Serving the city of San Marcos and the unincorporated communities surrounding the cities of San Marcos and Escondido. 

Emergency: 9-1-1

760-510-5200 (Business)

858-565-5200 (Dispatch)
760-510-5201 (Fax)
760-510-5000 (Narcotics Tip Line)

San Marcos Station on Twitter

Message from Captain Kevin Ralph 

Since its incorporation in 1963, the City of San Marcos has contracted law enforcement services with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Originally, as a substation under the larger Vista Command, the San Marcos Sheriff's Station became fully recognized as a standalone station under the command of a captain in 1993.

In 2001, the current station was built by the City of San Marcos as a dedicated Sheriff’s Station and as part of the larger San Marcos Public Safety Center. It now sits directly across the street from its original location and has a total service area of more than 100 square miles. The station provides services to the citizens and visitors of San Marcos and the surrounding unincorporated communities of Lake San Marcos, Elfin Forest, Harmony Grove, Hidden Meadows, Ivy Del, Del Dios, Lake Hodges and the San Pasqual Valley.

More than 111,000 residents are served by a staff of more than 100 deputies, volunteers, and professional staff members. Centrally located in the North County, San Marcos is a higher education hub. It is home to California State University San Marcos and one of the region’s largest community college campuses in Palomar College, as well as to several other university extension and technical/trade school campuses.

The areas numerous foothills provide some of the most scenic views and one of the best trail systems in San Diego County. San Marcos also has a large number of parks, which regularly host special events, sporting events, concerts, and other festivals.

Personnel from the San Marcos Station employ information-led policing techniques, coupled with community-based problem-solving efforts to deter criminal activity and involve the public in maintaining a safe, family-friendly environment to live, work, and play.

Patrol

The patrol deputies are responsible for all general law enforcement calls for services, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Patrol deputies respond to calls for service with the focus on protecting life, apprehending law violators and investigation of crimes. Patrol deputies are assigned to a geographical “beat” area. This allows the patrol deputies to become familiar with citizens and problems within their “beats”. Patrol Deputies are also proactive in enforcing the laws to suppress drug activity, theft and burglaries and gang related crimes.

The station has the only ASTREA (Sheriff’s Aviation) landing pad at a patrol station, allowing North County deputies to have extended helicopter coverage for law enforcement operations.

In keeping with the department’s mission statement of working in partnership with the community, the County of San Diego’s Child Protective Services, Adult Protective Services and Juvenile Probation personnel also operate out of the San Marcos Station.

We strive to improve service to our residents and welcome community partnership in our common mission - continuous improvement in the quality of life for all our residents and businesses.

Detectives

The Detective Unit is responsible for investigating general crimes against people, property crimes and arrest made by patrol deputies. The following is a general list of crimes investigated by the Detective Unit.

• Theft and burglaries
• Physical assaults (excluding homicides)
• Sexual assaults
• Vandalism
• Domestic violence

After a Detective is assigned a case, he/she will determine that there is enough evidence to prove a specific person or persons committed the crime and forward the case to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. The DA’s Office will review the case and determine if the case is suitable for criminal prosecution.

The Sheriff’s Department has specialized detective units to handle specific crimes such as homicides, bomb/arson, financial crimes, child abuse and narcotics.

COPPS / School Resource Officers

Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) deputies are special purpose deputies assigned to investigate the quality of life issues within the community. COPPS deputies utilize the COPPS philosophy to promote quality interaction between law enforcement and neighborhood citizens. COPPS deputies also conduct directed patrols focusing on gangs, persons on parole/probation, persons with outstanding warrants, graffiti, human trafficking, prostitution, habitual offenders, transient camps and alcohol/tobacco related crimes.

COPPS deputies are also active within the community by attending Neighborhood Watch meetings and providing various presentations to youth groups, community groups, schools and businesses.

There are four School Resources Officers assigned to the schools in San Marcos. He/she handles all crimes relating to school students. These crimes include truancy, tobacco, drug and alcohol related offenses as well as crimes that occur on school grounds.

Crime Prevention Unit

The Crime Prevention Unit focuses on community outreach regarding crime prevention techniques, current trends and prevention education. The unit provides an array of free services including assisting communities in starting neighborhood and/or business watch groups, conducting a variety of community safety presentations, community alerts, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) reviews, and security consultations for commercial and residential properties.

Learn more about the Department’s Crime Prevention Program

Crime Analysis

A Crime Analyst assists the San Marcos Station in monitoring and predicting crime trends.

Learn more about the Department’s Crime Analysis Unit

Senior Volunteers

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Senior Volunteer Patrol program is designed to draw upon the experience of our community. The men and women participating in the San Marcos Station’s program provide valuable assistance to existing staff as it strives to increase the quality of life in the community.

These dedicated volunteers - seniors 50 years and older - provide many valuable services to the community including:

• Home vacation security checks
• Visit the homebound (You Are Not Alone - YANA)
• Enforce handicapped parking regulations
• Patrol in marked SVP vehicles
• Assist Crime Prevention with public presentations
• Conduct residential and business security surveys
• Abandoned Vehicle Abatement

Volunteers undergo a background check, receive training to perform their duties, and are asked to work a minimum of six hours per week. Volunteers are always in need. If interested, please call (760) 510-5290 or (760) 510-5291.

Learn more about the Department’s Senior Volunteer Program