Editor,
I read your Oct. 20 article with interest, “Sheriff Corpus is at odds with oversight plan: Top cop worries subpoena power will harm public safety, hinder recruitment.” It appears that the Board of Supervisors is poised to create a new oversight bureaucracy estimated to cost over $3.5 million, likely to be taken for the Sheriff’s Office budget at a time when there’s been an increase in crime.
It’s especially interesting since the county already has a 19-member, volunteer civilian board tasked with oversight of the Sheriff’s Office and having subpoena power — the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury. The Civil Grand Jury investigates local government agencies’ effectiveness, efficiency, transparency and integrity, including the Sheriff’s Office.
If citizens have concerns about how the department is run, they can request an investigation. While the civil grand jury confidently decides what it will investigate, well-thought-out complaints will likely result in an investigation.
There is no good reason for another county board to overlap the civil grand jury and cost $3.5 million. Let the civil grand jury do its job, and let’s spend our money on more pressing needs.
John McDowell
San Carlos
The letter writer is president of the San Mateo County Grand Jurors Association.
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(5) comments
John - you may need to add that the Grand Jury can only make recommendations. The Sheriff is not bound to take action on those recommendations. The only authority that the Sheriff needs to answer to are the voters. I am personally on the fence whether an oversight group is needed but let's not confuse the public. $3.5 million is a drop in the bucket in our already bloated County government.
Dirk - I agree, however, the Board of Supervisors have various tactics to put pressure on the Sheriff in case of bad behavior such as public censure, getting DA involved if the complaint is serious in nature and finally publicly speaking out to create voter awareness. This is applicable to any elected role - it can be a BoS member or two that goes off-track - what then? Should we ask for oversight on the BoS itself? What does the world look like if every elected member needs an oversight committee?
You are entirely correct in that we shouldn't need an oversight committee for all elected office holders. My concern is that many in these offices know that corrective action, if needed, is too slow and they just let the clock run out. Our last sheriff is a good example. Censorship is a slap on the wrist so only voters can take action but that takes time. Unfortunately, the key is getting more qualified candidates for these offices. The current sheriff is not up to the task either and will never be.
Hi, Dirk
I have faith our DA will step in, when necessary, to investigate the Sheriff's Office, and IMO the DA would do a much better job of examining facts and taking action than an oversight commission could ever do.
You are correct... the Civil Grand Jury can only make recommendations. However, grand jury reports can make a difference. The 2000-2001 jury recommended canceling the San Mateo County Bar Association's $2.25 million contract to manage the county's release on own recognizance program. In 2002, the Bar Association was out and the Sheriff's Office began managing the program. https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/grand-jurys-own-recognizance-report-draws-attention/article_cab9be6c-a3b2-5f77-b7d0-3488ae035d3b.html
I posted a rebuttal answering another reader's claim that the county needs an oversight commission in the comments following Rev. Lorrie Owens' op-ed piece published yesterday in the DJ. While I hope the Board of Supervisors considers the several important reasons why the county should not spend millions of dollars to create an oversight commission... I'm afraid they have probably already decided to yield to commission advocates.
No minimum IQ requirement to become a Deputy Sheriff in SM County?
I have to wonder after my experiences during a 10-year stunt as an elementary school crossing guard. I once had to talk to a truck driver who backed up across the sidewalk and halfway into the narrow school gate, with little kids hurrying to get to school in time, most so small he couldn’t possibly see them behind and around his truck. I told him that was an absolute no-no, to which he responded he had to do it to turn around, instead of having to go all the way around the block! He complained to a deputy, who scolded me and said it was none of my business, to which I responded it was the core of my business to keep this area safe for kids going to school! His response: “But, did anyone get hurt?” My goodness, what an idiot! Do we have to wait for some little kid to get hurt, or even killed, before we take action on something so obviously dangerous? Brain dead, or what?
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