When Jamie Scardina was a kid growing up in Corte Madera, he didn’t dream of being a fireman or a policeman like many of his contemporaries. He thought he would work in the family’s grocery business – the Laurel Supermarket in San Francisco. 

That all changed after his mother said to him, “Your dad works six or seven days a week. Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” He reconsidered and decided against the grocery business and, today, he is in law enforcement. 

He and his older brother and younger sister were taught to “give.” His brother is now in law enforcement and his sister is a school psychologist. As a youngster, Jamie was very involved in sports – Little League baseball, CYO basketball and football at Marin Catholic High School and the College of Marin. Later, when his own children were young, he coached CYO basketball, Little League and girls’ softball.  

After earning his Associate of Arts degree at the College of Marin, he was recruited by the University of Montana in Missoula, where he was quarterback on the football team. Then, in his sophomore year, he had a major shoulder injury – a torn labrum, involving several surgeries and ending his football career. However, he stayed at Montana and graduated with a B.A. degree in sociology and criminology

His older brother, uncle and three cousins were in law enforcement so it seemed natural for Jamie to become a police officer. His first assignment, in 1998, was to join the Tiburon Police Department. This was back before the new Tiburon Police Station was built, and Peter Hurley was Tiburon Police Chief. 

That same year, Jamie met his future wife, Ronelle. “She was home from college, and we both were at a little boy’s birthday party,” he says. They were married in 2000. She now works in the public relations department at Kaiser Hospital.

The pair has a 20-year-old daughter, Julia, who is at the University of Utah, and an 18-year-old son, Joey, who is a senior at Terra Linda High School and plans to go to the University of Washington this fall. 

In 2000, Jamie left the Tiburon Police Department for the Marin County Sheriff’s office. He began working his way up through the ranks – from Deputy to Sergeant to Lieutenant to Captain and, finally, in 2018, he was promoted to Undersheriff. This is the number two position in the office. 

Over the years, Jamie has had a variety of jobs, including two years as an undercover cop. On one occasion, he was buying ecstasy pills in an operation that ended up with an arrest and securing 5,000 pills plus $30,000. 

Early in his career, Jamie received the Marin County Sheriff’s Office Lifesaving Medal of Honor. This happened in 2003. He and his sergeant were dispatched to a situation in Tiburon where a man was bent over a railing with a noose around his neck, not breathing. Jamie struggled to pull the man up enough for the sergeant to cut the rope and then gave the man CPR until he began to breathe again. 

While still Undersheriff, he also took on the job of Interim Chief of Police for the Tiburon Police Department, from September 2020 to April 2021, following Chief Cronin’s retirement. “It was an exhausting, but rewarding time,” he says.

As Undersheriff, Jamie is responsible for taking over the role of Sheriff when necessary. Working closely with Sheriff Bob Doyle, Jamie manages the day-to-day operations of the office, including managing a budget of approximately $75 million and over 300 employees. 

He has helped provide leadership during emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic, a Public Safety Power shutoff, and the recent wildfires. He also has built a good relationship with Canal Alliance, Bridge the Gap, the YMCA and the Marin County Cooperation Team.

Jamie says, “I am committed to public safety and believes this begins by listening to people and creating a culture of inclusion.” He has established innovative practices such as making the Sheriff’s Office the first law enforcement agency in the county to promote transparency and equity by collecting and reporting information to comply with the Racial Identity Profiling Act. 

In order to keep up with public safety rules and regulations, Jamie has completed a number of voluntary courses. He also is a board member of the Marin County Public Safety Officers Association for Widows and Orphans, and he has led the fundraising activities to provide survivor benefits to the families of fallen Marin County public safety officers – both police and fire. 

When Marin County Sheriff Bob Doyle chose not to run for the office again, Jamie decided, with Ronelle’s support, to throw his hat into the ring. “I feel I’m the best candidate for the job,” he says. “I have 23 years in law enforcement and am already running the day-to-day operation, so I know what it takes to run the Sheriff’s office. I’ll always be a chief that makes decisions that are best for our community, people and everyone’s safety.” 

Jamie says he truly believes in partnering with his community, providing leadership and excellence service through public safety. “I am committed to the people of Marin County,” he says. “I want to continue to protect and serve the community where I grew up.” 

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