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

By Bay City News.

A 64-year-old man was found dead inside his cell at the Maguire Correctional Center early Friday morning, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office announced.

The inmate, who was housed alone in a cell at the Redwood City jail, was found unresponsive around 4:15 a.m. by corrections officers who were conducting hourly checks on jail cells. He was pronounced dead at the jail and his identity has not yet been released.

Sheriff's officials said a preliminary investigation indicates the man died of natural causes, but the death will be investigated by sheriff's detectives, the county District Attorney's Office and the county coroner's office.

You may be interested in: San Mateo County Sheriff's Office could have civilian oversight

A year ago, the the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors launched the Gun Violence Prevention Program, a targeted effort to remove firearms from the hands of people with domestic violence, gun violence, and other civil restraining orders against them.

On the program’s first anniversary, county officials, courts, and law enforcement reported that between Oct. 1, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023, the Superior Court granted 403 civil restraining orders, 65 of which included requirements to relinquish firearms.

Of these, the Court processed 48 “proof of compliance forms,” meaning the firearms were voluntarily surrendered and documented. 

Detectives also followed up on the remaining 17 warrants to get those people to comply or, if they had moved out of the county, to notify the new jurisdictions. They also verified the information on the 48 “proof of compliance forms.”

As a result, 168 firearms (67 rifles or shotguns and 101 pistols) were turned over to law enforcement or to federally licensed firearms dealers pursuant to court orders.

“We set the bar high from the beginning,” said San Mateo Superior Court Judge Susan Greenberg. “Our high compliance rate is a significant achievement for the Gun Violence Prevention Program. It provides security to protected parties in civil restraining order cases and to the public.”

The program addresses a gap in California’s efforts to reduce gun violence: While many laws are in place, little funding is often allocated to their enforcement. The Board of Supervisors stepped in with a pledge to donate $2 million over two years to launch the local effort.

The initiative focuses on voluntary compliance: informing people that a court order requires them to give up firearms or face criminal charges. 

Early efforts included revising forms so that people subject to court orders could better understand the law and streamlining the way authorities are notified of court orders, said Bill Massey, chief inspector for the District Attorney's Office.

“We have established a system that has become a model for counties across the state,” Massey said. “We are delivering on our stated priorities of reducing the time it takes law enforcement to learn of an order and increasing voluntary compliance.”

Detectives assigned to the program also receive alerts within 24 hours whenever a court order requiring the surrender of firearms is issued and begin working to encourage compliance.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Dave Pine, who led efforts to launch the program, said the deaths of five women this year — all a result of domestic violence — point to an urgent need to strengthen enforcement of existing laws and provide domestic violence survivors with the help they need to obtain restraining orders.

“California leads the nation in the number of gun laws in place,” Pine said. “What we’re doing here at the local level is strengthening those laws and I’m thrilled with the results so far. We’re literally taking guns away from people who have been ordered to turn them in.”

According to information from San Mateo County, detectives from the Gun Violence Prevention Program of the San Mateo and South San Francisco police departments, who were reassigned to the District Attorney's Office, are systematically reviewing a state database that lists individuals known to be prohibited from possessing firearms.

It is worth noting that the county has contracted with the UC Davis Violence Prevention Program to evaluate its effectiveness.

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The County Board of Supervisors will consider civilian oversight of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office at a specially called meeting on Tuesday, October 24.

La sesión de estudio se lleva a cabo a solicitud del presidente de la junta, Dave Pine, and the vice president of the board, Warren Slocum. 

En un comunicado, la Junta de Supervisores precisó que no se tomará ninguna medida oficial, sin embargo, puede proporcionar al personal instrucciones para futuras reuniones o acciones.

La sesión de estudio se llevará a cabo a las 9:00 horas en la Sala de la Junta, ubicada en el 400 County Center, en Redwood City. El público puede proporcionar comentarios en persona y virtualmente, y habrá interpretación en vivo al español disponible.

El objetivo de la sesión de estudio, precisaron las autoridades locales, es proporcionar a la Junta información sobre las relaciones entre la policía comunitaria, la supervisión existente y la civil, y la variedad de modelos o formas que puede adoptar la supervisión.

Given this, local and national experts, advocacy groups and representatives of law enforcement have been invited to speak.

The agenda includes presentations by the San Mateo County Sheriff, Christina Corpus, y representantes del Centro John W. Gardner para la Juventud y sus Comunidades, Universidad de Stanford, Asociación Nacional de Supervisión Civil para la Aplicación de la Ley, Coalición para un condado de San Mateo más seguro, Oficina del Fiscal del Condado, la Asociación de Sheriff Adjunto del Condado de San Mateo, y la Organización de Sargentos del Sheriff del Condado de San Mateo.

Los interesados en participar de manera virtual, pueden acceder a la reunión especial de la Junta de Supervisores del 24 de octubre a través de Zoom en línea en el sitio https://smcgov.zoom.us/j/94323041457. El número de identificación de la reunión especial es: 943 2304 1457. 

También se puede acceder a la reunión por teléfono marcando al 669-900-6833.

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