residents found most have positive impressions and interactions with the San Mateo County’s Sheriff’s Office, the council does not plan to use results to make future policy.
The survey found most residents believe the Sheriff’s Office is fair to residents, is responsive to resident concerns, are friendly, with over 70% affirmative response rates. Around 83.7% trust deputies in Half Moon Bay, with about 80% trusting deputies will protect them and their families. Only 3% felt there was too much law enforcement presence, with 59% saying it was just right and 30% too little. Respondent demographics found 55% were white, 35% Latino, 6% Asian and 1.3% Black. The survey from Probolsky Research took place from the end of January to mid-February of 300 people. The City Council directed staff to survey residents in July 2021.
However, a question asking people about the last time they were stopped by the San Mateo County sheriff’s deputies in Half Moon Bay found 16.7% felt they were racially profiled. A slight majority of 54% believe the CARES community mental health responder program will make Half Moon Bay safer, with 28.7% uncertain. The program started March 16 to help people experiencing a mental health crisis. The bilingual team will respond to 911 mental health crisis calls in a van. The team features a certified emergency medical technician and an experienced behavioral health care clinician, with both unarmed. However, most respondents had not heard of the program.
The council pushed back against using the survey results to justify city policy during discussions at its March 1 meeting where initial results were published. Councilmember Harvey Rarback said that as the council makes public safety policy, it must consider other perspectives of negative interactions with law enforcement.
“It’s very important that we don’t let this one survey dominant public policy,” Rarback said, citing the 2014 death of Yanira Serrano, who was killed by a Sheriff’s Office deputy in Half Moon Bay after the family called emergency services requesting help.
“While the survey results were surprising, I think we need to go beyond the survey if we’re going to make sensible public policy that respects the safety of our community,” Rarback said.
Councilmember Deborah Penrose agreed, expressing concern the survey did not reach enough Spanish speakers.
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“I’m glad that we are not looking at the survey and taking it as the information we use to decide policy in our city,” Penrose said.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Councilmember Joaquin Jimenez said. “This is something we heard from the community today, but I don’t think it represents our community.”
The council has made public safety and relationships with law enforcement a priority to improve in the past two years. The city has created a mental health crisis program, formed a Public Safety Subcommittee to create reforms and discussed forming its own police department instead of using the Sheriff’s Office.
Several residents spoke and questioned the survey’s validity over concerns about fear in the community about responding to the survey and fear of retaliation to families. Others were concerned about the survey questions and if they represented the entire community.
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