SMC News

Fixin’ San Mateo County, a community organization dedicated to independent civilian oversight of the Sheriff’s Office, released a statement Wednesday applauding the board’s decision to investigate the dispute between the Sheriff’s Office and the unions. It also called for the installation of a permanent inspector general to provide oversight and ensure law enforcement accountability. 

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…

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.

Fixin’ San Mateo County (FxSMC) is pleased to announce that the ACLU of Northern California (ACLU-NorCal) has endorsed FxSMC, and is partnering with them to support efforts to establish independent civilian oversight of the Sheriff’s Office.

The man, Chinedu V. Okobi, 36, died in 2018 after a deputy repeatedly used a Taser on him in a struggle that began when law enforcement officers saw him jaywalking in Millbrae, Calif.

The data, released this week by the state attorney general, reveals that Black drivers and pedestrians are far more likely to be stopped and searched than white people in nearly every part of the state, despite being less likely to be found carrying contraband, such as illegal guns or drugs, when stopped. Some of the Bay…

A Woodside woman who was arrested while suffering a medical emergency that deputies mistook for drug or alcohol impairment has settled her lawsuit against San Mateo County for $750,000, according to an agreement dated August 1.

The California Attorney General’s Office has declined to get involved in the Batmobile raid saga. The attorney general will not investigate, telling the county, “Although your letter identifies notable concerns, it does not allege that the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office committed a crime.”

San Mateo County has hired a former Alameda County Superior Court judge to conduct an independent investigation into the handling of the raid of an Indiana specialty car shop by San Mateo County sheriff’s deputies involving a custom Batmobile. The county has hired Winifred Smith, who spent 21 years as a judge and 26 years…

Analysis of San Mateo police data has found Black and Latino people are disproportionally more likely to be arrested or have use-of-force interactions compared to white people, with law enforcement leaders acknowledging more must be done and community leaders pushing for substantial change.