SAL was founded in 1997 by former Sheriff Don Horsley with the purpose of strengthening relationships between youth, deputies, and communities to aid in the intervention and prevention of juvenile delinquency in San Mateo County through positive, dynamic programs. The program was in North Fair Oaks and had a small presence on the coast, serving approximately 1,000 youth per year. In 2009, former Sheriff Greg Munks expanded the SAL program to 12 locations throughout the county, increased deputy support, and established a community policing substation that was a permanent home for SAL programs. The program grew to serve approximately 3,500 youth per year.

Today, under the leadership of Sheriff Christina Corpus, the SAL program continues to thrive, and we have served over 11,000 youth per year in programs, presentations, and special events throughout San Mateo County. SAL also has safe programming space on the coast in Pescadero! In light of events in 2015, President Obama called for law enforcements agencies to engage in community policing to build relationships with their communities. The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, thanks to our leadership, has been engaged in community policing practices for over 20 years and continues to be a progression organization that adapts to the needs of our communities.