Since 2022, San Mateo County has paid
due to lawsuits related to our Sheriff’s Office.
We are currently being sued for more than
and our systems haven’t changed.
Nobody watches the Sheriff’s Office — and we pay the price.
Our Vision
Our vision is a community where everyone feels safe and where there is mutual trust and respect between law enforcement and residents.
Our Mission
The mission of Stop the Scandals is to promote transparency, accountability, and fairness from the Sheriff’s Office through the creation of a regular, ongoing independent inspector general.
An inspector general would:
- Monitor jail and patrol operations
- Review patterns and trends
- Investigate incidents and confidential complaints from residents and Sheriff’s Office employees
- Recommend policy and procedural improvements to the Sheriff
- Communicate findings and recommendations to the public and Board of Supervisors
Sign our Petition
We are calling upon the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors to establish a regular, ongoing, and independent inspector general for the Sheriff’s Office.
A History of Scandals
Below are just a few of the scandals that have affected our county over several sheriff administrations.
Our previous sheriff was the subject of a months-long investigation that concluded her tenure was marked by “lies, secrecy, intimidation, retaliation, conflicts of interest, and abuses of authority.” When she refused to resign, our county spent $5,000,000 on a special election to enable her removal. We are now being sued for more than $48,000,000 across a dozen different lawsuits related to her term as sheriff.
Five employees of the Sheriff’s Office killed a young Black father, Chinedu Okobi, with TASERs after a jaywalking stop. The county eventually paid his family $4,500,000.
For five years, a female member of the Sheriff’s Office SWAT team was repeatedly harassed by her team leader and eventually assaulted. In 2024, the county paid the victim an $8,000,000 settlement.
In 2022, the county paid $750,000 to a woman who was arrested and jailed after deputies mistook a serious medical emergency for drug use and left her on the floor of a cell without medical attention for nine hours.
Also in 2022, our then-sheriff spent $10,000 to send deputies to Indiana to raid a retired pastor who builds Batmobiles, at the behest of a personal friend. A report by Superior Court Judge Winifred Smith concluded that both the raid and charges against the carmaker, which were dropped, should never have happened. The judge’s investigation and report cost our county an additional $55,000.
In 2023, the county settled with the family of 56-year-old Sandra Harmon, who was shot and killed during a mental health crisis. Her family was paid $170,000.
Both the then-sheriff Munks and undersheriff Bolanos were detained in 2007 after being found at an illegal brothel in Las Vegas during an FBI raid codenamed Operation Dollhouse. The brothel was suspected of trafficking minors. Neither the sheriff nor undersheriff were charged with any crime.
Support Our Work!
Help us reach our goal of $800!
Raising awareness of the need for an inspector general in San Mateo County involves many logistical costs, including funding this website, informational materials, and much more. By contributing even a small amount, you can help us spread the word and work to ensure transparency and accountability in our county.
Please note: Fixin’ SMC is a 501(c)4 social welfare non-profit which works to change policy and structure in our county, to make positive change. Your contribution is not tax-deductible, but it helps make San Mateo County an even greater place to live.
We need a better system.
A professional who monitors the Sheriff’s Office can stop these issues before they spiral out of control. They can investigate problems and complaints, do independent reviews and audits, and help keep our law enforcement transparent and accountable.
Sign up today and we’ll keep you informed about making the changes our county needs and deserves.
Stop The Scandals is a student-led initiative of Fixin’ San Mateo County. Subscribing will sign you up for email updates from Fixin’ San Mateo County about Stop the Scandals and the campaign for transparency and accountability in our Sheriff’s Office. We will not use your contact information for any other purpose. We will not give or sell your information to any other organization.
