SUBJECT
Title
SHERIFF - REQUEST FOR AGREEMENTS WITH THE CITIES OF SAN DIEGO AND CHULA VISTA FOR CALIFORNIA IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM SUPPORT (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
The California Identification System/Remote Access Network (Cal-ID/RAN) is a statewide system, maintained by the California Department of Justice, that provides local law enforcement agencies with direct access to local, state, and federal automated fingerprint, palm print, photo systems and databases. This statewide system allows for the rapid identification of persons booked into detention facilities and latent prints lifted from crime scenes.
The San Diego County Cal-ID/RAN Board serves as the regional policy and advisory board for the program. They make recommendations to employ staff that enhance local law enforcement agencies’ ability to provide automated and fixed location fingerprint identification and to purchase equipment for crime laboratories across the region to support the identification of suspects. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office (Sheriff’s Office) serves as region’s Cal-ID/RAN administrator. The County of San Diego’s (County) current agreements for Cal-ID support positions with the cities of San Diego and Chula Vista will expire on June 30, 2026. To ensure the continued success of the program, there is a need to continue to provide funding for staff at the San Diego and Chula Vista Police Departments.
Today’s actions request the Board of Supervisors (Board) to authorize agreements between the Sheriff’s Office with the cities of San Diego and Chula Vista to provide annual funding from the Sheriff Fingerprint ID Trust Fund to the two cities for Cal-ID support positions and equipment. This funding comes from the collection of a $2 fee for every vehicle registered in San Diego County by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The term of the agreements for positions is from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with an optional annual renewal up to a maximum of one additional year through June 30, 2028.
RECOMMENDATION(S)
SHERIFF
1. Authorize the Sheriff’s Office to execute a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the City of San Diego to provide an estimated $109,851 in annual funding for one full-time Latent Print Examiner Aide position based on revenue from the Sheriff Fingerprint ID Trust Fund for the period of July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with an optional annual renewal up to a maximum of one additional year through June 30, 2028, and authorize the Sheriff, or designee, to execute amendments as needed.
2. Authorize the Sheriff’s Office to execute a MOA with the City of Chula Vista to provide an estimated $143,972 in annual funding for one full-time Latent Print Examiner position based on revenue from the Sheriff Fingerprint ID Trust Fund for the period of July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, with an optional annual renewal up to a maximum of one additional year through June 30, 2028, and authorize the Sheriff, or designee, to execute amendments as needed.
EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT
Offender identification is crucial in the criminal justice process to deliver offender accountability and bring justice and healing to victims. Qualified latent print examiners and latent print examiner aides demonstrate an in-depth knowledge and understanding of friction ridge physiology and morphology, terminology, detection, recovery, photography, preservation, enhancement, analysis, comparison, documentation and reporting of latent print evidence. This level of expertise in conjunction with the necessary equipment is critical in supporting the San Diego County California Identification System program. Fingerprint identification and forensic evidence handling are key components to identifying individuals involved in crimes and exonerating the innocent. The positions for San Diego and Chula Vista ensure that these critical components of criminal investigations are completed.
SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT STATEMENT
Today’s actions to authorize agreements with the cities of San Diego and Chula Vista support the County of San Diego’s Sustainability Goal of providing just and equitable access for victims of crimes and those that may have wrongfully been accused in a crime. The California Identification System program requires both latent print examiners and latent print examiner aides and equipment to ensure that accurate identification is conducted, a critical component of serving justice and holding the responsible parties accountable for their actions.
FISCAL IMPACT
If approved, costs and revenue estimated at $253,823 will be included in the Fiscal Year 2026-27 Operational Plan for the Sheriff’s Office to fund Cal-ID support positions and equipment for agreements with the cities of San Diego and Chula Vista from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. Costs and revenue estimates to fund an optional renewal, up to a maximum of one additional year from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2028, will be included in future Operational Plans for the Sheriff’s Office. The funding source is the Sheriff Fingerprint ID Trust Fund. Pursuant to the Vehicle Code 9250.19, funds deposited in the Sheriff Fingerprint ID Trust Fund are expended solely for regional law enforcement forensic and fingerprint identification systems. There will be no change in net General Fund costs and no additional staff years.
BUSINESS IMPACT STATEMENT
N/A
Details
ADVISORY BOARD STATEMENT
The San Diego County California Identification System/Remote Access Network (Cal-ID/RAN) Board is a regional policy and advisory board responsible for making recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding the use of Cal-ID funds. The Cal-ID/RAN Board is comprised of seven members including a member of the Board of Supervisors, the Sheriff, the District Attorney, two police chiefs, a mayor, and a member-at-large. On May 5, 2025, the Cal-ID/RAN Board authorized the use of Cal-ID revenue to continue to fund one full-time latent print examiner aide in the City of San Diego and one full-time latent print examiner in the City of Chula Vista. The approved term for these positions is July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with an optional annual renewal up to a maximum of one additional year through June 30, 2028.
BACKGROUND
The California Identification System (Cal-ID) is the automated system maintained by the Department of Justice for retaining fingerprint files and identifying latent fingerprints. Remote Access Network (RAN) is the uniform statewide network of equipment and procedures allowing local law enforcement agencies direct access to the Cal-ID system. It provides local law enforcement agencies with direct access to local, state, and federal automated fingerprint, palm print, photo systems and databases. This statewide system allows for the rapid identification of persons booked into detention facilities and latent prints lifted from crime scenes.
The Sheriff Fingerprint ID Trust Fund is funded through the collection of a $2 fee for every vehicle registered in San Diego County by the Department of Motor Vehicles, as provided for under Vehicle Code Section 9250.19. On October 5, 2021 (6), the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors authorized to increase the fee to $2 for a period of five years by adopting Resolution No. 21-156. Funds deposited in the Sheriff Fingerprint ID Trust Fund are collected countywide and expended solely for regional law enforcement forensic and fingerprint identification systems.
Latent prints identified and collected as crime scene evidence are entered into the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) by crime scene investigation (CSI) and crime laboratory staff. AFIS compares the latent prints to prints contained in the San Diego regional and California Department of Justice Cal-ID print databases. The searches contribute to the identification of suspects in crimes, as well as exonerating the innocent. As part of a program to effectively and efficiently process latent prints to identify suspects, the Cal-ID/RAN Board has made recommendations to fund Cal-ID support positions since 2007. The current agreements for Cal-ID support positions with the cities of San Diego and Chula Vista will expire on June 30, 2026. Those agreements were authorized by the Board on May 18, 2021 (3). The continuation of funding for these positions will allow the cities’ crime laboratories to efficiently process fingerprints to assist in case resolution. Personnel in these positions will be able to continue to enter and search cases in AFIS. As part of this program, on May 5, 2025, the Cal-ID/RAN Board authorized and approved the use of Cal-ID revenue from the Sheriff Fingerprint ID Trust Fund to continue to support positions in the cities of San Diego and Chula Vista.
This is a request to authorize agreements between the Sheriff’s Office with the cities of San Diego and Chula Vista to provide funding from the Sheriff Fingerprint ID Trust Fund to the cities annually for Cal-ID support positions and Cal-ID/RAN Board approved items. The term of the agreement for the positions is July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with an optional annual renewal up to a maximum of one additional year through June 30, 2028. The two cities will provide known compensation increases annually to the Cal-ID/RAN Board during the term of the agreement.
LINKAGE TO THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO STRATEGIC PLAN
Today’s proposed actions support the Community and Equity Strategic Initiatives of the County of San Diego’s 2026-2031 Strategic Plan by aiding in the identification and subsequent apprehension of criminals and providing justice and healing for victims and their families, resulting in a safer community.
Respectfully submitted,
KELLY A. MARTINEZ
Sheriff
ATTACHMENT(S)
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