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.
County Growth and Staffing
Today, the Sheriff’s Office is responsible for 7,300 square miles which extends over 200 miles in length and approximately 50 miles in width. This immense territory makes Riverside County the fourth largest county in the State of California. Vast changes have occurred since the County’s inception, growing from a population of 13,745 in 1893, to more than 2.4 million in 2019. This increase ranks Riverside County as fourth in population growth among California’s counties. With a staff of over 4,000 dedicated men and women, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office is now the second-largest Sheriff’s Office within the State of California.