San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office lauds having a near full staff

“We have had tremendous success with lateral applicants that want to work in an organization with a culture of excellence that prides itself on ‘People First, Service Above Self,’” Corpus said.

But the organization’s culture has been a topic of concern by personnel.

Disapproval of workplace conditions within the Sheriff’s Office have only grown since Corpus took office in January 2023, to the point where the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors will consider removing her from office in the coming months. A significant part of the strain felt by personnel has involved mandatory overtime and being short staffed.

The Sheriff’s Office is currently fully staffed with correctional officers, and there are 31 vacancies for deputy sheriff positions, according to the press release. In early 2024, there were about 100 vacancies.

Despite closing vacancy gaps, the quality of hires has raised concern from senior personnel.

After the alleged sexual assault between two incarcerated people on Dec. 2 while a deputy escorted an incarcerated women alongside four other incarcerated men, sheriffs’ abilities have fallen into question.

An email dated Dec. 13 from San Mateo County Superior Court judges Stephanie Garratt and Elizabeth Lee to Corpus, shows the judges stating they have seen “frequent lapses in security protocol” by deputies who are assigned to the courts in the last year.

The Sheriff’s Office maintains it has a substantive and effective hiring process and acknowledges the extensive and lengthy training new hires must go through.

“The Sheriff’s Office has a thorough background process and will not compromise on the quality of hires and the level of service we provide to our communities,” Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Gretchen Spiker said in a statement.

If vacancies remain after processing over 350 applications, the Sheriff’s Office will reopen the online application, Spiker said.

While Corpus claims fruitful hiring efforts, the Deputy Sheriff’s Association and Organization of Sheriff’s Sergeants unions believe the already-hired and trained staff is still struggling.

“Our staff continue to work significant amounts of overtime in order to maintain the Sheriff’s Office and keep our community safe,” the unions said in a statement. “In the meantime, Sheriff Corpus has done absolutely nothing to retain experienced employees.”

While Corpus may be hiring at rapid rates, many senior employees are leaving just as quickly “because of terrible workplace morale and retaliation,” the unions said.

“Instead of crowing about hiring, Sheriff Corpus should instead work on treating current employees with the dignity and respect they deserve,” the unions said.

Union representatives have become whistleblowers against Corpus and her executive team, making their grievances known to the public last August. Now nearly a year later, the ongoing scandal has resulted in a charter amendment and parties suing one another.

On May 6, the Board of Supervisors’ removal proceedings, which could take months, was officially approved. Staff is currently finalizing the notice of intent for removal that must be approved by supervisors by a four-fifths vote before being served on Corpus.