San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus gave an account of the efforts made by the Sheriff's Office for the entire community, through a letter issued by social networks, where he also highlighted the importance of a profound change in the police profession.

Corpus, who took office as San Mateo County sheriff in January of this year, said in the letter open to the public that since his arrival at the agency, progress has been made in efforts to engage deeply with the diverse communities in the area. 

“In the 23 years I have served in the Sheriff’s Office, I have dedicated myself to finding ways to serve people beyond our initial contact. I love our county and care deeply about it,” Corpus said.

In addition to the creation of CARE (Community Advisors for Responsible Engagement) in the North, South and Coastal areas of the county, which already has 49 volunteers, Corpus recalled quarterly meetings to discuss in-depth and provide new perspectives on issues such as data collection, mental health, operations, equitable policing, homelessness and crime trends. 

“CARE was not intended to replace any ‘oversight’ mechanism, but rather to be a safe place where everyone is welcome and has the opportunity to ask questions, contribute ideas, and offer recommendations to the Sheriff’s Office. In addition, I share how we do things and why we do them,” she said.

However, she noted that, “rather than focusing on what we find problematic about some forms of oversight, I want the community to know what we support and what we are already doing without the need for formal, ineffective and costly bureaucratic layers.” 

In that regard, he said that the estimated costs associated with supervision exceed $3.2 million, which hinders the programs and resources available to the communities served by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

In this regard, he pointed out that beyond the key concepts of transparency, commitment to the community and responsibility, a change is needed at the core of law enforcement.

“I believe the law enforcement profession needs change. Change must come from within, and change must be led from the top and reflect input from the communities we serve. Our vision at the Sheriff’s Office is a world where all humanity is valued and respected. Where everyone is heard, and everyone is treated with dignity, compassion and respect. It is my inherent duty to you to lead that effort, not only for our community but for our profession. The law enforcement profession needs change, and it is my intention for the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office to be a model for that,” he said.

Sheriff Corpus explained that the way forward for modern policing requires a culture shift, as well as the inculcation of a culture in which the purpose goes beyond mere enforcement of the laws. 

“Our purpose is to protect the vulnerable from harm and to do so with compassion, dignity and respect. We cannot compromise the safety of our communities,” he said.

“I hope they understand not only what we do, but also how and why we do it,” Corpus said, noting that she is willing to create and foster open lines of communication and accountability with the community she serves.

Personnel crisis, the challenge to solve

Like many other agencies in the Bay Area and across the country, he said, staffing and retention pose significant challenges. 

The personnel crisis has become a complicated problem for security agencies across the country. Currently, he stressed, there is a shortage of 96 officers to meet the daily security challenges in the county.

“It is only through the incredible efforts, sacrifices and sense of duty of our staff that we can continue to provide excellent services throughout the county,” he said.

However, he explained that when he researched oversight models across the country and accessed data from the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE), he was not presented with a successful oversight model that benefits the community and ensures public safety.

“Bay Area agencies with supervisory models in place are burdened by trying to recruit the best candidates, while also dealing with rising crime rates and exponential added costs in responding to supervisory demands.”

That’s why, she said, she’s looking to improve resources to engage with the community and integrate input into meaningful change. “I look forward to working with the county to increase resources dedicated to the community to ensure their voices and views are heard.”

He also said that modern policing skills are gained through communication, input, compassion and care, not supervision. “A culture supported by those values embraces the community at a deeper level.”

“As your elected Sheriff, I leave you with our mission statement that inspires what we do and why we do it: As stewards of our community, we envision a world where all humanity is valued and respected. We recognize our role as leaders in this effort and are committed to seeking creative and effective ways to work with our residents, businesses and stakeholders and to listen to their needs. We do this with a passion for preserving safety for all who live, visit or work in San Mateo County. The women and men I lead in this organization choose to serve you and provide you with a sense of security, which is what we will continue to do,” she concluded.

You may be interested in: Redwood City joins gun violence prevention with B-Smart program

In the United States, many cultures coexist on a daily basis, which is why many caregivers have taken action on their own initiative to care for and protect different communities. These caregivers have implemented different ways of being heard through innovative projects. 

The United States is a country with a large number of migrants, according to the census estimates, are more than 45 million people, 13.6 percent of the nation's population. In 2021, it was estimated that 10.7 million Mexican immigrants lived in the U.S., however, there was also an increase in immigration from other countries such as India and China, According to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI)(see the following table).

Over time, different associations have emerged that are dedicated to caring for different communities, a very important role, as they seek to create spaces for healing, coexistence and understanding for any person, as experts pointed out during a conference held by Ethnic Media Services where they asked to value the work carried out by the caregivers of any individual or community.

Neeta Patel is the interim executive director of Asian Americans United, and she explained that works to care for communities that are at risk and that have prevailed for more than 150 years thanks to social struggles. 

Across the country, he said, these communities are at risk of disappearing due to large investment projects that seek to extract economic benefits rather than help people.

"We create intergenerational coalitions to show how low-income, non-English speaking communities can come together with other allies, multiracial coalitions to form the front line against the displacement that is impacting communities.", he commented.

For her, it is very important to continue fighting for spaces that give rise to communities, as well as to fight against the narratives of developers who aim to create investment spaces, displacing people.

Kalani Tonga-Tukuafu, director of Pasifika Enriching Arts of Utah (PEAU), PIK2AR's arts and culture division, outlined some of the data collected during her project, where included a survey for caregivers, it was revealed that 50 percent have no formal training, while 38 percent of them are between 35 and 45 years old.

During the project, a group of people were selected and interviewed. to understand, from the inside out, how xenophobia affects people. Among the topics of greatest interest to the association was the creation of a community with greater inclusion and transparency that would generate trust between different social groups.

Benny Lai, executive director of communications and events for the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging, shared some audiovisual projects that have been implemented since the beginning of this year, which seek to bring communities closer and allow them to better understand them by changing narratives. These are 14- to 15-minute episodes that show the struggles of some caregivers and what they have to face on a daily basis.

The aim is to generate empathy and understanding with other people. The project focuses on promoting this initiative so that other communities adopt it, since it is necessary to focus on the techniques and information of the caregivers in order to project their feelings, showing the needs of each community, including their particular concerns and traditions.

Lai also stressed that work is being done to address the language problem, as the project must be translated into several languages so that it can reach more people and thus achieve the expected impact by changing narratives and the way caregivers are seen and understood. 

Dianara Rivera is part of the Asian American Resource Workshop, where they help people with migration issues, community issues, and more. Recently, she said, she worked on a project called A Love Letter to the QTAPI Community, where the goal was to create healing spaces for people to be able to tell their stories and be heard without fear of being judged.

Jessica Eckerstorfer is co-founder and director of the artistic community of Paranoid Tree Press, an organization with more than a thousand members that focuses on sharing encouraging stories with adults and seeks to preserve their life stories as a great cultural legacy for future generations.

The most important thing for this organization is the preservation and collection of stories “by us and for us,” Eckerstorfer stressed.

"Work is being done to create spaces for healing through visual art. A project was presented in which 17 people participated and told their stories, and 20 older people and 20 emerging artists joined.", he explained.

Specialists agree that the struggle to protect the different communities is difficult and tiring. However, it is necessary to continue giving voice, hope and encouragement to those who do not feel valued, so we will continue working together to make society more aware of the great work that caregivers do.

You may be interested in: Audacity Performing Arts: giving young people belonging through art

The boss of the Detroit Police Department (DPD), James E. White, reported that the death of Samantha Woll, president of a synagogue in that city, who was stabbed to death last Saturday, October 21, in her home, indicated that, so far, no evidence has emerged to suggest that this crime was motivated by anti-Semitism.

Through social media, he explained that DPD investigators are working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to forensically analyze all the information obtained so far.

This, he said, was in an effort to determine the timeline that ultimately led to Woll's death.

He also said that people with information that could help the investigation move forward are being interviewed.

White asked the community to be patient as investigators continue their work.

"Everything possible is being done to close this matter," he said.

According to a DPD statement, authorities received a call Saturday morning that a person was lying on the ground unresponsive. Upon arrival, officers found Woll's body with numerous stab wounds and a "trail of blood" leading to her home, where the crime is believed to have taken place.

Samantha Woll was pronounced dead at the scene.

Following the tragic discovery, Michigan Attorney General, Dana Nessel, said on her X account that she was shocked by the case and acknowledged Woll's work.

“I am shocked, saddened and horrified to learn of Sam’s brutal murder. Sam was the kindest person I have ever met. She was driven by her sincere love for her community, state and country. Sam truly used her faith and activism to create a better place for all,” she wrote.

The Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in downtown Detroit, where Woll served as board president, issued a statement of deep regret on its Facebook page.

“We are shocked and saddened to hear of the unexpected passing of Samantha Woll, Chair of our Board of Directors. We do not have any further information at this time, but will share it when it is available. May her memory be a blessing,” he said.

Although the police are not calling it a hate attack, many see it as a strong guide to clarifying the facts, as the attack took place in the midst of a war between Israel and the extremist group Hamas.

A few days before Woll's murder, the six-year-old boy Wadea Al-Fayoume, was stabbed to death by his landlord Joseph Czuba, 71 years old, who attacked the child and his mother (seriously injured), under an anti-Muslim rhetoric.

This publication was supported in whole or part by funding provided by the State of California, ayou administeredred by the CaliFornia State Library.

You may be interested in: Conflict between Israel and Hamas exacerbates hatred and discrimination against Israeli and Palestinian communities in the US

Correctional officers assigned to the Maguire Correctional Center discovered a dead inmate in his cell after he failed to respond to calls from authorities. This is the second body found in just a few days inside the facility. 

On Saturday, October 21, at approximately 9:18 p.m., correctional officers found a 34-year-old white male alone in his cell and unresponsive. He was discovered as part of hourly checks staff conduct to ensure the well-being and safety of incarcerated individuals. 

Once discovered, prison officials immediately began life-saving measures by administering CPR until medical personnel, who are located inside the facility, arrived, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Unfortunately, the individual was pronounced deceased at the Maguire Correctional Facility by the Redwood City Fire and EMS Department, authorities said.

Detectives of the San Mateo County Sheriff, the District Attorney's Office, and the Coroner's Office were notified and responded to the scene. 

In this regard, it was reported that the three agencies are carrying out independent investigations to determine the cause of death.

While initial information so far suggests the cause of death was suicide, the final decision will be made by the Coroner's Office once it has completed its examination and investigation. 

It was explained that, out of respect for the privacy of his family, the name of the deceased will not be revealed until notifications have been completed.

However, the report detailed that the incarcerated person was housed in the Behavioral Health Unit, which offers educational programs, extended out-of-cell time and evidence-based clinical programs to treat serious mental illnesses. 

“Residents who were previously unable to successfully function in a group setting are given increased opportunities to socialize, integrate, and receive clinical and programmatic support. Correctional Health Services and the Sheriff’s Office also work closely with San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services and community partners to design comprehensive release plans for each BHU participant.”

In this regard, the authorities asked for understanding that these investigations are exhaustive and take time to be carried out correctly and that, once the investigation is completed, they will be completely transparent and will publish any additional information through press releases and social media. 

“The death of anyone in our care impacts our entire organization as we take great pride in caring for our communities. Our employees who responded and provided life-saving measures are receiving peer support resources as incidents like this have a profound impact on the mental well-being of our employees.”

You may be interested in: Inmate found dead in his cell inside the Maguire Correctional Center