Riverside County Sheriff's Department

History

Riverside County was created from portions of San Bernardino and San Diego Counties on May 9, 1893. In the early history of the county, the sheriff's office was a one-person operation. Expanding to keep up with the county's explosive growth, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department is now the second-largest sheriff's department and third-largest police agency in California, with a staff of over 3,600.

The department made national headlines on May 9, 1980, when five heavily armed men robbed the Norco branch of Security Pacific Bank. Since dubbed the "Norco shootout", deputies responded to the bank robbery call and a prolonged gun battle and subsequent vehicle pursuit ensued. Units from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, and California Highway Patrol contributed to the pursuit. The aftermath of the incident left 33 patrol cars damaged or completely destroyed, one helicopter shot down, three robbers imprisoned for life, two robbers dead, eight officers wounded, and one Riverside deputy killed in the line of duty.

Controversies

A lawsuit alleged that the department framed Horace Roberts for the murder of his girlfriend in 1998. In 2018 Roberts was exonerated by DNA evidence and released. The county paid $11 million to settle the matter.

The Riverside Sheriff's Department conducted an undercover sting operation targeting students at Chaparral High School in 2012. Operation Glasshouse was granted permission by Superintendent Timothy Ritter. The Riverside Sheriff's Department was accused of ignoring affluent students and choosing targets that belonged to minority groups and the mentally disabled.

An internal investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department revealed that 25 employees cheated on the 2015 promotion exam. No employees were fired, and some were promoted after the 2017 exam.

In 2021, press reports indicated that Sheriff Chad Bianco was a due-paying member of the far-right anti-government militia the Oath Keepers in 2014. After the 2021 United States Capitol attack, Bianco observed said "the misguided and illegal actions of several individual members of Oath Keepers does not justify the mainstream media and FBI painting the whole group as an “anti-government militia.” He is also a member of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association. He no longer thinks the senior leaders of the FBI are legitimate. “I lost faith in the FBI a long time ago. The line workers are first rate. Their administration has no business carrying a badge. They strayed from nonbiased law enforcement a long time ago.”

County jail system

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department operates the county's jail system. The Riverside County jails provide short-term and long-term (depending on the type of sentencing) incarceration services for the county, jailing subjects arrested and charged with various types of crimes pending their court disposition as well as those convicted of crimes and sentenced. Services also include transportation of prisoners if necessary related to court appearances, and transferring prisoners between jurisdictions such as other counties, states, or the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Jails are staffed by fully sworn deputy sheriffs as well as specialized correctional deputies. The county's jail system consists of the Robert Presley Detention Center (RPDC) (named for former State Senator Robert B. Presley) in downtown Riverside, the Southwest Detention Center (SWDC) in French Valley near Murrieta, the Larry Smith Correctional Facility (SCF) in Banning, the Indio Jail, and the Blythe Jail.

The Riverside County Jail (RCJ) was renamed RPDC in 1989 with the completion of a new, modern jail facility across the street from the original jail. The "Old Jail" was originally constructed in 1933 and was built as part of the old historic courthouse annex. In 1963, an addition was made to the jail, which included dormitory-style housing units, a dispensary, detox cell, segregation cells, visiting area, and business office. In 1979, the county expanded the female section of the jail. The "Old Jail" was closed in 2011.

The Indio Jail facility is being completely rebuilt, with the old Indio Jail being demolished and turned into a parking lot upon completion of construction. The new Indio Jail will be the largest correctional facility in Riverside County, with the ability to house 1,626 beds. Construction began in March 2014 and is anticipated to be completed at the end of 2016, the facility be fully operational near the end of 2025.

Academy

The Riverside Sheriff's Academy is located at the Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center (BCTC) near the March Air Reserve Base. Sheriff's academy training at BCTC is standardized and certified by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). Trainees receive a minimum of 24 weeks of intensive training. The county's municipal police departments as well as other regional law enforcement agencies utilize the department's academy to train their cadets/trainees as well. Upon successful completion of the academy, graduating Riverside County Deputy Sheriff Trainees also receive additional detention-specific training at the academy if they will be going to a jail posting for their first assignment (regardless of first assignment, all Sheriff's Deputies must eventually go to patrol if they wish to advance in rank/special assignment).

BCTC is also the location of the sheriff's corrections and dispatch academies. In addition, BCTC provides ongoing advanced career training for the department and surrounding agencies.

BCTC is a public safety training center jointly operated by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and the Riverside County Fire Department in cooperation with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the California State Fire Marshal, the California Highway Patrol, and Riverside Community College.

Contract cities and entities served

• Calimesa
• Canyon Lake
• Coachella
• Eastvale
• Indian Wells
• Jurupa Valley
• La Quinta
• Lake Elsinore
• Moreno Valley
• Norco
• Palm Desert
• Perris
• Rancho Mirage
• San Jacinto
• Temecula
• Wildomar
• Agua Caliente Tribal Nation
• Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
• Augustine Tribal Nation
• Cabazon Band of Mission Indians
• Colorado Indian Tribal Nation
• De Luz Community Services District
• Morongo Indian Reservation
• Mt. San Jacinto College
• Pechanga Tribal Nation
• Riverside County Regional Medical Center
• Santa Rosa Tribal Nation
• Soboba Tribal Nation
• Southern Coachella Valley Community Services District
• Torres Martinez Tribal Nation
• Twenty-Nine Palms Tribal Nation

Current and past sheriffs

The sheriff is elected for a position now called " Riverside County Sheriff-Coronor-Public Administrator." The election are nonpartisan. In November 2018, Sheriff Bianco defeated the incumbent, Stan Sniff.

Organizational structure

The following represents the organization of the RCSD:

Bureaus

• Coroner & Courts
• Corrections
• Field Operations
• Support & Administration

Divisions

• Administrative Services
• Coroner & Courts
• Corrections
• East Field Operations
• Professional Standards
• Public Information Office
• Special Operations
• Support Services
• West Field Operations

Stations

• Cabazon Station (serves the city of Calimesa, the unincorporated communities of Cabazon, Cherry Valley, Whitewater, and the Morongo Indian Reservation)
• Colorado River Station (serves the far eastern portion of the county and the unincorporated territory outside the city of Blythe)
• Hemet Station (serves the unincorporated communities of Anza, Aguanga, East Hemet, Cahuilla, Fern Valley, Garner Valley, Homeland, Idyllwild, Mountain Center, Nuevo, Pine Cove, Pinyon Pines, Sage, Valle Vista, Winchester, Anza Borrego State Park, the Santa Rosa Indian Reservation, and the Mount San Jacinto and Mount Santa Rosa Wilderness)
• Jurupa Valley Station (serves the cities of Jurupa Valley, Eastvale, and Norco)
• Lake Elsinore Station (serves the cities of Wildomar, Canyon Lake, and Lake Elsinore)
• Moreno Valley Station (serves the city of Moreno Valley)
• Palm Desert Station (serves the cities of Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage, and Palm Desert and the unincorporated areas of Thousand Palms and Sky Valley)
• Perris Station (serves the city of Perris)
• San Jacinto Station (serves the City of San Jacinto and Mount San Jacinto College)
• Southwest Station (serves the city of Temecula and the unincorporated communities of French Valley and De Luz)
• Thermal Station (serves the cities of La Quinta and Coachella and the unincorporated areas of Bermuda Dunes, Thermal, Mecca, Indio Hills, North Shore, the Torres-Martinez Indian Reservation, and Oasis)

Other facilities

• Aviation
• Coroner/Public Administrator
• Ben Clark Training Center
• Dispatch Center
• Sheriff's Administration
• Special Investigations Bureau
• Courts/County Administration Building
• College of the Desert Public Safety Academy

Fallen officers

As of January 2025, 29 Deputies and 3 K9s of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department have been killed in the line of duty.

References

References

1. ":: Sheriff-Coroner :: Riverside County, California".
2. "Riverside County Sheriff's Department Recruitment".
3. "Norco Bank Robbery". Riverside Sheriff's Association.
4. Houlahan, Peter. (2019-06-11). "Norco '80: The True Story of the Most Spectacular Bank Robbery in American History". Counterpoint Publishing.
5. (15 September 2021). "California county pays $11 million to wrongfully convicted man who served 20 years in prison". San Bernardino Sun.
6. (2014-02-26). "The Entrapment of Jesse Snodgrass".
7. "Twenty-five cops were caught cheating on a promotional exam. Nobody was fired. Some still got promoted.".
8. (6 October 2021). "California sheriff acknowledges he was dues-paying member of Oath Keepers militia". Mercury-News (San Jose).
9. [http://www.riversidesheriff.org/corrections/visit-presley.asp RPDC info] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-12-20)
10. "JoinCalifornia - Robert B. Presley".
11. "Clark Training Center - Law Enforcement & Public Safety Training".
12. "Clark Training Center - Law Enforcement & Public Safety Training".
13. "Clark Training Center - Law Enforcement & Public Safety Training".
14. "Clark Training Center - Law Enforcement & Public Safety Training".
15. "Chad Bianco".
16. "Push on to separate coroners from law enforcement in California". Courthouse News.
17. "Riverside County Sheriff's Department-History".
18. "Riverside County Sheriff's Department-Executive Staff".
19. "Riverside County Sheriff's Department-Directory".
20. "San Jacinto Station {{!}} Riverside County Sheriff, CA".
21. "Riverside County Sheriff's Department, CA".