San Mateo Co. Sheriff Voices Concern Over Staffing Shortage

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — San Mateo County Sheriff Carlos Bolanos said his department’s staffing levels are very low and asked the county’s Board of Supervisors for help on Tuesday during a closed session.

According to a sheriff’s department news release, Bolanos called the staffing situation “the worst I have experienced in my entire forty-plus years of law enforcement.” The department is short 100 deputies due to vacancies, disability and “other types of leave,” according to Bolanos.

The sheriff’s department and the county met Tuesday to discuss contract negotiations.

Bolanos said the department is “losing 2-3 deputies for each one we hire,” calling the numbers “unsustainable.”

“It leaves me very concerned not only for the safety of my personnel but for public safety in general,” Bolanos said. “My deputies, correctional officers, and sergeants have remained on the front lines during the pandemic, risking their health and their families to keep our County safe.”

Bolanos asked the supervisors to approve the department’s proposed package and “give me a chance to compete for the personnel we desperately need."