San Diego County, CA 2021

DEPARTMENTAL CONTEXT

The findings in this assessment should be interpreted alongside context about the demographics of local residents, the demographics of sworn officers, and the department’s work toward racial equity. This section contains information on departmental initiatives related to equitable policing practices and police-community relations that was input directly by the department through a survey. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department submitted its responses to the context survey on October 30, 2020.

RESIDENT DEMOGRAPHICS

The population of San Diego County, California is 48% White, 35% Latinx, 12% Asian, 4.9% Black, 0.4% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 0.4% Native. The total population of San Diego County, California is 3,185,270.

These city demographics were taken from Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2018 five-year estimates. They include the population demographics for the entire county, including cities and areas where the Sheriff’s Department is the primary law enforcement agency, and those where it isn’t, such as San Diego City. See the Data Notes tab for information on how CPE defines racial groups, including which groups are included in “Other,” if applicable.

Note: This assessment may not include some Census-defined racial groups (“Multiple Racial Groups” and/or “Other”) which make up a small share of the total resident population and are not used in our analyses of policing data (see the Data Notes tab for more information on how we analyze small racial groups). In February 2022, we updated our reporting to include all resident population data, including such smaller groups. The results of that change on this assessment’s findings was minimal, and therefore we did not update the data contained here.

OFFICER DEMOGRAPHICS

These demographics were provided by the department as of October 2020.

ABOUT THIS ASSESSMENT

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department joined CPE’s National Justice Database project in June 2020. The department shared data with CPE in order to receive analyses intended to support community and law enforcement collaboration on data-informed efforts to enhance equity in public safety. This assessment analyzes use of force, traffic stop, and non-traffic stop data from 2016-2020.

DEPARTMENT SUMMARY OF ITS KEY INITIATIVES

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department has recently updated its policies on stops, use of force, racial profiling, data collection, and data quality assurance. In addition, the department has implemented new training programs, programs to elicit community input on department policies/practices, and programs to reduce use of force or promote equity or community trust.

DEPARTMENT SUMMARY OF ITS RACIAL EQUITY INITIATIVES

In 2015, the California State Legislature passed, and the Governor signed, Assembly Bill 953, the Racial and Identity Profiling Act. The law requires California law enforcement agencies to collect data and report that data annually to the California Department of Justice. Some of the data to be collected is perceptions about race, gender, sexual orientation, and others. The collection of this information is used to better understand law enforcement interactions with the Communities they serve.

In June of 2020, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSD) put an immediate ban to the carotid restraint. It was also during this time that the Sheriff's Department initiated a Duty to Intervene directive.
The department engaged in a number of community group meetings, spanning from racial equity groups to social justice groups to faith leaders. Lots of substantive dialogues took shape, many of which served as good opportunities to demystify SDSD and ways to enhance the department's policies and procedures.
The department also convened a transparency working group to identify ways it can lend its datasets to be more digestible and relevant to the needs and interests of the community.
In July of 2020, the Sheriff established an African American Clergy Advisory Council as a mechanism to hear from Black communities about matters that impact their experience with law enforcement and public safety matters.
In 2013, the Sheriff established an LGBTQ+ Advisory Council to work with the department on issues of concern, and to share insights and recommendations that could impact relationships between the Sheriff's Department and the community.
In 2018, the Sheriff's Detention Services' Bureau In-Service Training Unit (DTU) undertook extensive programming to educate staff on LGBTQ+ cultural competencies such as cultural context, gender identity, gender expression, and terminology in order to reduce any possible barriers of understanding and communicating with the LGBTQ+ community in Sheriff facilities.
In July 2020, all of the Sheriff's Department staff were assigned a new Cultural Awareness and Understanding Bias virtual training as part of continued efforts to educate and deliver high levels of service to diverse communities.
In 2018, the Sheriff's Department established a more robust mechanism to track stop data to review demographic and other identity-based information collected during a vehicle or non-traffic stop that is based solely on the deputy's perception of the person who is being arrested, detained, or searched, including consensual searches.
In 2018, the department was the regional leader in creating a new de-escalation training program. The De-escalation Training was provided to 1,690 deputies through both the Continued Professional Training and Standards and Training for Corrections training cycles. De-escalation training was also incorporated into the academy's curriculum.
Sheriff's personnel receive "Mental Health Calls for Service Training" consisting of 24-hour Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) training to all law enforcement personnel and dispatchers. In addition, they can also receive 8-hour Crisis Response Training.
In 2019, SDSD hired a Community Relations Director (CRD) to provide expanded and consistent outreach and community engagement while bridging the gap between law enforcement and previously underserved communities. This interaction deepens the understanding of community needs and allows the department to better lend itself to the community.
Sheriff's Juvenile services also hosts youth character building mentor programs throughout the year, with a new facility being constructed by year-end as a safe space for kids and family to get resources and social service assistance.
SDSD's Homeless Assistance Resource Team collaborates with regional support services and county agencies to provide wrap-around services to individuals experiencing homelessness.

DEPARTMENT SUMMARY OF ITS COMMUNITY OUTREACH INITIATIVES

The Sheriff’s Department communicates to the public primarily through social media (Twitter and Instagram). Media Releases are also issued for dissemination.

The Sheriff’s Department leverages its outreach via the respective community engagement events throughout the nine contract cities and unincorporated communities. Virtual station and community engagements have been the primary approach during the pandemic. Sheriff’s personnel are also part of numerous standing community-based organizations and interfaith group meeetings. The Sheriff’s website is also integral in housing department resources and material to maintain transparency and information sharing. The department also produces an annual report available on the website.