The San Diego County Sheriff's
Department is the chief law enforcement agency in the County of San Diego. The department is comprised of approximately 4,000
employees, both sworn officers and professional support staff. The department provides general law enforcement and jail functions
for the people of San Diego County in a service area of approximately 4,200 square miles. In addition, the department provides
specialized regional services to the entire county, whether they are needed in incorporated cities within the county or in
the unincorporated areas not serviced by a city law enforcement agency.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department is organized into six general service areas which
includes the following: Office of the Sheriff; Law Enforcement Services; Detention Facility Services; Court Services; Human
Resource Services; and, Management Services.
Currently the Sheriff's Department provides contract law enforcement services for the cities of Del Mar,
Encinitas, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, Poway, San Marcos, Santee, Solana Beach and Vista. In these cities the Sheriff's
Department serves as their police department. There, the department provides full service law enforcement ranging from general
patrol and traffic functions to specialized investigative services.
In the unincorporated (non-city) areas, the Sheriff's Department provides generalized patrol
services as well as all the necessary law enforcement investigative services. The California Highway Patrol provides the traffic
service for these areas. These communities range from the urban neighborhoods to the very remote rural communities of San
Diego County.
Click here to view the Crime
Rate per 1,000 Residents for the cities and unincorporated areas of the County of San Diego. This information is developed
by the San Diego Association of Governments.
It is noteworthy that the majority of those with a crime rate less than the regional average are primarily
handled by the Sheriff's Department.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department also operates seven major detention facilities. These facilities,
commonly called "jails", are spread throughout the county. Each facility is much like a city itself. A wide variety
of services such as laundry and food services are necessary and vital to maintaining the day-to-day operation.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department detention
facilities hold over 5,000 inmates on any given day. The routine movement of these inmates to courts, hospitals and between
the seven detention facilities requires a fleet of buses, vans, cars and deputy sheriff's to accomplish the task. In addition,
approximately 15,000 meals a day must be prepared just to feed the inmates. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department
assumed responsibility for Court Services in January 2000. For several years, this service was provided by the Marshal's
Office. However, as a result of both local and state legislation, these services were consolidated under the Sheriff. The
Office of the Marshal was retired.
Source:
sdsheriff.net
