On Wednesday night, April 27, 2022, candidates for San Mateo County Sheriff presented proposals in a first debate. Millbrae Police Chief Christina Corpus and current County Sheriff Carlos Bolaños told residents what actions they would take if elected to office.
At the start of the debate, which took place at the Redwood City Woman's Club on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., both candidates for San Mateo County Sheriff introduced themselves and spoke in broad strokes about their work on safety issues.
First to take the microphone was current San Mateo County Sheriff Carlos Bolaños, who noted that, if re-elected, he seeks to ensure that he continues to build "great relationships" with the communities served by the office he serves, in addition to providing programs for the incarcerated population to ensure that they have every opportunity to succeed upon release from prison.
Although he accepted that there is a serious lack of personnel in the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, he pointed out that work is already underway to increase the number of elements that provide security in the county, as well as to provide them with adequate training to better address insecurity and properly serve all residents of the area.
He further noted that the Sheriff's Office is, "probably the most transparent law enforcement organization in the county and in the region. But I want to go beyond that and I think the important thing is that we look at what is the best model for developing civilian oversight."
In this sense, he said that he is also interested in having an external audit, tasks that he said he will work on after the elections.
On the other hand, he pointed out the importance of supporting youth with projects that keep them out of delinquency, for which he recalled that beyond his work as San Mateo County Sheriff, he has also coached a local basketball team.
His priorities, he said, are building strong community relationships, implementing effective programs to reduce recidivism, leveraging technology to improve public safety, building trust through transparency, and the safety and well-being of the Sheriff's Office officer corps.
For her part, Millbrae Police Chief Christina Corpus, who says she has 21 years of experience in the Sheriff's Office, emphasized that San Mateo County needs a change in security because "just because something worked years ago, doesn't mean it works today. We need to recognize that and examine how we are delivering our police services."
She added that, having more than two decades of service in law enforcement, she has been able to account for the deficiencies that exist in the current system of the Sheriff's Office, among them, the lack of personnel, which she attributed to the "toxic environment" of work where she has held command positions as Lieutenant, Commander, Captain and Chief.
Law enforcement, he said, must be delivered with full transparency to build trust in the county's communities. He noted that collaboration with the community is necessary to improve the safety environment throughout the county, so civilian oversight is needed.
She also explained that if elected San Mateo County Sheriff, she will implement some advisory councils where people can have discussions with those who provide security to implement better law enforcement practices.
Among Corpus' proposals are improving relations with the migrant community, supporting community policing, increasing mental health services, addressing the use of Tasers and decreasing excessive use of force, and prioritizing equity and safety with concealed carry permits.
One of the most contentious issues of the debate revolved around the moderator's question of whether or not the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office would cooperate with the immigration and customs control office (ICE).
Corpus explained that for her, "it's not a matter of just suspending a program, since the damage has already been done. The sheriff has been working with ICE since 2016 and it wasn't until Truth Forum that the engagement program with ICE was suspended."
He also indicated that "the only way I would collaborate [with ICE] would be if there was imminent danger to the community, because as sheriff you have to protect communities. That would be a very thoughtful decision." For Corpus, suspending the program is not the answer, but would be a matter of specific cases.
Bolaños, for his part, indicated that "my position is very clear. All my decisions are made based on public safety, and that I keep residents safe. It is true that I collaborated with ICE, within the framework of Senate Bill 54 in relation to serious and violent criminals. But after attending three Truth Forums, of which my opponent [referring to Captain Corpus] did not attend even one."
I listened to people in the community and recognized that by collaborating with ICE, people feel less safe and feel less trust in the authorities. I did what a thoughtful leader should do: change the policy. I will not cooperate with ICE under any circumstances. I will not play the selective case game. If there is a serious and violent case, ICE can act through a warrant to arrest these individuals. Additionally, ICE has the ability at any time to go in and arrest someone they deem a threat to public safety without the Sheriff's Office getting involved."
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