COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

County Manager's Office

DATE:

July 29, 2002

BOARD MEETING DATE:

August 6, 2002

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

John L. Maltbie, County Manager

SUBJECT:

Status Report - 2001-2002 Grand Jury Responses

Recommendation
Accept this response to the 2001-2002 Grand Jury report and recommendations concerning security at San Mateo County courthouses.

Discussion
The 2001-2002 Grand Jury issued 21 reports during the course of the fiscal year. The County is mandated to respond to the Grand Jury within 90 days from the date that reports are filed with the County Clerk and Elected Officials are mandated to respond within 60 days. Since these reports were issued at different intervals during the year, County departments, Elected Officials and other public agencies will respond to items under separate cover within the mandated time frames. The Grand Jury filed the report "Security of San Mateo County Courthouses" on May 20, 2002. The Sheriff responded to Recommendations 1-6 on Tuesday, July 16. The following responses to Recommendations 6 and 7 are presented for your review and approval. Recommendation 8 is directed towards the 2002-2003 Grand Jury and does not require a response from the County or the Sheriff.

Security at San Mateo County Courthouses

RECOMMENDATION:

1. The county should develop formal quantitative security standards and hire an independent third party to test and evaluate courthouse building perimeter security systems based on those standards at regular intervals.

2. As the security of the court facilities is linked to overall building security, the current "Court Security Plan", which was developed in accordance with the California Rules of Court, should be reviewed as part of recommendation 1, above.

3. The Sheriff should review existing security standards and make appropriate changes.

4. The Building Security Work Group should meet regularly and require a representative of the county's contracted security service to attend.

5. The Sheriff should improve management of the contract security service by holding quarterly meetings with the county's contracted security service to: (1) identify and discuss issues, (2) review progress on action items, (3) define and reinforce standards for performance evaluation, and (4) identify necessary contract amendments.

RESPONSE: The Sheriff responded to Recommendations 1-6.

6. The county should install video camera-recorder systems to monitor the front and rear entrances of the Hall of Justice and Records for purposes of deterrence, periodic audits, and follow-up investigations.

RESPONSE: Concur. There are cameras in the interior lobbies of the front and rear entrances of the Hall of Justice. The Court has requested funding from the State for cameras to monitor the outside areas of the front and rear entrances. The Sheriff's Office responded that they will work with the County Manager and the Courts to obtain funding for additional electronic and technical enhancements to the system. The County holds firm that any future funding for one-time and ongoing security needs for court facilities should come from the State.

7. The county should require and provide compulsory refresher security training for all badge holders.

RESPONSE: Disagree. The County requires all badge holders to read and sign a statement of security badge rules when receiving cardkeys. In addition, County Administrative Memorandum B-20 outlines cardkey rules and responsibilities for County employees and employee orientation sessions offered to new employees include a discussion on employee responsibilities pertaining to security matters. The County will supplement these training measures by distributing e-mails to all County employees twice a year on the rules and responsibilities of cardkey usage.

8. The 2002-2003 Grand Jury should monitor county courthouse security systems, the recommendations made in this report, and the adequacy of security at other county facilities, such as San Mateo County Family Health Center.

RESPONSE: No response required.