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San Mateo sheriff outlines hiring gains, mental-health programs and community initiatives
Summary
Sheriff Christina Corpus told the new Independent Civilian Advisory Commission about staffing progress, in-jail behavioral-health and detox units, Project Guardian for vulnerable residents, and community engagement programs including a lights-on voucher initiative and compassion dogs.
Sheriff Christina Corpus presented an overview of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office on the Independent Civilian Advisory Commission’s inaugural meeting, describing staffing changes, new in-jail treatment programs and community outreach efforts.
Corpus said the office reduced sworn vacancies from about 100 to roughly 75 and has hired 106 people since she took office. “We’ve changed the way that we hire where we’re looking not only at the person’s resume, but we’re bringing them in and asking them the questions about their public service, their volunteerism, the good things and we look at people’s hearts as well,” she said.
The sheriff emphasized programs intended to improve outcomes for people in custody. “We started a program called Lights On … our deputies can give vouchers to these individuals and they could go to a participating mechanic and get the light fixed for free. Since we launched the program, we’ve given over 80 vouchers,” Corpus said. She also described Project Guardian, a confidential registry for residents with dementia, autism or other conditions that may affect interactions with deputies; the program provides window or vehicle stickers and training to deputies to support safer responses.
On in-jail services, Corpus said the sheriff’s office has added a behavioral-health unit and a detox unit to provide treatment rather than prolonged isolation. “With this program, we’ve been able to transform an individual that would do self harm … now they’re out for 12 or 13 hours a day,” she said, describing improved family contact and daily activity for people in the unit. She also said the jail population has shifted: “48 percent of our population is mentally ill. 70 percent suffer from alcohol and drug addiction.”
Corpus described other initiatives the office has launched or expanded: an officer-survey QR code to solicit public feedback after calls for service; Project STAR, a youth camp program; compassion dogs used in schools and forensic interviews; a firework buyback program that collected hundreds of pounds of illegal fireworks; and a Narcan distribution program that includes a vending machine in the jail lobby and Narcan available on housing units.
On staffing and retention, Corpus said the office is pursuing wellness and retention measures including body scans, mental-health practitioner services for employees, and a proposed daycare to help shift-working staff. She said the sheriff’s office is working to increase gender diversity with a “30x30” initiative to reach 30% female representation among sworn staff.
Corpus introduced members of her command team during the meeting and answered commissioners’ questions about program data, tours, and teleconferencing and onboarding for commissioners. Adam Eli, Deputy County Executive, and Emma Gonzalez, director of the Office of Community Affairs, also described staff support for the commission’s work.
The presentation prompted requests from commissioners for more data and for follow-up briefings. Staff told the commission that a data-oriented portion of onboarding will provide metrics and routine reporting from the sheriff’s office.
