Just two weeks after San Mateo County made history by removing Sheriff Christina Corpus from office, the embattled sheriff's department is facing fresh scrutiny. This time, it's over allegations that Millbrae's police chief has been living at the police station during the workweek while maintaining his primary residence more than 650 miles away in Idaho.
Captain Eamonn Allen, who oversees Millbrae's contract police services, has been accused of converting rooms at the Millbrae police station into makeshift bedrooms, complete with mattresses and what appears to be a half-gallon bottle of liquor. According to property records, Allen purchased a home in Meridian, Idaho—about 15 minutes from Boise—in June 2024, raising questions about whether a police chief can effectively serve a community from nearly 650 miles away.
Unauthorized Living Quarters Discovered
Millbrae city officials say they had no knowledge of the dwelling units inside the police station at 581 Magnolia Avenue until a routine building inspection uncovered them. A fire inspector posted a "notice of correction" at the station entrance on October 21, ordering Allen to "please stop using rooms for sleeping" and noting that bedrooms are not allowed without proper permits, construction modifications, and inspection approval.
"What we can verify is that the city had no knowledge of the dwelling units inside the police station until a routine inspection found them," Millbrae spokesperson Annabelle Acosta told Mercury News. The city's ethics policy explicitly prohibits using city property for personal need or convenience, she added.
A Troubling Pattern Emerges
Allen isn't alone. ABC7's investigative team discovered six other sergeants in the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office who live out of state—in Idaho, Nevada, Texas, and Tennessee. Two of them work on the bomb squad, where they made almost $600,000 in combined pay and benefits last year. That's particularly concerning since bomb squad personnel are required to respond to emergencies within one hour—a physical impossibility if they're stationed in Tennessee.
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President David Canepa is calling for an independent investigation. "If someone is living out of county or out of state, they have to pay for their own lodging, meaning San Mateo County is not a Holiday Inn," he told reporters. While he has no issue with beds for officers working night shifts who have early court dates, he sees a clear distinction between temporary accommodations and permanent housing arrangements.
Echoes of a Recent Scandal
The situation has uncomfortable parallels to another recent Peninsula scandal involving public employees living in government facilities. In 2022, two former Caltrain employees were charged with embezzling public funds to construct "secret apartments" inside the Millbrae and Burlingame train stations. Mercury News reported that Joseph Vincent Navarro and Seth Andrew Worden spent approximately $50,000 in taxpayer money—$42,000 for the Burlingame apartment and $8,000 for Millbrae—to create unauthorized living quarters complete with kitchens, showers, and security cameras.
Navarro was convicted in May 2025 following an eight-day trial, according to Palo Alto Daily Post, while Worden accepted a plea bargain in January 2025. Both men received jail sentences in June 2025.
Allen's Role in Corpus Controversy
Allen was appointed to lead Millbrae's police bureau by former Sheriff Christina Corpus before her removal, and he was one of her most vocal critics. In November 2024, Allen joined four other captains in a unanimous vote of no confidence against Corpus and formally requested her resignation.
Now Allen himself has filed a $15 million claim against the county and Corpus, alleging that she spread rumors about him having an affair with Associate Management Analyst Valerie Barnes, who also works in the Millbrae police department. According to Palo Alto Daily Post, Allen filed the claim on October 14—the same day the Board of Supervisors removed Corpus from office.
Allen previously served as spokesperson for the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office and has worked for the department for more than 20 years. His total compensation in 2024 was $464,100, including $283,748 in pay and $180,352 in benefits, according to Palo Alto Daily Post.
Community Reaction and Next Steps
Millbrae Mayor Anders Fung told the San Mateo Daily Journal that the allegations have upset and shocked community members and warrant an under-oath investigation. "All options are on the table" when it comes to evaluating the city's continued relationship with the Sheriff's Office, he said. "People are in general in shock, upset and understandably so, and people want answers. We need to do everything we can to make sure the public continues to have faith in our law enforcement."
While the sheriff's office does not have a policy explicitly barring deputies from living out of state, employees are required to report their primary addresses to the department, according to the county handbook, KTVU reported. It remains unclear whether Allen or the other out-of-state deputies have properly disclosed their residency status.
Why This Story Matters Now
The timing of this controversy couldn't be more fraught. The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors is currently in the process of appointing a new sheriff following Corpus's historic removal—the first time in California history that a board of supervisors has removed a sitting sheriff. The board voted 3-2 on Tuesday, October 28, to move forward with an appointment process rather than a special election, with the goal of selecting a new sheriff by November 13.
Supervisor Canepa acknowledged that the allegations against Allen are building on a year's worth of institutional instability. "This department needs strong leadership," he said. "I think under the previous administration, there's been irreparable damage done."
Legal and Policy Questions
The situation raises broader questions about police residency requirements and accountability. A U.S. Department of Justice study on police residency concluded that administrators interested in good community relations should consider requiring officers to live in the communities they patrol. However, the study also noted that high costs of living can make such requirements difficult to enforce.
In Millbrae's case, the median home price in San Mateo County hovers near $1.25 million, making it one of the most expensive housing markets in the nation. Yet the question remains: if an officer can afford a home in Idaho, why not seek employment closer to that residence rather than using taxpayer-funded facilities as personal lodging?
Former San Francisco Police Department Commander Richard Corriea told ABC7 that the arrangement is problematic. "Not able to return to work on short notice in the event of an emergency is ridiculous," he said.
As the investigation unfolds, residents are left wondering how deep the problems run within the sheriff's department and whether the incoming leadership will be able to restore public trust after a year of scandals that have cost the county millions in legal fees and damaged its reputation for professional law enforcement.
