Last summer, Marin County selected and approved a nine-member Sheriff’s Office Civilian Oversight Commission, the first such citizen commission in its history. On Tuesday, the county announced another first — an inspector general to oversee investigations and support the work of the commission.
John Alden will serve as the county’s first inspector general, managing the community complaint process and conducting independent analysis of Marin County Sheriff’s Office policies and practices, among other duties.
Alden, whose hiring came after a nationwide recruitment process, brings more than 25 years of legal and public service experience, including over 17 years in law enforcement oversight, according to the announcement. He currently serves on the board of directors of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement.
Most recently, he was director of the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach in Sonoma County, where he oversaw audits, investigations and policy reviews of that county’s Sheriff’s Office. His previous roles include executive director of Oakland’s Community Police Review Agency and managing assistant district attorney in San Francisco’s Independent Investigations Bureau. Alden began his legal career as a deputy district attorney in Marin County and earned a law degree from University of California, Berkeley.
“John has demonstrated a clear commitment to objective oversight, fairness, thoughtful analysis and meaningful community engagement,” said County Executive Derek Johnson.
In the role, Alden will issue public reports, identify trends in complaints and recommend improvements to policies, practices and training within the Sheriff’s Office. He is expected to begin the week of May 25 and will participate in community meet-and-greet events across Marin County’s five supervisorial districts.
The Civilian Oversight Commission will monitor, review and recommend improvements to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office through annual reports. It will also be a place for citizens to file complaints about misconduct by law enforcement. Commission members include district representatives Sara McEvoy, Tom McInerney, Felecia Gaston, Lynn Oldham Robinett and Gina Fromer, as well as four at-large members: Winston Chan, Doug Lee, Solange Echeverria and Linda Cieslak Sandoval.
