County sheriff’s officers are three times more lethal than city police, a CBS News investigation has found… CBS News gathered and analyzed federal law enforcement data that showed while more people died overall in encounters with city police, deaths in encounters with county sheriffs occurred at a significantly higher rate. For every 100,000 people arrested, more than 27 people died in the custody of sheriffs, while that number was fewer than 10 for police officers in 2022, the most recent year of available data.
In the news
This page contains news article for those interested in all facets of law enforcement oversight and reform. These articles span all states and cover police departments as well as Sheriff's departments. We're providing this information for those who wish to better understand why oversight is needed, the challenges it faces, and where and how it has improved the communities that have adopted it. Articles will open in a new tab.
ACLU Demands Accountability from California Sheriffs
Sheriffs in California wield enormous power. They’re in charge of law enforcement in counties and in unincorporated areas. They run the jails
and oversee emergency services. The magnitude of the sheriff’s role and power creates conditions that can lead to a lack of accountability, endangering public safety and civil liberties.
Guest opinion: The absence of oversight of our San Mateo County Jail
Fixin’ San Mateo County’s Board Chair Jim Lawrence wrote this guest editorial after a spate of deaths in our county jail.
Sheriff Oversight Committee debuts in San Mateo County, falls short of activists’ expectations
Following persistent demands from the community for increased oversight of the Sheriff’s Office, the County’s Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the formation of a civilian advisory commission last week… Still, activist Nancy Goodban, Fixin’ San Mateo County executive director, said the resolution lacks two critical factors: a full-time inspector general and the ability to ask questions and obtain answers.
Why Every County Needs Civilian Oversight of its Local Sheriff’s Department
Sheriffs hold massive power in California counties over jails, law enforcement, emergency services, court-ordered evictions, and more. They are elected officials who must be accountable to the public that they serve.
SMC Supervisors Strike a Balance on Sheriff Oversight
Following hours of expert, staff and public input on Sheriff’s Office oversight, San Mateo County supervisors backed a model that creates a civilian advisory body, reinstates a public safety and social justice subcommittee, and contracts an inspector general on an as-needed basis.
Sheriff’s oversight is coming to Alameda County
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors took a step that many police accountability advocates have for years clamored for: civilian oversight of the sheriff’s department. The Board voted to create a seven-member Oversight Board and an Office of the Inspector General on Tuesday that was recommended in a report authored by former Alameda County Chief Probation Officer Wendy Still.
San Jose poised to settle lawsuit over 2020 protests
Michael Acosta, who lost his eye after being shot with a hard projectile by San Jose police during protests following the 2020 killing of George Floyd, is set to receive millions in a city settlement. The $3 million payout is part of a $3.35 million total settlement the city is weighing for Acosta and a group of people who also sued the city over violent police tactics and weapons used at the local protests.
Fixin’ San Mateo County receives grant from Grove Action Fund
Fixin’ San Mateo County says that the grant funding will help it with both its operating costs and community outreach efforts. “We are grateful for the Grove Action Fund’s commitment to independent oversight of the Sheriff’s Office,” said FxSMC Board Chair Jim Lawrence.
Oversight board investigating after Dallas PD officers laugh at vet forced to soil himself
A police oversight committee in Dallas is investigating four police officers after video shows them laughing at a disabled veteran that urinated on himself. The committee watched police body cam footage on August 8 that took place after two off-duty police officers at a Dallas restaurant denied him use of the bathrooms.