San Diego County Sheriff's Office

Concerns and challenges

The San Diego County Jail incarcerates about on an average day in 2022, there were 4,305 people in county jails and with such large numbers, the jail has faced numerous problems with its facilities.^[11]

One of the main concerns within the San Diego County detention facilities is death of inmates, while in custody. The San Diego County jails system set a record high of 18 deaths in 2021. Then Sheriff Kelly Martinez took over in February 2022, and the jails matched its record total deaths again.^[12] In 2022, a report from the California State Auditor found that while individuals were in custody at county jails, San Diego County reported the second‑highest number of in‑custody deaths over the time frame of 2006-2021.^[13] The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) created a semi-annual report, due to the concerns about the rate of deaths in San Diego. The Board noted that from 2006 through 2020, 185 people died in San Diego County’s jails. The report also found that inmates who died in the county's jails had been in custody for only a few days or several months, while others were waiting to be sentenced, set to be released or about to be transferred.^[14]

In 2024, at least nine people died while in county jail.^[15]

Another concern is that lack of accountability from those in charge. According to Justice Department data, 47 people died between 2021 and 2023, Sheriff Kelly Martinez and her predecessor, repeatedly refused requests from the CLERB to put her deputies through scanners before they start their shifts to reduce the flow of drugs into facilities. This request from the board came after two jail deputies pleaded guilty to drug-related charges last year, one for burglary of medication from a jail prescription medication drop-off box and the other for possession of cocaine on jail property.^[16] In December 2024 the County supervisors voted for stronger law enforcement review board powers.^[17] It has been noted that even having the sheriff to appear at CLERB meetings has been a struggle.^[18]

Families of people who died in jail have expressed their frustration with the sheriff and the jails policy, especially Martinez refusal to scan jail staff for drugs. Thirteen inmates died from drug overdoses in San Diego jails between 2021 and 2023.^[18]

Lonnie Rupard Jail Homicide

On March 17, 2022, Lonnie Rupard, a 46‑year‑old man diagnosed with schizophrenia, died while in custody at the San Diego Central Jail. The San Diego County Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide, citing pneumonia, malnutrition, dehydration, and untreated mental‑health conditions. A federal civil rights lawsuit was filed by his sons, Justino Rupard (lead plaintiff) and Ronnie Rupard, alleging that Sheriff Kelly A. Martinez, jail medical staff, and county personnel acted with deliberate indifference to Lonnie’s deteriorating condition.

According to the lawsuit, Lonnie was housed in a cell “littered with feces and trash” and was denied adequate psychiatric and medical care while in custody. His death occurred during a period of heightened scrutiny of the county’s detention system. As noted in official reporting, “San Diego County reported the second‑highest number of in‑custody deaths over the time frame of 2006–2021” and “185 people died in San Diego County’s jails” between 2006 and 2020.^[19][20]

Significance and Impact on Reform

Lonnie Rupard’s homicide became one of the most influential cases driving calls for reform within the San Diego County jail system. His death highlighted multiple systemic failures—medical neglect, inadequate mental‑health treatment, and insufficient supervision—that advocates and oversight bodies had warned about for years. The case gained particular attention because it illustrated how individuals with severe mental illness were left without meaningful care, even as the Sheriff’s Office faced rising in‑custody deaths.

The attached document notes that “families of people who died in jail have expressed their frustration with the sheriff and the jails policy,” reflecting the broader public response to Lonnie’s death and others like it.^[18]

Lonnie’s homicide ruling became a leading factor for change because:

It exposed extreme medical neglect in a case where the cause of death was directly tied to treatable conditions.

It demonstrated the failure of intake screening and mental‑health protocols, prompting renewed demands for clinical oversight.

It occurred during a period of record‑high jail deaths, amplifying public and legislative pressure.

It involved a federal civil rights lawsuit led by his son, Justino Rupard, which brought national attention to the Sheriff’s Office’s handling of vulnerable detainees.

It became a central example cited by reform advocates, journalists, and oversight boards when arguing for stronger accountability measures, including medical staffing increases, drug‑smuggling prevention, and independent review authority.

As a result, Lonnie Rupard’s death is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the push for improved medical care, mental‑health treatment, and transparency within San Diego County’s detention facilities.

Sheriff Martinez described to the board the steps that the Sheriff's Office has done to improve medical care in the jails. She now has three directors of nursing instead of one and is hiring nursing assistants to help with the shortages of nurses. In addition, each of the three intake jails now have emergency room-trained doctors that will assess a person's medical needs upon booking. Sheriff Martinez also stated they have created new standards for what hospitals must check when a person is brought in for booking medical clearance.^[21]

Sheriff Martinez also reported to the board that there were no suicides in 2024, and none so far this year (2025). She stated to the board, "Our focus has been on preventing suicides from occurring, we're not taking a victory lap by any means, but we're very proud of our record." This being an improvement from former Sheriff Gore's tenure that lasted 13 years where the average suicide was about three a year, including 22 between 2013-2016.^[22]

Sheriff Martinez also addressed the issue of overdoses in the jails. She reported the Sheriff's Office has purchased new body scanners, added drug-sniffing dogs, and implemented random screenings to prevent smuggling. Furthermore, Medication-assisted treatment is now officered to incarcerated persons to ease withdrawal symptoms when they come into custody. In all, Sheriff Martinez stated these efforts have reduced the amount of drugs being smuggled into the jails. ^[22]

In an earlier article published by the San Diego Union Tribune, it was noted that as an ongoing effort to reduce deaths in custody, the San Diego Sheriff's Office would soon begin testing biometric monitoring devices designed to alert staff when an incarcerated person is in medical distress. According to Sheriff Martinez, the department planned to pilot the devices in the downtown Central jail and at Las Colinas Detention and Re-entry Facility with. Sheriff Martinez described the device as being "more like an Apple watch." This device would measure vital signs, heartrate and respiration, and were designed to send an alert to staff if a person's condition suddenly changed. ^[23]

Office of the Sheriff

• Public Affairs
• Intergovernmental Legislative Affairs
• Legal Affairs
• Senior Executive Assistant
• Division of Inspectional Services

Service bureaus

The San Diego County Sheriff's Office is organized into five service bureaus: Law Enforcement Services, Detention Facility Services, Court Services, Human Resource Services, and Management Services. Each bureau is managed by an Assistant Sheriff except the Management Services Bureau, which is headed by an Executive Director.