The San Diego County Sheriff's Department is dedicated to keeping our communities safe. The above graphic spotlights just some of the many things we accomplished in 2022. 

The Sheriff's Department is the chief law enforcement agency in San Diego County. The department is comprised of more than 4,000 employees, both sworn deputies and professional staff. The department provides general law enforcement, detention, court security services, and performs civil processes, as well as regional investigative support and tactical emergency response for San Diego County.  Spanning approximately 4,200 square miles of service area, the Sheriff's Department provides primary law enforcement services to nearly one million county residents, including those in nine contract cities, the Grossmont/Cuyamaca Community College District, and 18 Indian reservations. In addition, the department is responsible for booking arrestees and releasing inmates, ensuring court appearances and providing necessary care for nearly 4,000 incarcerated persons per day.

Sheriff's Role

The Sheriff, elected by the residents of San Diego County, is the chief executive of the department. She manages seven major detention facilities as well as 19 patrol stations and substations, a crime laboratory and an array of support operations necessary to provide full law enforcement coverage for the San Diego County region.

General Service Areas

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
• Management Services

Law Enforcement Services

The San Diego County 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, providing a full range of law enforcement services including patrol, traffic and investigative services.

In the unincorporated (non-city) areas, the Sheriff's Department provides patrol and investigative services. The California Highway Patrol has the primary jurisdiction for traffic services in unincorporated areas.

Detention Services

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department operates seven detention facilities. Male arrestees are booked at the San Diego Central Jail and Vista Detention Facility, while female arrestees are booked at the Las Colinas and Vista Detention Facilities. The remaining jails house inmates in the care of the Sheriff.

In order to provide critical services to a daily incarcerated person population more than 5,000, the Detention Services Bureau is supported by a state-of-the-art food services production center, comprehensive medical services, laundry, commissary, and inmate processing services. The Inmate Services Division provides a number of educational and rehabilitative programs aimed at improving the reentry success of those returning to our communities.

Court Services

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department Court Services is responsible for providing security to San Diego County's seven court facilities, as well as, the County Administration Center and the Waterfront Park. Court Services also enforces the judgments of all courts facilities.