Sheriff Ken Binder says San Mateo County office is turning a corner

“We’ve turned a corner,” Binder said. “We’ve got a resilient group of men and women in the Sheriff’s Office, both sworn and professional staff. There’s always residual effects when you go through something, but we’re really working to build trust.” 

Binder was sworn into office as the 27th sheriff of San Mateo County Nov. 12, 2025, after being appointed by the Board of Supervisors following what was a particularly historic year. His unconventional appointment was the closure of a tumultuous era under his predecessor, Christina Corpus, who was the first elected sheriff removed from office without a recall effort or civil grand jury procedure. 

To Deputy Carlos Tapia, president of the deputies union, the dynamic and morale shift in the office is “night and day.” 

Team building with open and honest conversations about what the staff experienced in the last few years and how the organization can move forward has helped staff weigh in on how the office can be better, Binder said. 

“We’re not looking back,” Binder said. 

Binder filled out his executive team in January, including promoting former captains into assistant sheriff positions. With those included, there have been 25 internal promotions within the office since Jan. 1. Focusing on the quality already inside the office has been a priority. 

“Really, our goal is to make sure services are delivered in a professional manner, in our jails, in our streets and in everything we’re able to do,” Binder said. 

Hiring

Both hiring and retention is tracking in a positive direction, the sheriff said. 

“The interest in testing for the Sheriff’s Office has gone up, so we’re able to be more selective to make sure that we’re picking the cream of the crop,” Binder said. “We have very high hiring standards.” 

Under Corpus’ tenure, her office touted hiring numbers that lowered the vacancy rates in the office to approximately 15%, she said previously, but the quality of personnel was consistently called into question. 

There remains a 13% vacancy across sworn positions within the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. 

“One bad apple spoils a whole bunch and I would rather work with a vacancy than have someone out there wearing this uniform representing the county and the Sheriff’s Office,” Binder said. 

Forty-one individuals are going through the background process and, while not all may be ultimately hired, the influx of options bodes well for the office, Binder said. Since January, there have been 10 sworn officers and 18 civilian hires. Another 14 are currently working through the academy. 

“We’re building culture, we want to make sure the people we hire really have that high ethical standard, that they go the extra step to do the right thing and provide that customer service and customer care,” Binder said. 

Staff culture

That culture among staff is a critical focus of Binder’s. Morale has evidently improved, and can be seen even in small things like quarterly potlucks where staff actually attends and enjoys.

“It works to ensure that we’re a cohesive organization, that we can focus on our mission together,” Binder said. “It also breaks down silos so that we don’t have different bureaus competing or different resources. We want everyone working hand in hand together.” 

Tensions between the unions and Corpus were a major source of conflict during her tenure, and it has been Tapia’s job, and other members of the union, to remind staff that the battle is over. 

“There’s some people still scared, that are like ‘I don’t know what to expect,’” Tapia said. “It’s my job as the union president to remind people we don’t have to fight anymore.” 

When conflict arises and negotiations must be held, as always, the relationship between the unions and administration within the Sheriff’s Office is much healthier, Tapia said. 

“Our fighting days are over,” Tapia said. “It is just a simple conversation. We just go to the powers that be and have a conversation, and it will get resolved.” 

Pay raises, promotions, safety

Contract negotiations between the deputies union and Sheriff’s Office administration finished in April after a handful of months, and deputies secured about a 15% raise over three years, and “everyone’s happy,” Tapia said. 

“We’re slowly turning this page and we have the right people in place on the union side and on the administration side,” Tapia said. “Without the leadership of Sheriff Binder, I don’t think we would have been here. We’re lucky.” 

Binder’s focus on internal promotions has also shown his commitment to recognizing the talent already within the office, Tapia said. It’s a gauge for his trust in his staff, he said.

Conversations with the unions have also resulted in an established minimum staffing level within the two jail facilities to ensure a baseline of safety. This minimum was not in place when Binder took office, and was created to ensure quality care for the average daily population of 1,000 incarcerated persons. 

“You need to have a certain level of staffing, that we’ve come up with, that you can’t go under and be safe,” Binder said. “We wanted to come up with an understanding that we can make sure we meet basic safety standards without overspending.” 

Budget

Getting a grip on the Sheriff’s Office budget, particularly when it comes to staffing, overtime and reserves, was critical in Binder’s first months. With the deputies union negotiations completed and a focus on fiscal management regarding overtime in particular, Binder is pleased with the progress made. 

“We’re instilling, from the top down, an emphasis and a focus on fiscal responsibility so that our managers and supervisors have that mindset, where they don’t just rubber stamp overtime, where they really look at the need,” Binder said. 

A double overtime agreement under Corpus’ administration became a costly burden on the Sheriff’s Office budget, that was found to be abused. That and frivolous spending depleted the office’s reserves to an unsustainable level that required the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors to establish stronger oversight. Binder said the fiscal stewardship he’s prioritizing will lead the budget in the right direction. 

Next steps

Binder also spoke to the effort he and the executive team have made to maintain “open and frank dialogue” with the unions. While “we won’t make promises we can’t keep,” the nature of negotiations and meetings are made in good faith, Binder said. 

“You’ve got to make sure they’re taken care of here so they can take care of the community in positive ways,” Binder said. “Healthy cops treat the community in healthy ways.” 

With morale on the rise and a shift away from having to focus on internal issues, deputies are able to focus more on engaging with the community in a positive way beyond policing. 

“A lot of things that have been put on the side burner are now being resolved and are possible,” Tapia said. 

This includes deputies attending community events, like Coffee with a Cop or National Night Out, that show the community what’s behind the badge, Tapia said. 

As Binder looks ahead, the focus largely remains the same as when he first took office — on public safety, employee wellness and high professional standards, and strong community engagement. 

When the office is out of crisis mode, in which it had remained for quite some time, staff in the Sheriff’s Office can focus on what matters and be a trustworthy resource for residents, Binder said. 

“Every deputy is an ambassador for law enforcement, for the Sheriff’s Office and for the county,” Binder said. “I really want them to take every interaction they have with the public seriously and I want them to do it professionally and I want them to do it in a well-trained manner.”

Seven months into the job and with the progress made so far at reinvigorating a workforce and building trust, Binder said he already has plans to run for reelection when the time comes in 2028 to continue the work he’s begun. 

“I am enjoying the work we’re doing and it’s going to take several years to really build something that will last for decades beyond my tenure here,” Binder said. “I want to build something that everyone in San Mateo County can feel good about.”