Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Dave Pine, District 1
Supervisor Warren Slocum, District 4
Subject: Study Session on Sheriff Office Oversight Models
RECOMMENDATION:
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Receive report, presentation, and public comment on Sheriff Office Oversight Models.
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BACKGROUND:
On September 30, 2020, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1185. The law added a new Section 25303.7 the California Government Code. Among other things, Section 25303.7 vests Boards of Supervisors with discretion provide for oversight of the county Sheriff by creating (a) an Oversight Board, (b) an Inspector General, or (c) both. AB 1185 took effect on January 1, 2021.
Notably the law also acknowledges the longstanding statutory and constitutional principle that the Board of Supervisors cannot interfere with an independently elected Sheriff's core law enforcement functions.
To date, AB 1185 has had limited application, with no clear implementation examples in any California county. However, seven counties have implemented some alternative form of oversight broadly consistent with AB 1185's three aforementioned options (Board, Inspector General and/or both). These options emphasize three different oversight functions/goals:
* Transparency: providing members of the public with access to data and reports;
* Community Engagement: gathering public input, conducting outreach and actively educating the public; and
* Fact-finding and Recommendations: looking at particular policies or incidents and providing feedback.
DISCUSSION:
As noted, there are currently seven counties with some form of oversight body focused in whole or in part on their Sheriff's Office. Most of these entities were recently created by large urban counties, and it is therefore difficult to analyze their effectiveness or the potential utility of these models for San Mateo County. Nevertheless, this memorandum...
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