A community-led oversight body for the Marin County Sheriff’s Office is making its debut with a goal of fostering more communication and transparency between the public and the County of Marin’s law enforcement agency.
Community members are invited to the Civilian Oversight Commission’s kickoff meeting at 10 AM Monday, August 25, in Suite 330 of the Civic Center, 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael. The meeting agenda and staff report are on the County website.
“The inaugural meeting of the Civilian Oversight Commission marks an important step toward strengthening trust, transparency, and accountability between our community and the Marin County Sheriff’s Office,” said Board of Supervisors President Mary Sackett. “We appreciate the dedication of the commissioners as they embark on their work as well as the Sheriff Office’s collaboration with us in creating this commission.”
Goals of the kickoff meeting are to introduce commissioners and key staff, appoint a Chair, and determine their regular meeting schedule. Commissioners will receive an update on the recruitment of the Inspector General and discuss plans for the commission’s orientation and workplan.
The commission, appointed in June, consists of five representatives from Marin’s supervisorial districts and four at-large members, all of whom are Marin residents. They were chosen after extensive outreach and engagement to recruit a diverse pool of applicants.
“We welcome the establishment of this new committee and are optimistic about strengthening the trust between the Sheriff’s office and the community we serve,” said Marin County Sheriff Jamie Scardina.
The commission is tasked with conducting oversight of the Sheriff’s operations and policies, reviewing complaints, and producing annual reports on community engagement and oversight activities. Additionally, the commission will provide input in the hiring process for the Inspector General, which will work collaboratively with and administratively support the Civilian Oversight Commission.
All commission meetings will be open to the public and community members are encouraged to participate. Sign up to receive news & updates about the commission in your email inbox, and to learn more, visit the Civilian Oversight Commission webpage.
Leave a Reply