BY ADRIANA HERNANDEZ
Daily Post Staff Writer
San Mateo County Sheriff Ken Binder has promoted Capt. Mike Tabak to be San Carlos’s police chief, city officials said today.
Tabak, who started yesterday, is filling the vacancy left by Mark Myers, who was promoted to assistant sheriff on Jan. 16. San Carlos is one of the cities in the county that contracts with the sheriff’s office for police services. Tabak has worked in the sheriff’s office for approximately 20 years, working his way up the ranks. That includes a previous stint in San Carlos as a deputy, according to an unsigned city statement.
“I am truly honored to serve as the Chief of Police Services for the city of San Carlos, a community I’ve had the pleasure of serving throughout my career,” Tabak said. “It’s a big job, but I’m confident that with the support of the city, the sheriff and the great people who work here, we’re going to make positive strides in policing that reflect local values.”
“I look forward to working with Capt. Tabak and continuing to strengthen our partnership with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office,” Mayor Pranita Venkatesh said.
At a Jan. 26 council meeting, Venkatesh said she wanted to improve council’s communication with the sheriff’s office after not being informed of crimes and seeing them on social media.
Venkatesh didn’t talk about the recent incidents at that meeting, but on Dec. 23, Brian Weisl, 33, of South San Francisco, allegedly beat up a Good Samaritan who stood up for a stranger Weisl was harassing at the San Carlos Caltrain station.
The second incident was on Jan. 9, when a man with a gun forced himself into a home on the 1400 block of Greenwood Ave., demanded money and valuables before fleeing on a bicycle. The sheriff’s office announced an arrest in the case on March 3.
Tabak previously worked in the jail before working as a deputy in Millbrae, San Carlos and North Fair Oaks. Tabak then became a detective and was part of the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team in San Carlos, a program that handles mental health crises.
Captain Frank Dal Porto, who was promoted alongside Myers, will continue to oversee the headquarters bureau, where he acts as the police chief for North Fair Oaks, Portola Valley and Woodside.