Marinscope
The Marin Civil Grand Jury issued a report on June 15 advocating that “the time is now” for the Marin County Board of Supervisors to create a sheriff oversight board.
Longtime Sheriff Robert Doyle, who has fiercely maintained the independence of the sheriff’s office as envisioned in state law, retires this year, making this an opportunity to enact an oversight board, the Grand Jury report maintains.
The report outlines a history of mistrust between the Sheriff’s Department and Marin City, a predominantly Black community. It does not conclude the mistrust is justified, only that it exists and that an oversight board might help erode that mistrust.
The Grand Jury said:
“For much of its history, Marin City’s Black residents have experienced racial discrimination in housing and education. Some residents have also long complained of discrimination by law enforcement. These experiences have had adverse economic impacts and left many in the community distrustful of authority.
“The members of the Marin County Sheriff’s Office are hardworking and dedicated public servants who could benefit from civilian oversight and accountability. Oversight can improve the quality of internal investigations of alleged misconduct by confirming complaints or exonerating law enforcement officers who are wrongfully accused.”
I wholeheartedly agree with the statements above. In addition to discriminatory practices, I’ve sadly witnessed some of these interactions, as well as having heard stories from others. On one occasion, a neighbors daughter was visiting from out of state, and planned a night out with her friends. She did everything right. She knew she would be drinking, and opted to take an Uber home as planned. She stood outside the bar waiting for the Uber., when 3 deputies rolled up. She explained the situation and claims to have treated the deputies respectfully, however one deputy decided she was drunk in public, and all 3 tackled her to the ground, and arrested her. What should or could have happened, was for those deputies to wait for the Uber to arrive, to be sure she was on the road safely. The department, from a civilian’s point of view, lacks compassion and sensitivity, which is a dangerous combination, and only serves to remind many that the sheriff is not an ally. In fact, the divide and mistrust are indicative of the this behavior. by the department. At minimum, law enforcement officers in the Sheriffs should be required to attend sensitivity and compassion classes annually. This department is simply not community, which is heartbreaking. For the record, I have two daughters in the police department, one a Sargeant., I have the utmost respect for law enforcement, but not behavior witnessed by the Sheriffs department in Marin. My daughter recently witnessed this behavior during and encounter with the Sheriffs department. She was appalled at the disrespectful behavior of this department, especially given law enforcement usually cooperate with neighboring departments. In my most heartfelt opinion, the dedicated officers are truly amazing, however complicit with their peers as well. Please educate these officers and hold them accountable for their actions. We too suffer from Covid pandemic and moral issues. The difference is, we don’t carry a badge and gun. We don’t violate the color of authority.
The Sheriffs Department does not need “a civilian overnight committee” AKA more bureaucracy and this extra layer of government will certainly do nothing to improve the relationship between Marin City and the Sheriff.