Saratoga News Laurie Smith Sheriff Smith outlines new plans in country club visit By Michelle Alaimo Newly elected Sheriff Laurie Smith paid a visit to the West Valley Republican Women Federated Jan. 21 to share some of the department's history, along with her vision of what the new structure of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department should be. The luncheon was at the Saratoga Country Club. The first change, one decided by voters last November, has already been made. Smith is the first woman ever to hold the position of sheriff in Santa Clara County. She's also the first female sheriff in state history. Now that she is in office, Smith hopes to make some changes and is starting at the top. Currently the sheriff's department is made up of one sheriff and three under-sheriffs. All three undersheriffs, including then Undersheriff Smith, ran for election last November, with Smith coming out on top by a margin of more than 60 percent. But Smith said she is unhappy with the present structure. Instead, she said she plans to go back to a structure of one sheriff and one undersheriff which, historically, is the way the department has been run in Santa Clara County. Rumors of just who will become the new undersheriff have been flying since the election. Although Capt. Robert Wilson of the department's Westside Substation has been rumored to be in the running, Smith said she has not made any decisions. Smith told her audience that she has a proposal ready to go before the board of supervisors but needs to wait until issues with the other two assistant sheriff positions have been resolved. Although the planned new structure is temporarily on hold, other changes within the department have already begun, including a system by which employees from all different levels can more openly voice their concerns. "I think that would build trust and confidence in the department, which has been lacking for so many years," Smith said. The county's 28th sheriff also talked briefly about other topics, including Saratoga-related issues. Smith said that Saratoga doesn't have any big problems and that the city's School Resource Officer program is working well. She said she thinks the SRO is one way of bringing community policing back into modern times. "The officer is within the school day after day," Smith said. "But he is not necessarily the one to make arrests." Another beat officer usually will make arrests so that the trust between the students and SRO is not broken, Smith said. She added that the department offers other ways for the community and sheriff's department to interact, including a teenage police academy and community police academy. In both, adults and teens attend a class one night a week that focuses on a different aspect of law. Students also go to the shooting range and make mock car stops. [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, January 27, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.