New sheriff gets to work in San Mateo County

Her inaugural ceremony was Jan. 7 at the College of San Mateo and saw her become the 26th sheriff of San Mateo County and the first Latina sheriff in county history. Her first few days have been focused on storm preparedness and helping the community, with most of her day passing quickly, given the job and responsibilities.

She hopes to build trust and transparency in the community and take the Sheriff’s Office into the 21st century, building a new culture for the organization. Her priority for culture is to collaborate with different law enforcement agencies and change mental wellness for law enforcement and people in jail. She wanted more mental health help for law enforcement officers dealing with demanding jobs and providing a good mental wellness program for those in jail, particularly those dealing with substance issues and mental illness. She noted many inmates require medical attention and help the Sheriff’s Office can’t do alone, and she has a meeting set up with judges and mental health teams to help people get better.

“We are looking at working with our courts and our behavioral health team within the county to look at different ways of helping support these individuals who are in our custody,” Corpus said.

She is also looking to start her Community Advisors for Responsible Engagement. The program will have community members, business owners and faith-based leaders from the different communities in San Mateo County who meet with her and engage on different ideas and needs of the community.

“Through that, we will build transparency, trust and a more collaborative relationship with the community we serve,” Corpus said.

Her leadership team is also taking shape, with Mountain View Police Chief Chris Hsiung set to become undersheriff, making him the first Asian American person to hold the position in the county’s history. Hsiung is a Foster City native raising his family in San Mateo. Corpus has said Hsiung’s modern approach to policing and being a local were huge reasons why she hired him. Tiburon Police Chief Ryan Monaghan will also be the new assistant sheriff for operations, she said. Both will start in February, and she is already planning the organization’s future with them. She noted both are San Mateo County residents and started in local departments on the Peninsula and had leadership, innovation and outside-of-the-box thinking.

“They acknowledged that there are things we need to change in law enforcement and the way that we respond to calls for service and the way we lead the organization,” Corpus said.

She is doing a nationwide search for an assistant sheriff of corrections.