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A Northern California police chief has been accused of commuting to work from Idaho – and allegedly sleeping in the police station overnight, according to a report.
Eamonn Allen, the chief of police in Millbrae, about 15 miles south of San Francisco, has allegedly been living at the station during the week and returning to Boise, over 650 miles away, when he’s not working, KGO reported, citing a complaint and property records from Idaho.
The TV station obtained photos, apparently from a fire inspector, of two recently constructed bedrooms, fitted with mattresses and other furniture inside the police station.
One image also appeared to show a half-empty gallon bottle of liquor sitting on a shelf in one of the alleged bedrooms.
To legally have living quarters inside the station, the police department would need to obtain certain permits to modify the construction of the rooms, which Allen didn’t get permission to do, according to the report.
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A California police chief has come under fire after he was accused of sleeping in the police station when he works, and commuting home to Idaho when he is off, according to a report (Google)
The fire inspector was reportedly unable to even reach one of the living quarters because it was locked with an “in use” sign posted outside the door, the outlet reported.
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President David Canepa is calling for an independent investigation.
“If someone is living out of the county or out of state, they have to pay for their own lodging, meaning San Mateo County is not a Holiday Inn,” he said.
“We need to see was someone living in there permanently?” Canepa said. “These are taxpayer dollars and so we need to make sure that what’s taking place in those facilities really is for the good of the taxpayer. That means people aren’t living there.”
Allen ignored questions from a KGO reporter who approached him outside a Board of Supervisors meeting to ask if he was living in Idaho.
The TV station’s investigation also revealed that six sergeants with the San Mateo County Sheriff live outside of California, in states including Idaho, Nevada, Texas and Tennessee.
Two of those sergeants work on the bomb squad, a division that’s supposed to be able to respond to a threat within an hour. They made almost $600,000 each last year in pay and benefits.
The Independent has reached out to the county sheriff’s office, which is contracted by Millbrae for police services, for comment.
Canepa said he plans to send a letter to Undersheriff Dan Perea on Monday calling on him to investigate Allen and the suspected living arrangements at the police department, according to The Mercury News.
Millbrae Mayor Anders Fung told the outlet the report “came as a surprise” and called the photos of the makeshift living arrangements “highly alarming.”
“Obviously our chief needs to be highly responsive to any emergency or situation,” Fung said. “What’s more concerning for me at this time is the use of our police station as a living quarters and where the funding is coming from.”
The mayor said he plans to discuss the allegations with the city council and supervisors, noting, “The people of Millbrae have always had high expectations of our police chief, and this is disappointing. We need to figure out a pathway forward to make sure that our people continue to have high expectations of our chief and Millbrae Police bureau and police services in general.”