San Mateo County staff described to the Independent Civilian Advisory Commission on Saturday a model that relies on a bench of on‑call inspector general contractors rather than a single, permanent inspector general.

County staffer Dr. Pete Hines said the county issued a 2024 request for qualifications and selected five qualified proposers — primarily law firms and investigators — to form an on‑call pool. He said the Board of Supervisors or the County Executive Office would vote to authorize a task order to one of the on‑call firms when an investigation or analysis is needed. "They're all on contracts that will be activated via task orders," Hines said. "Once we identify, you know, John Alden Group, and they give us a proposal for what it would take to complete an investigation, we would execute a task order and draw that down from our overall contract value."

Hines listed the firms on the bench by name and described the rationale: the pool approach lets the county match expertise to a specific issue and run multiple investigations concurrently. He said the county considered a permanent inspector general during an extended study but the Board chose the on‑call bench instead. Hines also referenced Judge Cordell's prior work in a similar role for the county, noting she did not apply for the current bench.

The presentation drew several public commenters and commissioners who urged a different approach. Bill Newell of the Coalition for a Safer San Mateo County and Fixing San Mateo told the commission there is "a need for a permanent inspector general, who will look at policies, practices, trends, incidents, complaints, etcetera." Newell added that a permanent office with subpoena power can be proactive and independent: "With a permanent inspector general, you have a proactive independent model that can respond to issues before they arise."

Public commenter Drew (last name not specified) criticized reliance on outside investigators, saying they can have incentives that lead to "sensationalism" and that outside probes sometimes produce conclusions framed as decisive despite limited underlying material. Pat Willard of the Peninsula Anti‑Racism Coalition said the county needs a standing inspector general able to issue subpoenas and pull testimony to investigate alleged abuse and patterns of misconduct.

County staff told the commission the on‑call bench model is the county’s current approach and that the commission may recommend that the Board authorize a specific inspector general assignment if the body deems follow‑up investigation necessary. Hines said the CEO's office will keep the commission informed when the Board activates an inspector general.

The discussion underscored a continuing difference between many community commenters, who favor a permanent inspector general with subpoena authority, and the county's current, contract‑based approach.