The Special Investigations Division (S.I.D.) consists of multiple teams or units that are responsible for the investigation of criminal enterprises relating to narcotics, gangs, organized crime, and both domestic and international terrorism.

If you have information relating to any of the criminal activity listed below or suspect such activity in your area, visit CrimeStoppers to report it.

Criminal Intelligence Unit

The Sheriff’s Criminal Intelligence Unit has the responsibility to provide the Sheriff’s Department with an information base, as well as forward looking analysis, to meet the needs of the Department in carrying out its efforts to protect the public and suppress the operations of organized criminal groups.

Terrorism Early Warning Unit / Regional Law Enforcement Coordination Center

TEW is a multi-agency task force focused on terrorism-specific intelligence and information-sharing. Participating agencies include the San Diego Sheriff's Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), California Department of Justice, California Highway Patrol, Federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Governor's Office of Homeland Security. The RTTAC is co-located with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and a Criminal Intelligence component and together comprise the Law Enforcement Coordination Center (LECC), San Diego's Intelligence "Fusion Center."

The TEW has three core functions:

1. Managing the regional Terrorism Liaison Officer (TLO) Program
2. Providing Critical Infrastructure support
3. Providing Intelligence & Analysis support

The TLO program seeks to create an enhanced sense of awareness among first responders, specifically related to pre-incident indicators and warnings of a terrorist attack. The concept is simple: Prior to terrorists flying jet liners into buildings, there are certain planning actions they must do to prepare for such an attack. These actions are often accompanied by indicators/warnings ("clues") that an attack is being planned. By providing an awareness of these indicators, the goal is to encourage reporting of suspicious circumstances/incidents, thus preventing an attack.

The Critical Infrastructure team is involved in a regional Critical Infrastructure Protection Program (CIPP), in collaboration with FBI, San Diego Police, San Diego Fire, San Diego Office of Emergency Services, and others. The CIPP seeks to identify the most critical sites and/or services in our region in an attempt to mitigate potential threats to those sites from an "All Hazards" approach.

The TEW's Intelligence & Analysis capability is quite robust. Our Intelligence Analysts evaluate data from a variety of sources, conduct extensive research, and prepare and coordinate intelligence products for dissemination.

Additional Units

• Criminal Analysis Unit
• Threat Assessment Group
• Licensing