VOTE411 Voter Guide

As Sheriff, I am accountable in how our agency serves and the results we deliver to the public. During my time as Chief, I participated in numerous townhalls and neighborhood meetings to listen, present data, and discuss ways we could work together with community members to serve our neighborhoods. Also, one of my priorities was to expand our Police Community Relations (PCR) Unit. This allowed us to host more community events, get continuous feedback on what is happening in our neighborhoods, and help with recruitment efforts. We also publicly posted our monthly data, including our overall call volume, proactive activity, arrests, and citations. These are a few of the initiatives that I would bring with me to the Sheriff’s Office.

I fully support ERPO and believe it is a positive step for the safety of our citizens as well as responsible gun ownership. As Sheriff, I would ensure the agency’s policy regarding ERPO has been updated to include the 2025 updates to the act, and make sure the department’s training is up to date and reflects the policy. Part of that training would be to ensure that our deputies are able to recognize situations in which ERPO would apply, and to know what steps to take in order to move the process forward. Next, I would work with our media partners and advocacy groups to inform the public on what ERPO is, how it helps to protect the community, and how it goes hand-in-hand with responsible gun ownership.

As a law enforcement leader, the decisions made and policies created should be based on the needs and expectations of the community and the agency, regardless of political influence. However, political beliefs do have a role in shaping how a sheriff may choose to approach public safety and law enforcement. As an elected official, the Sheriff’s political beliefs should be reflective of the community they serve. I support a race open to all political affiliations, but I believe the political leanings of the candidates should be known to the public.

There are several policies related to professionalism, conduct, and behavior that can be implemented to increase accountability, but being truly accountable to the community is more than just having policies in place. Being accountable to the public also means being accessible to the public. As Chief, one of the things we did at SFPD, was put our policies online for everyone to see. We also made the community complaint process easier, by having an online link that the community can access that sends the complaint directly to the Chief and Internal Affairs for investigation. I would bring these initiatives to the County. Accountability and professionalism should be part of the culture of the agency, and that culture begins at the top.