Millbrae police chief sleeps at headquarters and lives in Idaho; investigation requested

MILLBRAE, Calif. - The president of the San Mateo County board of supervisors has called for an investigation into Millbrae's police chief, who has created a makeshift bedroom at police headquarters without the city's knowledge. 

Investigation into troubled sheriff's office 

In an interview Wednesday, Supervisor Dave Canepa said it likely would be days before the investigation began into Eamonn Allen. Supervisors are already busy with another law enforcement issue: appointing a new sheriff to replace embattled Christina Corpus. 

Chief still on the job

But Canepa did say that Allen is still on the job, and not on administrative leave, even after ABC7's investigative unit broke the exclusive story that he had been sleeping at the police station in Millbrae during the week and commuting to Idaho, roughly 650 miles away, when he's off. Millbrae is about 15 miles south of San Francisco. 

Public records show Allen used to live in Livermore, and now has a residence in Meridian, Idaho, about a 15-minute drive from Boise. Allen did not immediately respond on Wednesday to an email sent to his personal address.

"The most important question is, if I'm living there for 30 days or living there for a year, has it become someone's home?" Canepa said. "I don't think the taxpayer should be responsible for someone to live there 365 days a year." 

Does county policy exist? 

Canepa said he's asked the county attorney to look into whether San Mateo County even has a policy on whether police officers can live at the station, and if there is a policy, does it state for how long?

He said it's commonplace for police officers to live in different cities, even other states, because of the high cost of living in California. And he acknowledged that it would be reasonable for police to occasionally sleep at the station if they have to be in court the next morning. 

But he said it's another thing entirely, if someone has made the station their full-time home, and that's what he is trying to figure out. 

If there isn't a county policy on where police officers, and chiefs, should live and how long they are able to sleep at the police station, Canepa said he'd like to work on devising one. 

"What I'm hoping to do is understand that and move forward with a policy," Canepa said.  

Allen used to be a spokesman for the sheriff's office, until Corpus made him chief of Millbrae PD. 

The city of Millbrae contracts with the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office for police services, and Allen is an employee of San Mateo County.

Allen's LinkedIn profile shows he has worked for the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office for 22 years. 

Corpus herself announced her retirement this month, hours after she was fired by the board of supervisors for allegedly violating conflict-of-interest laws and retaliating against deputies who challenged her authority. On Tuesday night, supervisors voted 3-2 to appoint a new sheriff in Corpus' place. Allen's situation was not on the agenda. 

Millbrae had 'no knowledge' 

Millbrae spokeswoman Annabelle Acosta confirmed to KTVU that the city had "no knowledge of the dwelling units inside the police station until a routine inspection found them." 

She provided an Oct. 21 notice from a building inspector who wrote that Allen must stop using some of the police station rooms for sleeping, as bedrooms are not allowed until a permit and certificate of occupancy has been issued. 

Acosta also said that one of the doors was not accessible to Millbrae staff as the locks had been replaced by the "police bureau without city knowledge. "

She shared pictures showing that it appears there were two separate living quarters in the police station, one with two beds and the other with one bed. It's not clear who was sleeping in both of those rooms.  The photos show the bedrooms, a mattress, desk and have no windows. 

In addition, a bottle of alcohol was found on a shelf in one of the bedrooms, photos show.

Acosta said that it is Millbrae's policy for employees to not drink on the job or come to work under the influence of any substance, including alcohol. Using public property for personal needs or convenience is also against the city's ethics policy. 

Pros and cons of living in town 

According to ABC7 News, six other sheriff’s sergeants live in other states, including Idaho, Nevada, Texas and Tennessee. That includes two sergeants on the department’s bomb squad, which requires personnel to be able to respond to emergencies within an hour.

According to a U.S. Department of Justice study on the "dilemmas of police residency," authors concluded that police administrators and public officials interested in good community relations should consider the advantages of requiring officers to live in the community they patrol. 

However, the study also noted that one of the negatives of that is that some officers might not be able to afford the cost of living in their community.