San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus has launched a new program for law enforcement to build a better relationships with residents, businesses and community organizations.
The Community Advisors for Responsible Engagement (CARE) program will ensure that deputies will be more accessible to community members by hosting multiple 15-person community forum meetings every quarter. Each meeting will represent different parts of the county.
Residents and business owners can apply as volunteers in the CARE program by Feb. 14 via an online forum.
Corpus hopes the outreach program will both better inform residents and allow deputies to hear feedback and solutions regarding their service.
“To enhance safety, we have to create an environment of trust and transparency,” said Corpus. “Each community faces unique challenges, and in order to provide the needed support and resources, we need to engage directly with them. We must be out in the community; listen to and learn from residents and stakeholders.”
Less than three weeks into her elected term, Corpus has already been in the national spotlight, addressing the media as her department responded Monday to a mass shooting in Half Moon Bay.