We provide the highest quality public safety service to everyone in San Diego CountyMission statement, source
Area covered
Primary law enforcement for about 4,200 square miles of unincorporated San Diego County, nine contract cities, the Grossmont/Cuyamaca Community College District and 18 Indian reservations, serving nearly one million county residents. It also runs the county jails and provides court security.
Headquarters
John F. Duffy Administrative Center, 9621 Ridgehaven Ct., San Diego, CA 92123
Stations
19 patrol stations and substations, plus seven major detention facilities
Founded
1850
Specialty units
ASTREA (air support), S.E.D. (Special Enforcement Detail), K-9 Unit, Bomb/Arson Unit, Homicide, Unmanned Aircraft Systems Unit (UAS)
First assignment
Often a jail or court before patrol
A typical day at Sheriff
People stopped
About 69 a day
25,064 in 2024. A stop is a detention or search.
Busiest hour for stops
8am to 9am
14% of stops happen between 10pm and 5am.
Sheriff
Average of 11
12am3am6am9am12pm3pm6pm9pm
Darker means a larger share of stops in that hour.
The lowest step on the deputy salary schedule ($76,798) is below law enforcement cadet pay ($78,791). The schedule does not say which step a new patrol deputy starts on, so treat the starting salary here as a floor.
New law enforcement deputies often start in a jail or court before patrol.
The stop data covers the whole Sheriff's Office, including nine contract cities.
_-_El_Cajon_Mountain.jpg){kind=link}