Riverside County Sheriff's Department

RCSD deputies in December 2014.

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. As the county grew in population, so too did the department, eventually transforming into a modern full-service law enforcement agency.

The department made national headlines on May 9, 1980, when five men armed with shotguns, an assault rifle, handguns, and an improvised explosive device robbed the Norco branch of Security Pacific Bank. Since dubbed the "Norco shootout", deputies responding to the bank robbery call, armed only with their pistols, confronted the perpetrators outside the bank and a prolonged gun battle and subsequent vehicle pursuit ensued. The aftermath of the incident left 33 patrol cars damaged or completely destroyed, one sheriff's helicopter shot down, three robbers imprisoned for life, two robbers dead, eight sheriff's deputies wounded, and one deputy killed in the line of duty.[1]

Today the Riverside County Sheriff's Department is responsible for 7,303 square miles, spreading almost 200 miles in length, and embracing approximately 50 miles in width.[2] This territory constitutes the fourth largest county in the state of California and is roughly the size of the state of New Jersey in total area. Vast changes have occurred in Riverside County since its inception. The population, having increased from 13,745 in 1893 to more than 2,189,641 in 2010, ranks it fourth in population among California's counties behind Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties respectively.[3] 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.[4][5]

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)[6] in downtown Riverside,[7] 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[8] 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.

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.[10] 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.[11][12] In addition, BCTC provides ongoing advanced career training for the department and surrounding agencies.[13]

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.

• 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

The following represents the organization of the RCSD:[18][19]

Ranking structure and insignias

Title	Insignia
Sheriff
Undersheriff
Assistant Sheriff
Chief Deputy
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Master Investigator		Two stripes over two rockers, with a star encircled by a wreath in between.
Investigator		There are four ranks as part of the Career Investigator Program: Investigator I, Investigator II (Senior Investigator), Investigator III (Lead Investigator), and Investigator IV (Master Investigator).
Corporal		There is only one rank as a Corporal: Corporal I. A Corporal's role is to assist mainly the Sergeant and/or the Lieutenant with overseeing of Probationary Deputies and other Deputies in that division. When a member of the Riverside County Sheriff is promoted to Corporal he/she receives a new uniform with a Corporal Insignia placed on the upper left and right arm underneath the Riverside County Sheriff emblem/insignia.
Deputy Sheriff	No Insignia	There are three Deputy Sheriff grades (currently used only for pay grade identification): Deputy Sheriff, Deputy Sheriff A (possesses CA intermediate POST certificate), and Deputy Sheriff B (possesses CA advanced POST certificate). Deputy Sheriff's distinguish themselves from Correctional Deputies and Deputy Coroners by having a yellow stripe down the side of their pants. Correctional Deputies and Deputy Coroners also wear a black tie while Deputy Sheriffs wear a green tie.

• List of law enforcement agencies in California

• Riverside County Sheriff's Department
• Riverside Sheriff's Association
• Law Enforcement Management Unit
• Ben Clark Training Center
• Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit
• Desert Sheriff's Search and Rescue