San Mateo County Sheriff Ken Binder reflects on his 1st few days in office

“I’m excited about all the potential opportunity for things to do,” Binder said. “I like to work. I’ve always been one of those folks that works long hours, I’m dedicated. But this is going to be a marathon, it’s not a sprint.”

On Oct. 14, San Mateo County became the first in California to remove an elected sheriff from their position without a recall effort or civil grand jury procedure. After a unanimous vote to remove former sheriff Christina Corpus from office was held, the process to find her successor began from which Binder emerged.

The former undersheriff of Santa Clara County, Binder is not unfamiliar with how a county law enforcement agency operates.

Still, at 9 a.m. on his first day in the new job, Binder spent over three hours with the captains, then held another meeting with management leaders throughout the office, to hear how he can support their work.

“It was a meeting that everyone was grateful to have,” Binder said. “They’re hungry for support and leadership, that’s very clear.”

Staff wants “leadership that is visionary, honest, that fulfills their word,” Binder said. They are interested in doing their job, and doing it well, and Binder’s goal is to provide the space for them to do so.

“The organization is going to be fine moving forward,” Binder said. “I want to make sure they feel supported along the way and that we provide whatever they need to be able to move forward in a way that really allows them to thrive in their own talent, training and abilities.”

One of Binder’s first actions as the Sheriff’s Office’s new leader was reinstating three sworn officers who were placed on administrative leave by Corpus, where they have remained for extended periods of time beyond standards.

Sgt. Javier Acosta, Sgt. Joe Fava and Deputy Carlos Tapia were reinstated last week, a move that quickly boosted morale within the office, deputies said.

Although Binder must still review the internal affairs cases relating to each deputy — which he is awaiting to do with his incoming Undersheriff Chris Hsiung — the sheriff said it is important they return to work in the meantime.

Standards for internal affairs investigations detail when placing a deputy on administrative leave is necessary or advised, which Binder said he will follow closely.

“There is still a job to do,” Binder said.

Focusing on the job that must be done — providing effective service to the public and within the county jails — is a throughline in Binder’s plans for the foreseeable future.

Alongside his administrative leadership team, Binder said his job is to ensure the Sheriff’s Office delivers services, both in the streets and in the correctional environment, that meets the public’s expectations.

It is also his job to balance this responsibility with establishing a good working environment for his deputies, he said. The labor unions were key players in the effort to remove Corpus from office, and many sworn deputies were frustrated with her unwillingness to meet and confer in good faith.

“When it comes to issues of officer safety, employee wellness, working conditions, those are areas where the union really brings a lot to the table and where I’m going to be listening to their input,” Binder said.

“I will not compromise on officer safety,” Binder said.

Though Binder acknowledges the strain the Sheriff’s Office has gone through recently, he is intentional about not discussing his predecessor’s tenure at length.

“I know that being a leader is challenging,” Binder said. “I don’t want to comment on that, other than to say we’re turning a corner. We’re going to march forward ahead in the best way possible for the professional staff and the men and women that work here.”

Executive team

Establishing exactly who will be by his side at the executive level is the next step in moving forward, Binder said.

Hsiung will likely be onboarded before the end of the week, if not early next week, Binder said. Returning to the role, Hsiung held the same title under Corpus for 16 months before leaving the organization frustrated with her leadership.

Dan Perea was undersheriff after Hsiung left in June 2024. After sticking by Corpus’ side through her demise, Perea ultimately was tasked with discharging the duties of sheriff after she was removed from office. He resigned the same day Binder was appointed and sworn into office.

“Bringing in Chris Hsiung has nothing to do with image, it has everything to do with operations,” Binder said. “He is honest. He knows the organization. That’s why we’re going to work together.”

The two share a similar management style, that of a “servant leader,” Binder said.

“I’ve always respected him as someone who was honest, straightforward,” Binder said.

The sheriff also intends to bring Ryan Monaghan back to his former role as assistant sheriff, though, this has yet to be finalized. The remaining two assistant sheriff positions will be posed internally for sworn staff to apply, Binder said.

“I think we have a lot of talent within the organization, they know the organization, we have folks that care deeply for the community and the office,” Binder said. “That’s where we’re going to go to fulfill these promotions.”

A political position

In the next year or two, Binder’s hope is to “ensure the office is on a good trajectory,” and will then gauge if he is up for running for reelection. Though Binder said it is slightly out of his comfort zone to run a campaign — “I hate asking people for money” — he is open to running in 2028.

“I’m committed to the long term to make sure the Sheriff’s Office is what it needs to be,” Binder said. “You can only do so much in a couple of years.”

Echoing what Supervisor Ray Mueller said after Binder was appointed, his goal is that the Sheriff’s Office deputies “could do our job on a day to day basis without being in the public eye too much.”

“We just want to do the right thing and move forward,” Binder said.