Assistant Sheriff Paul Bennett

AS Bennet Badge

Assistant Sheriff Paul Bennett’s law enforcement career spans over three decades with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Assistant Sheriff Bennett is a life-long resident of Riverside County, having grown up in the Lake Elsinore community. He joined the Sheriff’s Office as a Community Services Officer at the age of 19. He promoted to Deputy Sheriff after graduating from the Riverside Sheriff’s Academy in 1991. He was initially assigned to the newly opened Robert Presley Detention Center in downtown Riverside, followed by his first patrol assignment three years later at the Palm Desert Station.

Assistant Sheriff Bennett subsequently served in a variety of assignments including patrol operations for the contract cities of Palm Desert, Desert Hot Springs, Moreno Valley, Calimesa, and Norco, as well as the unincorporated communities of Riverside County. He has held assignments with the Emergency Services Team and the Ben Clark Training Center as a basic academy coordinator.

As a sergeant, he supervised patrol in the contract cities of Norco, Jurupa Valley, and Eastvale before supervising the Community Action Team at the Jurupa Valley Station. He also supervised the Modular Academy and maintained the POST certifications for the Sheriff's basic training courses.

Once promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, Assistant Sheriff Bennett managed patrol operations, the investigations bureau, and special teams at the Perris Station. In 2013, Assistant Sheriff Bennett was transferred to the Special Investigations Bureau, which is responsible for complex criminal investigations including homicides, drug and human trafficking, and deputy involved shootings.

In January 2019, Assistant Sheriff Bennett was promoted to the rank of Captain and assigned to oversee the Sheriff's Special Enforcement Bureau, which is comprised of the SWAT Team, Aviation Unit, K9 Unit, Hazardous Device Team, Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team, Riverside County Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Sheriff’s Dive Team, Crisis Negotiation Team, and Fugitive Warrant Enforcement Team. Assistant Sheriff Bennett also served as the Captain of the Sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau, which is responsible for advanced level criminal investigations, and is comprised of the Central Homicide Unit, Force Investigations Detail, Crime Analysis, and Forensics Unit.

Assistant Sheriff Bennett is a true advocate of “Service Above Self”, knowing there is no greater responsibility or honor than to protect and serve others!

On June 30, 2022, Assistant Sheriff Bennett was appointed to the rank of Chief Deputy by Sheriff Chad Bianco.  

On October 5, 2023, Assistant Sheriff Bennett was appointed to his current rank by Sheriff Chad Bianco and currently oversees West Field Operations.