COM panel urges change in sheriff's substation lease

Members of a police advisory committee at College of Marin are calling for changes in the Marin County Sheriff's Office lease for a substation at the Kentfield campus.

Members of the Campus Policing and Public Safety Advisory Council called the belowmarket lease a cut-rate deal. They said the 1,750-squarefoot substation off College Avenue was intimidating to students who park in the adjacent lot.

“I think if it's affecting students negatively, it needs to be addressed,” council member Mark Dale said at the March 25 meeting. “But if anyone coming toward the campus with ill intent sees it, and is deterred, that is a positive.”

Marin County Sheriff Jamie Scardina said Tuesday he had received no word about the council's interest in moving the substation or in making any changes to the lease.

“College of Marin has been good partners with us for many years,” he said. “We've helped out at COM in many cases around the campus.”

He said the deputies who are stationed at the substation do not patrol on the college campus. They do, however, cover the surrounding streets and neighborhoods, which are in unincorporated Marin County and under sheriff's department jurisdiction, he said.

“I think the residents of Kent Woodlands, Greenbrae and Ross would be disappointed if the substation were removed,” Scardina said. “Our response times would suffer.”

Mia Robertshaw, the council's staff member and general counsel for College of Marin, said the council could develop a recommendation as to how it wants the issue to proceed.

The recommendation would then be presented to the college board of trustees and college President Jonathan Eldridge for approval. Beyond that, Marin County officials would need to be involved in any changes, Robertshaw said.

“If the advisory council makes a recommendation that the substation be moved or the lease be terminated, it would have to be negotiated with the county,” Robertshaw said.

The group took no action on a recommendation at the March 25 meeting. The issue of the sheriff's substation will be added to the agenda for the next meeting April 22, said Jesse Klein, College of Marin executive assistant and staff to the council.

Some members of the council said the substation issue ties in with an overall concern about police interaction with students and faculty — particularly those of color. Some of that stems from the 2020 murder of George Floyd while under police custody in Minneapolis and the subsequent national uprising and reckoning over police at schools and other venues.

“People feel very strongly about policing's impact, particularly on Black men,” Robertshaw said. “That's part of