Editor,
In response to Jim Lawrence’s Aug. 17 opinion piece favoring civilian oversight of the county sheriff, Importance of a Civilian Oversight Board for residents and law enforcement personnel, I highlight some reasons as to why this is a bad idea.
1). County sheriff is elected by voters who renew their confidence or lack of it (e.g. Carlos Bolanos) through the ballot. This is the system we follow. What would it look like if every elected representative required civilian oversight?
2). All the duties/responsibilities stated should already be done by the Board of Supervisors as part of their responsibilities. They need to step-up.
3). In neighboring San Francisco, how did mayoral/board interference with police turn out? Do we want this in San Mateo County? The oversight committee proposed will be hand-picked undemocratically (i.e. no voter influence) to favor candidates who share the same bias/agenda. Why give up your right to directly vote and hold an elected responsible through these middlemen?
4). Some say that our sheriff supports oversight (of herself?). If true, this can only mean two things — lack of confidence in performing duties or fulfilling promises to secure votes. Both options are bad. There is no equivalent in the private sector.
There are problems that need to be fixed in San Mateo County, like any other county. I urge the board to step up, do their job and stop relying on nonprofits for running county business.
Amit Saini
Foster City
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