Laurie Smith (born June 21, 1952) was the 28th sheriff of Santa Clara County, California, serving from 1998 until her early retirement in 2022, before the end of jury deliberations in her civil trial. She was found guilty of corruption and willful misconduct.
Early life and education Laurie Smith is a native of Michigan, where she lived until completion of high school. In 1969 she relocated to San Jose, California, for college and to begin her law enforcement career. Smith has a bachelor's degree in Administration of Justice from San Jose State University and a master's degree in Business Management from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She is a graduate of the California Command College and of the FBI National Academy and the FBI National Executive Institute.
Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
Deputy Sheriff: 1973–1998 Smith began her career at the Sheriff's Office in 1973, working as a matron (the former title for a female Sheriff's Deputy) at the Santa Clara County Jail until 1976.Christopher Gardner, "Sheriff Laurie?" Metro Silicon Valley March 26, 1998, Metroactive.com. Accessed June 25, 2009. She then became one of the first female permanent undercover vice cops. In three years in this position, she posed as a prostitute, a vendor of stolen goods, and a drug user. She next worked in the patrol division, then became a watch commander over the jails.
Assistant Sheriff: 1990–1998 In 1990, Sheriff Chuck Gillingham promoted her to Assistant Sheriff. (Gillingham was criticized for changing the job description to make a sergeant, her rank at the time, eligible for the post of Assistant Sheriff, as well as promoting Smith and two others over other candidates of higher rank.) In 1992, a male deputy filed an internal complaint against Smith after being transferred out of the narcotics unit while a female deputy with less seniority was allowed to remain. Smith stated that it was not her decision. The same deputy later filed a sexual harassment complaint against Smith, but she was found innocent.
Sheriff: 1998–2022 After eight years as Assistant, Smith was elected Sheriff of Santa Clara County in a landslide on November 3, 1998, and took office on December 15, 1998. Though some sources claim she was the first woman sheriff in California, that is incorrect, as Lena Keating was appointed sheriff in Marin County in 1929,(27 February 1929). First Woman Sheriff, Fort Bragg Advocate and News and Lucille Brown appointed in Alpine County in 1957.(31 December 1957). Tiny Alpine County Names First Woman Sheriff In State; Still New Fields To Conquer, Daily News-Post and Monrovia News-Post However, it appears Smith was the first woman elected to sheriff in California to be sworn into office; Virginia Black was elected sheriff in Yuba County in June 1998 before Smith, but was sworn in after Smith.(16 December 1998). New sheriff takes over in San Jose, The Californian
1998–2010 After Santa Clara County District Attorney Dolores Carr made a controversial decision not to prosecute on grounds of insufficient evidence in an alleged rape of a 17-year-old in San Jose in March 2007, Sheriff Smith declared the case "still open" and that she believed a sexual assault did occur. Carr submitted the case to the Office of the State Attorney General for review.C.W. Nevius, "State's Involvement Could Give Fresh Start to De Anza case," San Francisco Chronicle June 6, 2007, p. A13. Accessed December 5, 2009."AG to Review De Anza Case," San Jose Mercury News, June 6, 2007.Leslie Griffy, "De Anza rape case in Limbo, Year Later," The Oakland Tribune, March 3, 2008.
Fourth term: 2010–2014 In 2010, Metro Silicon Valley credited Smith with putting the sheriff's office on a sound and efficient basis."25 Who Changed Silicon Valley," Metro Silicon Valley March 17, 2010: "California's first female sheriff ... professionalized [the] organization ... The sheriff's office today is fiscally sound, accessible and outfitted with new technology." She was re-elected in 2010.Sharon Noguchi, "Smith Retains Sheriff's Office", San Jose Mercury News June 8, 2010.
A lawsuit in 2011 claimed that Smith issued concealed carry permits preferentially to friends and donors.Tracy Seipel, "Santa Clara County sheriff draws legal fire for way she hands out concealed-gun permits", San Jose Mercury News, November 20, 2011.
In 2012, there was controversy over Smith's assigning a bodyguard to Santa Clara County Supervisor George Shirakawa, Jr., who was ultimately convicted of misuse of funds and other crimes.Scott Herhold, "Why does George Shirakawa Jr. need a bodyguard?", San Jose Mercury News, June 19, 2012. The bodyguard was a family friend of Shirakawa's, and the bodyguard's brother was a political advisor of Shirakawa. The bodyguard returned to his original job as a county jailer after criticism.
Fifth term: 2014–2018 In June 2014 Smith won election for a fifth term against retired Sheriff's Captain Kevin Jensen,Robert Salonga, "Santa Clara County sheriff: Laurie Smith wins fifth term", San Jose Mercury News, June 3, 2014. who had been endorsed by the Santa Clara County Deputy Sheriffs' Association and the Santa Clara County Correctional Peace Officers' Association.Damian Trujillo, "Santa Clara County Deputies Call Sheriff a 'Bully'", NBC Bay Area, July 15, 2013.
On August 27, 2015, mentally-ill inmate Michael Tyree was beaten to death"An Analysis of the Reasons for Termination of Santa Clara County Jail Employees During the Period of 2010 to 2015", Deputy Sheriffs' Association of Santa Clara County, February 20, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2018. by three jail guards who were convicted of second-degree murder in 2017.Tracey Kaplan, "What’s up with the sheriff’s race?", San Jose Mercury News, October 10, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
Two inmates escaped from custody in San Jose in November 2016."2 escaped Santa Clara County jail inmates appear in court", 'ABC 7 News, December 2, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2018. Two inmates escaped from custody in Palo Alto in November 2017.Allison Levitsky, "Candidate says sheriff lied about staffing levels before courthouse escape", Palo Alto Daily Post, December 1, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
On June 5, 2018, Smith ran for re-election to her sixth term against five challengers including former undersheriff John Hirokawa and Deputy Joseph LaJeunesse. The results required the first run-off of her career, against Hirokawa, on November 6, 2018;Robert Salonga, "Surprise run-off for Santa Clara County sheriff Laurie Smith", San Jose Mercury News, June 6, 2018 [June 5, 2018]. Retrieved November 8, 2018. Smith was re-elected.Robert Salonga, "Santa Clara County sheriff elected to sixth term: John Hirokawa concedes after mounting fiercest challenge to Laurie Smith's 20-year tenure", San Jose Mercury News, November 7, 2018 [November 6, 2018]. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
Sixth term: 2018–2022 In 2019, The Mercury News, San Jose Inside, and other publications uncovered evidence that carrying a concealed weapon (CCW) permits may have been issued in a "pay-to-play" fashion to those who donated money to her campaign reelection funds. The Santa Clara County District Attorney opened an investigation and on August 7, 2020, four individuals, including Capt. James Jensen, were indicted by a grand jury. On November 20, 2020, Undersheriff Rick Sung was also indicted. On December 14, 2021, Smith was indicted by a Santa Clara County civil grand jury on seven counts of corruption and misconduct.
On March 10, 2022, Smith announced that she would retire at the end of her term in January 2023. She retired early on October 31, 2022, before the end of jury deliberations in her public corruption trial, and filed a motion to have the charges dropped, which was denied. On November 3, a special civil jury found Smith guilty of all six charges of corruption and willful misconduct, five of which were regarding CCW permits and one relating to the Sheriff's coverup of police misconduct records from an independent investigator.
Organizations , Smith has been on the Salvation Army Board of Directors, a member of Rotary International, a member of the Advisory Board at the University of San Francisco, and a member of the Administration of Justice Program Advisory Board at De Anza College. She is part of the National Sheriffs' Association, and participates in half a dozen regional and international law enforcement groups (in particular she was President of the California State Sheriffs' Association in 2007–08 and is on the President's Council ) as well as a dozen local groups.
References
External links Sheriff Laurie Smith at Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff Personal website