California Public Records Act (CPRA) Request

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office has been diligently working to comply with the amendments to the California Public Record Act arising from the passing of Senate Bill No. 1421 and Assembly Bill No. 748. As a result of the passing of these laws, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office is actively engaged in the meticulous review and redaction of tens of thousands of pages of documents, videos and audio recordings, in order to comply with strict privacy, and other laws governing the release of information to the public. This process has required extensive software upgrades, and continues to result in significant demands upon Riverside County Sheriff’s Office staff.

Please be advised that all requested and releasable documents, audio, and/or video will be made available online, in order to best ensure open access to this information by the public. You are encouraged to visit this site often as it will be updated on a rolling basis as additional information becomes available.

Request access to public records.

Complaint Process

The Sheriff’s Office has always felt that any person making a complaint about the Sheriff's Office or its operations is entitled to a response. Communication is vital to good law enforcement services and to develop community cooperation. The Sheriff's Office has a procedure which can be employed by the community to make complaints concerning Sheriff's policies, programs and personnel.

You should first contact the Sheriff’s station where the incident occurred. You may also contact the Sheriff’s Professional Standards Bureau to file a complaint.

You have the right to make a complaint against a police officer for any improper police conduct. California Law requires this agency to have a procedure to investigate civilian’s complaints.

You have the right to a written description of this procedure. This agency may find after investigation that there is not enough evidence to warrant action on your complaint. Even if that is the case, you have the right to make the complaint and have it investigated if you believe an officer behaved improperly. Civilian complaints and any reports or findings relating to complaints must be retained by the agency for at least five years.

Standards Manual Section 1011.2

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office takes seriously all complaints regarding the service provided by the Sheriff's Office and the conduct of its members.

We will accept and address all complaints of misconduct in accordance with this policy and applicable federal, state and local law, municipal and county rules and the requirements of any collective bargaining agreements.

It is also the policy of this office to ensure that the community can report misconduct without concern for reprisal or retaliation.

Procedure

Any person can file a complaint. All complaints will receive immediate attention. Complaints may be made to any employee of the Sheriff's Office. Complaints may be received:

• In person
• By telephone
• In writing
• By completing our online Civilian Complaint Report.

All complaints will be forwarded to the Sheriff’s Administration Office. Witnesses of the incident will be contacted. A review of the finding will be made by the Sheriff’s Administrative Staff and final disposition made by the Sheriff. Final disposition will be based upon policy, program and procedure. The Sheriff's Office considers the investigation and disposition as confidential.

Results of Complaints

Results of all complaints will be made known to the complainant, if known, and to the employee involved.

Complaint Disposition Will Be as Follows

• Unfounded - Did not occur.
• Exonerated - Did occur, but was justified.
• Not Sustained - No clear evidence of proof.
• Sustained - Clear evidence of proof.

Filing a False Complaint

A word of caution is offered concerning persons knowingly making false complaints about peace officers. Civil Code 47.5 (View note below) allows peace officers to bring civil action against a person filing a false complaint.

Note: Section 47.5 Civil Code can be found on the California Law Website Section 47.5 Civil Code (Peace Officers; defamation action against person filing false complaint alleging misconduct, criminal conduct, or incompetence)... a peace officer may bring an action for defamation against an individual who has filed a complaint with that officer’s employing agency alleging misconduct, criminal conduct, or incompetence, if that complaint is false, the complaint was made with knowledge that it was false and that it was made with spite, hatred, or ill will.

Assembly Bill 748

Assembly Bill 748 requires agencies to produce video and audio recordings of “critical incidents,” defined as an incident involving the discharge of a firearm at a person by a peace officer or custodial officer, or an incident in which the use of force by a peace officer or custodial officer against a person resulted in death or great bodily injury, in response to California Public Records Act requests.

Sheriff's employees have been given direction and expectations to protect themselves from COVID-19 and to help reduce and mitigate the spread. The preservation of an infection- free and healthy workforce is critical to deliver the services we provide to the community. In addition to all the local guidelines in place to help limit the spread of COVID-19, the Sheriff's Office has also authored a Directive to reinforce these practices. The Directive reflects the most recent California Department of Public Health (CDPH) orders.

COVID-19 Personnel Expectations - Directive

For additional information please visit The Riverside University Health System-Public Health Department or The Center for Disease Control and Prevention

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office has begun to post publicly available policies, procedures, and training materials pursuant to the requirements of Senate Bill 978. Since the election of Sheriff Chad Bianco in late 2018, the Sheriff's Office has embarked upon an intricate and wide-ranging review of nearly all polices and many of its procedures. In so doing, the information posted here will be undergoing routine additions and will be periodically updated on this website as we modernize our manuals and best-practices to a degree never undertaken before. Any redactions you may see, which there are relatively few, result only from a genuine need to withhold a procedure, tactical practice, or privacy concern for the safety of Sheriff's personnel or the public.

• Automated License Plate Readers
• Cal ID Facial Recognition Policy (PDF)
• Cal ID Mobile ID Policy (PDF)
• Corrections Policy (PDF)
• Corrections Procedures (PDF)
• Coroner's Policy and Procedures (PDF)
• Standards Manual (PDF)
• POST Certified Training Course Outlines
• Social Media Policy(PDF)
• Training Course Outlines (PDF)