DATE:
October 21, 2025
19
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
ESTABLISHING THE OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
The San Diego County Sheriff's Office (SDSO) is vested with providing public safety services to the community, including those incarcerated, and SDSO deputies regularly make decisions that affect the community's safety. The way in which SDSO deputies interact with community members is modeled and reinforced through SDSO training, policies, and professional code of conduct.
The longstanding attention on the numerous jail deaths and related lawsuits, sexual harassment allegations within the SDSO, and the Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) investigations have highlighted how training, culture, and adherence to department policies and procedures are critical in shaping how SDSO deputies react to situations in public and within the jails. It is now more important than ever to ensure that the Board of Supervisors (Board) and the Sheriff maintain a long-term commitment to rebuild trust in the justice system and sustain positive relationships between the communities and law enforcement.
Thus, there is a need to utilize different oversight tools to ensure ongoing, continuous oversight of the SDSO. The Sheriff must be accountable to reform and demonstrate to the public that SDSO deputies are committed to the Sheriff's "Organizational Vision" and "Core Values." The creation of an Office of Inspector General (OIG) would be another tool to ensure that public safety is achieved in a transparent, fair, and equitable manner. This requires oversight independent from the Sheriff and a direct reporting relationship to the Board to ensure fiscal, moral, and ethical accountability.
Accordingly, this action proposes the establishment of an OIG to monitor SDSO operations, the conditions of confinement in the County's custodial facilities, the provision of services to incarcerated individuals, the conduct of contracto...
Click here for full text