Divisions & Units

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office Administration has direct supervision over the Intelligence and Professional Standards Units, and the Custody Division. The Administration Unit is comprised of the Sheriff, Undersheriff, Chief Deputies, and Custody Captain.

The Professional Standards and Training Unit’s main duties include processing personnel complaints from the community as well as tracking use-of-force incidents, vehicle pursuits, and traffic collisions.

The Records and Warrants Unit processes and maintains San Luis Obispo County’s warrants and criminal records. 

The Fiscal Services Division supports all areas of accounting for the Sheriff’s Office and its budget of over $90 million.

The Digital Forensics Unit is dedicated solely to the extraction and analysis of digital devices and other related activities.

The Civil Division works in conjunction with the Civil Courts in San Luis Obispo County and Civil Courts throughout the State of California in the execution and service of process.

The primary function of the county jail is to house pretrial arrestees and sentenced inmates in a safe and secure environment, providing protection of the community.

The Watch Commander’s Office oversees dispatch services and patrol operations on a daily basis, and regulates service call priority and order of response.

The Dispatch Center is a primary public safety answering point responsible for all 9-1-1 calls in the county, communications and information between the public, law enforcement, paramedics and numerous county and state departments.

The Sheriff’s Patrol Division is responsible for the first line law enforcement in the unincorporated areas of San Luis Obispo County.

The Major Crimes Unit is responsible for investigating criminal cases that go above and beyond the scope and resources of the Patrol Division.

The Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Team is responsible for identifying, monitoring, and prosecution of habitual sexual offenders who violate the terms of their probation or parole, or who fail to comply with registration requirements under Penal Code 290.

The Special Victim’s Unit (SVU) is responsible for investigating crimes involving all forms of sexual assault against minors and adults within the unincorporated parts of the County.

The purpose of the Coroner’s Office is to investigate and determine the manner and cause of death.  The San Luis Obispo County Coroner’s Office investigates all deaths that are suspicious, unexpected, unnatural, and unattended.

The Crime Lab provides crime scene investigations, drug analysis, evidence processing, and provides toxicological evaluations of submitted samples.

The focus of the Gang Task Force (GTF) is to make a positive difference through outreach and education, identifying criminal street gang members and their activities, and appropriately applying law enforcement efforts to stop them.

The Narcotics Unit is primarily focused on major narcotic investigations, mainly Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) and other narcotic-related crimes.

The mission of the K-9 Unit is to support agency operations by providing the expertise necessary to effectively search for outstanding suspects, persons, narcotics, and evidence, while enhancing

The Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Detail (SED) is a highly trained and specially equipped tactical team. The team is designed to resolve critical incidents that include hostage situations, barricaded suspects, armed suicidal subjects, and crowd control.

The San Luis Obispo County Bomb Task Force (BTF) is accredited by the FBI and is certified as a fully operational bomb squad. The Bomb Task Force is capable of safe rendering and disposing of improvised explosive devices, military ordnance, and commercially manufactured explosives.

The mission of the Rural Crime Unit (RCU) is to enforce laws and provide investigative services related to theft and property damage of agricultural and rural communities.

The School Resource Deputy Program creates a law enforcement presence to ensure safety and promote positive relationships on school campuses and at school and community events.

The Bicycle Patrol Team is an additional patrol function of the Sheriff’s Office that is utilized to heighten the presence of law enforcement where large crowds congregate such as parades, festivals and special events.

With a focus on education and boating safety, the Marine Enforcement Unit provides enforcement at Lake Nacimiento and Lake Lopez, working closely with rangers from both San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office established the Honor Guard to honor fallen officers and to represent the Sheriff’s Office at ceremonies throughout the County and State.

Property Officers are responsible for the safe and secure storage, record keeping, and disposition of property and evidence submitted to them by the Sheriff’s Office.

The Cold Case Unit is responsible for investigating unsolved homicides in SLO County.

The Standards and Training for Corrections Unit (STC) develops and administers both current and future training for the Custody Division.

The Sheriff’s Background Investigation Unit manages investigations of all department employees during the hiring process.

The Crime Prevention Unit supports the Sheriff’s Office mission to increase public safety through education and community engagement. The mission of the Public Information Officer (PIO) is to inform the community about the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office Cannabis Compliance Team handles the compliance of legal cannabis operations, the background and application of prospective operators, and the enforcement of any criminal cannabis operations.

The Sheriff’s Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) Team was founded to address needs in patrolling areas impassable by traditional law enforcement vehicles.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Team maintains a fleet of drones that are utilized for operational over watch, disaster management, fugitive apprehension, missing persons, documentation, and any other situation that may be supplemented by the services this team provides.

The Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) is a specialized group of trained law enforcement personnel who responds to barricade incidents, hostage situations, or threats of self harm, with the goal of providing a peaceful resolution.

The Mutual Aid & Public Safety (MAPS) Team is a mobile field force team, that is the primary responder to mutual aid callouts ranging from natural disasters to civil unrest.

The Sheriff’s Office Human Resources (HR) is responsible for finding, screening, and recruiting qualified job applicants to fill a variety of positions in patrol, custody, dispatch, and professional support services.

The Sheriff’s Office Information Technology (IT) Unit supports over 450 Sheriff’s Office employees and nearly 400 desktop computers. Our IT Unit ensures all our critical 24/7/365 systems are operational and available.

The Behavioral Health Community Action Team (B.H.C.A.T.) is a combined partnership between a Deputy Sheriff, Deputy Probation Officer and a licensed SLO County Mental Health Professional from Behavioral Health. The team assists individuals in crisis and helps provide assistance to unhoused individuals with severe mental illness who have come to the attention of law enforcement.