ANNUAL REPORT
2024
Presented By :
Sheriff Paul Miyamoto
San Francisco
Sheriff’s Office
(415) 554-7225
www.sfsheriff.com
2024
No excuses, just results
Table of Contents
2024 Snapshot
35
Looking Ahead
10
Custody Operations Division (COD)
19
Field Operations Division (FOD)
Administration and Programs Division (APD)
23
Message from Sheriff Miyamoto
Planning and Projects Division
32
Jail Population
PAUL MIYAMOTO
SHERIFF
A MESSAGE FROM THE SHERIFF
This November I was honored to be reelected Sheriff of
the City and County of San Francisco; it is my absolute
privilege to lead the great women and men of this Office
and to serve the City that I love so much.
On a positive note, staffing levels rose in 2024, but we still
face challenges as we closed out the year at a 22%
vacancy rate for our sworn members, falling short 199
deputies, and 35% for our professional staff positions. We
have worked hard to streamline the hiring process and
bolster recruitment efforts which has paid off, with six
academy classes graduating and five jail core classes,
adding 65 deputies to our ranks. Looking forward to 2025,
the new Mayor has promised to avoid budget cuts to
public safety, so we will continue full steam ahead with
our goal to hire more deputies; however, we anticipate a
Citywide hiring freeze to greatly affect our professional
staff ranks.
In support of the City’s Drug Market Agency Coordination
Center (DMACC), we've made significant strides to
eradicate the fentanyl drug trade and retail theft.
Operation Safe Streets, where our Emergency Services
Unit (ESU) patrols parts of San Francisco overrun with
illegal drug activity, is in its second year.
As our jail population continues to rise; I remain committed
to protecting the rights of the incarcerated, and providing
opportunities to change. We opened another housing
dorm at County Jail 3's Annex to accommodate the
overflow, stepped up security searches, and added a new
innovative hands-on program that teaches women in our
jails how to learn a skill: braiding hair.
We will continue our public safety focus to improve the
mental health and behavioral health challenges that we
still face on the streets and in the jails. I look forward to
support from our Board of Supervisors to help us prioritize
creating a locked care facility with sub-acute treatment
beds as an alternative to jail. Those in crisis need to be
met in their moment and given a road to recovery that
works best for them.
Our job is about doing things that challenge change from
the inside out.
The spotlight centered on Deputy Barry Bloom, a 29-year
veteran of SFSO, who has saved more than 100 people from
overdose death on our City’s streets. An ABC7 camera crew
happened to be walking by the SF Public Library when they saw
Dep. Bloom save another life. His heroic actions have earned him
much deserved recognition from not only our department, but
the City. In May, he won the SF Emergency Medical Services
Agency’s First Responder Award.
“It’s not my responsibility to judge anybody. It’s just my
responsibility to save somebody on my watch.” -Dep. Bloom
Our deputies enjoy providing
security
at
San
Francisco
49er games at Levi’s Stadium
every year. This past playoff
season was exciting since the
Niners made it all the way to
the Super Bowl. Although our
home team didn’t win, we still
remain “Faithful to the Bay”
and look forward to many
more Super Bowls to come.
Women’s Leadership
Dep. Bloom Saves Lives
SF 49ers Superbowl Prep
February
March
January
2024 Snapshot
The Second Annual SFSO Women’s
Leadership Conference drew hundreds of
women from throughout the country to
recognize and empower women in law
enforcement. Asst. Sheriff Tanzanika
Carter runs the successful event, which
celebrates the 30x30 Initiative to recruit
and
retain
30%
women
in
law
enforcement by the year 2030.
Jail Lockdowns
Five Keys Graduation
May
June
April
Sheriff Miyamoto held a press conference
to announce a jail lockdown in the wake of a
string of violent assaults against our staff
with a two-week timeframe. From March
29- April 16, nine of our jail staff members
were attacked by incarcerated individuals.
The increase in assaults was not only the
result of low staffing levels, but a lack of
housing space, and more serious and violent
offenders being housed in our jails for long
periods of time. The lockdown was lifted
April 17.
Congratulations were in
order for 16 SF County Jail
students who received
their high school diplomas
through Five Keys Schools
and Programs. Five Keys
was founded by former SF
Sheriff Mike Hennessy
who established the first
accredited charter school
in the nation for
incarcerated adults,
despite a lack of funding
and support from
politicians at the time, who
argued that running a
school was not the job of
law enforcement. Five
Keys not only offers a high
school education, but
vocational skills, life skills
classes and access to
college and workforce
programs.
After a routine safety training exercise at
our jail grounds in San Bruno exposes
children at a nearby elementary school to
chemical
agents,
Sheriff
Miyamoto
apologized
and
canceled
all
future
exercises at the site. On May 21, SFSO
held a tactical training class when CS (2-
chlorobenzylidene
malononitrile)
gas,
traveled to the school, which was located a
mile away. This irritant is commonly used
by law enforcement as a non-lethal option
for subduing suspects.
2024 Snapshot
SFSO Training Exercise
SFSO deputies carry out eviction orders by
the City in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill
Terrace-Annex apartment complex.
Residents are being forced out as plans to
demolish and redevelop the site move
forward. The SF Housing Authority is
working to evict all residents from the large
complex, which has long been scheduled
for demolition to make way for the “Hope
SF” project, a plan to rebuild two sections
of the 38-acre site into a unified mixed-
income housing development.
Pre-Trial Electronic Monitoring
August
September
July
2024 Snapshot
Sheriff Miyamoto suspended our Office’s Pre-Trial
Electronic Monitoring program (EM) due to a judge’s
order that arguably limits deputies’ powers to search
EM participants without a warrant. U.S. District Judge
Tigar ruled that warrantless search requirements
violate criminal defendants’ rights to privacy and
freedom. The sheriff disagreed, saying the court failed
to see the value of EM as an innovative program that
allows incarcerated individuals, often charged with
serious and violent offenses, opportunities that
provide them the chance to succeed while awaiting
the resolution of their criminal matters.
Passing of Deputy Chief Kevin Fisher-Paulson
Kevin Fisher-Paulson, a chief deputy in the San
Francisco Sheriff’s Office, passed away peacefully at his
home, the blue bungalow in the outer, outer, outer
Excelsior, on September 5th after a 15-month battle with
kidney cancer. His career spanned 30 years; he rose
through the ranks, developing and supporting our Peer
Support Program, and professionalizing our Honor/Color
Guard. Off-duty, Kevin was an accomplished author,
penning three memoirs and working as a columnist for the
San Francisco Chronicle, where he shared personal stories
about his husband Brian and sons, Aidan and Zane.
Potrero Hill Evictions
Since 2003,
our deputies
have been
tasked with
SF’s ballot
collection. On
election night,
150 deputies
fanned out
across the City
to 500 polling
stations to
ensure every
ballot was
secure and
counted.
November
December
October
Fleet Week Festivities
Our deputies
marched in
the Italian
Heritage
parade in
North Beach,
culminating a
fun-filled
week with
our nation’s
maritime
forces during
Fleet Week.
Election Day 2024
Freedom Braiders
SFSO partnered with SF
PreTrial Diversion Project,
Bay Area Community
Resources (BACR) and the
Latino Task Force to
launch the first ever
Freedom Braiders project
for incarcerated women.
This 9-week course
offered participants the
opportunity to learn a new
skill, build intrapersonal
relations and self-
confidence. Hair stylists
from across the Bay Area
volunteered their time to
teach all braiding styles.
2024 Snapshot
The Year at a Glance
Victim Information and Notification
Everyday
Free Tablet Program
Implementation of the nation’s first free tablet program is
complete, which allows every incarcerated person in SF
County Jail access to the devices, thereby lifting a financial
burden off of them and their families, advancing racial and
economic equity, and ensuring equitable access to reentry
resources.
Secured CalAim Grant funding to plan
for improved continuum of care for
incarcerated by providing 30-day
medication dose post-release, and to build a
new CJ#2 state-of-the-art pharmacy
SFSO Policies Project
Launched in April
In an effort to further professionalize
and advance technology and increase
public transparency, department staff
and the community now have access to
all policies from sfsheriff.com
Completed in October
Restoration project, ensuring that victims
continue to receive timely updates and
notifications regarding their cases,
completed by SFSO in October.
Sheriff Miyamoto is Re-Elected for
a Second Term
Jail Population
Increase
Average Daily Population
Dec 2024 snapshot: 1176
9% Increase from last year
Jail Population
Jail Population: 2017-2024 Monthly Average
2024 Monthly Jail Population Average= 1,188
Incarcerated Person Profile
Serious and Violent
56.4%
Other Felonies
39.6%
All Other Misdemeanors
3.8%
Top 25 charges comprise
77% of individuals in custody
The majority of individuals in
custody, 56.4% are charges with
serious and/or violent felonies.
Snap Data of Active Charges
5/14/24
Jail Population: 1220
Top Charge:
Murder/Attempted
Murder
Felonies constitute 96% of the
incarcerated population.
Misdemeanors represent a minimal
portion at 3.85%
Misdemeanor drug possession
makes up less than one percent.
*One person spent about 20 hours in jail.
*includes domestic
violence
and weapons charges
<1% Misdemeanor
Drug Possession
CUSTODY OPERATIONS DIVISION (COD)
The Custody Operations Division (COD) is the
SFSO's largest division and is responsible for
operating three county jails plus the Annex, hospital
ward, Classification Unit, and various jail programs.
The division's mission is to maintain a safe and
secure jail system and facilitate an environment
where various rehabilitation programs can thrive.
These in-custody programs offer a variety of
educational, vocational, substance use treatment,
and violence intervention classes, as part of our
crime prevention programs .
Chief Deputy James Quanico
Custody Operations Division
10
Plans for 2025:
April: Installation of privacy pods at CJ#2 for inmate
use during interviews
July: Create outside space for incarcerated population
at CJ#3 facility
Expanding community visitation at both housing
facilities
Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital
(ZSFGH), located at 1001 Potrero Avenue,
contains two jail wards with locked medical
and psychiatric units and serves as a staging
unit for the incarcerated who have clinic
appointments at the hospital.
454
Average Monthly
Appointments
COD BY THE NUMBERS
San Francisco General Hospital Ward 7D/7L
Jail Health Services
While in the custody of the SFSO, incarcerated individuals will receive all necessary medical
treatment either in their housing facility or at a local healthcare provider as administered by the
Department of Public Health.
When an incarcerated individual with designated medication(s) is scheduled for release at County
Jail #1, the Department of Public Health will provide discharge medication(s) to the individual to
bring with them to the community.
38
New Hires
1
New Clinicians
3
RN Vacancies
4
BHRS Vacancies
11
16
New Hires (as needed)
The Classification Unit utilizes an Objective Classification system to secure the safest and least
restrictive housing necessary for incarcerated populations in the jail system. Deputies in this unit
review an individual’s current offenses, criminal and conviction history, and in-custody history
and conduct an interview to determine the classification level. They are also responsible for the
re-classification of incarcerated persons regularly, gathering gang intelligence, and enrolling
eligible individuals in health care. This unit liaises with other law enforcement and correctional
agencies, maintains classification records, and facilitates ongoing communication with
deputized staff to promote the exchange of information on current criminal behavior.
Classification Unit
1180
Average General
Population
909
Intake Interviews
166
Average Adminstrative
Separation Population
Prisoner Legal Services (PLS)
Since 1975, the mission of the Prisoner Legal Services (PLS) Unit has been to serve people
incarcerated in San Francisco county jails by ensuring that they have meaningful access to the
courts, and to valuable reentry resources and services. SFSO’s Head of Prisoner Legal Services,
Melinda Benson, launched the state of California’s first Voter Program for incarcerated persons.
She and her two staff members talk through each person’s eligibility and steps to register. The
Sheriff’s Office began its voting outreach program in 2003, based on interest in San Francisco’s
mayoral race, and worked with the elections office to ensure anyone eligible could fill out absentee
ballot forms. Since then, the state has gradually expanded eligibility, such as to those on parole.
121
Notary Services for
Childcare & Finance
101
Incarcerated Pet
Owner Services
1,218
Incarcerated Persons Voter Outreach
4,579
Access to Court
Services
205
Truth Act Notices for
those facing Immigration
Enforcement
260
Court Filings
55
Child Custody &
Visitation Services
12
675
Assisted to Register to Vote
358
Voter Ballots to Dept of Elections
19
Direct Support to
those Facing Eviction
264
Sentencing Credit
Release Date
Resolutions
SFSO Voter Program
Central Records and Warrants (CRWU)
1,188
Monthly Average Inmate
Records Managed
25
Open Public Records
Requests
Central Records and Warrants Unit (CRWU) is responsible for
entering court commitments processed by the Superior Courts,
calculating jail sentences, and processing release paperwork and
bail.
The CRWU Unit processes all San Francisco County criminal records
and warrants and works with other law enforcement agencies that
request critical criminal background information. Staff members
process all new warrants generated from the San Francisco County
legal system, including Superior Court, District Attorney, Juvenile
Warrants as well as Grand Jury Indictments, Civil Body Attachments,
and SFSO work alternative program warrants. This unit also monitors
the
SFSO
emergency
communications
phone,
transports
incarcerated persons from other California counties and State
Prison, and takes individuals into custody who have outstanding San
Francisco County Warrants and have self-surrendered at CRWU.
The California Public Records Act (PRA) gives every person the right
to access public records in the physical custody of the Secretary of
State unless the records are exempt from disclosure by law.
22,799
Current Outstanding
Active Warrants
1080
Warrants Recalled
5,620
Returned to Custody
9,942
Warrants Entered
13
Milestones
SFSO Programs
SAN FRANCISCO SHERIFF’S OFFICE ANNUAL REPORT 2024
Count of Individuals Participating in Milestones
Not Including Five Keys
21,471
Hours earned
2,505
Potential
Custody Days
Saved
The SFSO uses milestone credits to
track inmates’ participation for a
reduction in jail stay. The Milestone
Credits Program began on May 13,
2019.
60 hours= 1 Milestone
1 Milestone Credit= 7-day
reduction in jail sentence
14
358
Milestones Credits
Earned (not including
Five Keys)
In-Custody Programs Spotlight
One Family
Transforming Our Attitudes
COVER Program
Freedom Braiders
Transforming Our Attitudes (TOA)
The Samoan Community Development Center employs
a curriculum focusing on the examination of Samoan
and Pacific Islander cultural practices, values, and
philosophies to address issues related to anger
management, cognitive behavior, and identity.
Through these efforts, TOA seeks to enhance the
connections individuals have with themselves, their
communities, and their cultural heritage.
A clinical parenting program that works with
incarcerated parents. Services include parent-
child contact visits, parent-child video visits,
parenting
classes,
and
Human
Services
Agency/Child Protective Services (HSA/CPA)
services.
15
C.O.V.E.R. Program
Serves military veterans at County Jail #3, partly
to help with post traumatic stress disorder. To
assist in the process, the Berkeley Repertory
Theater came this summer to teach its six-week
Transformational Arts Workshop. The workshop
culminated with a performance called “Advice to
Our Younger Selves."
Freedom Braiders Program
In partnership with Bay Area Community Resources,
the Latino Task Force, the SF Pretrial Diversion
Project and Bay Area hairstylists, the Sheriff’s Office
hosted the first-of-its kind braiding course to provide
hands-on instruction to women in our jails. For nine
weeks, participants learned various braiding styles,
financial skills, and focused on inner reflection. KPIX
and SFgovtv aired stories on Freedom Braiders which
received positive feedback. Other Bay Area law
enforcement agencies expressed an interest in
adopting a similar program.
*****
*****
*****
In-Custody Programs Spotlight
San Francisco City
College partners with
SFSO and Five Keys to
offer a variety of classes
to incarcerated students.
An SFSO program, operated by Discharge
Planning staff, that seeks to immediately
address emergency housing needs of
vulnerable clients following release from jail by
providing a safe room until service providers
are available.
Safe Passage
224
Resulted Nights of
Housing
Staff meet with individuals to determine if they
qualify
for
permanent
supportive
housing
opportunities. They also facilitate connections to
financial support services for adults experiencing
homelessness.
16
Medi-Cal Enrollment Assistance: The California
Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) is
a multi-year reform initiative led by the CA
Department of Health Care Services to improve
health equity. It focuses on the justice-impacted
population and a mandate that everyone
booked into a correctional facility be screened
for insurance status and be provided with
enrollment assistance if eligible.
Provides transportation to persons released from
jail at night who have requested or need
assistance. All SFSO employees, providers and
Health Services employees are empowered to
initiate transportation requests and depending on
the timing of the release, either a deputy in CJ1 or
Discharge Planning staff arrange for the taxi.
Staff provide linkage services to people who:
Have been sentenced or have pled and
are scheduled to be sentenced;
Are booked into SF Jail most frequently;
Are booked on drug-related charges that
were arrested in the neighborhoods most
impacted by open air drug markets.
Safe Harbor
783
Cab Rides
Discharge Planning
Housing Access Point
Lecture Series
Graduate student facilitators
teach two cohorts of classes 2-3
times per year. Classes held in
program pod classrooms.
425 7th Street | Opened: 1994 | Capacity: 298 | Average Jail Population: 25
COUNTY JAIL #1 - INTAKE AND RELEASE
425 7th Street | Opened: 1994 | Capacity: 392 | Average Jail Population: 381
COUNTY JAIL #2 - HOUSING
Grievances
342
Safety Cell
Placements
126
Uses of Force
12,397
Releases
12,186
Bookings
Captain Jamala Sanford
County Jail #1
San Francisco County Jail #1 is our Intake and Release Center located at
425 7th Street, where people are booked into and released from the
County Jail system. Adjacent to the Hall of Justice, this facility is where
arrestees undergo medical and mental health triage and screening,
identification processing, classification screening for those who are to
remain in custody, and DNA collection for eligible arrestees.
747
Grievances
356
Safety Cell Placements
167
Uses of Force
335
Incident Reports
Captain Jennifer Collins
County Jail #2
San Francisco County Jail #2, located at 425 7th Street, contains six pods,
housing people for the Intake Classification Pod, medical and psychiatric
observation housing, and various programs, including Five Keys and the
Re-Entry Program. CJ#2 holds male, female, and transgender populations.
It is the site of our updated Parent-Child Visiting Room.
*Individual bookings/releases, not unique people*
1 Moreland Dr | Opened: 2005 | Capacity: 768 | Average Jail Population: 769
COUNTY JAIL #3 - HOUSING
COUNTY JAIL #3 ANNEX - HOUSING
Captain James Shannon
County Jail #3
Opened in 2005, County Jail #3 (formerly known as County Jail #5) is
our largest facility, housing up to 768 people and offering some of the
office’s most extensive and original programs and classes. While
located in San Bruno, County Jail #3 is under the jurisdiction of the
City and County of San Francisco.
5,708
Grievances
422
Safety Cell Placements
415
Uses of Force
450
Incident Reports
The County Jail #3 Annex is the jail system’s current and only built-in safety net for handling a rise
in the jail population. Throughout 2024, SFSO continued to experience an influx due to an increase
in the number of arrests, as a result of Mayor Breed’s push for safe streets due to the fentanyl crisis.
Two dorms are open: A Dorm has a 60-bed maximum for incarcerated individuals, B Dorm offers a
60-bed maximum for those in the Psychiatric Sheltered Living Unit. F and E Dorms are ready for
overflow. The Annex was open for one month during the COVID pandemic in 2021 in order to
socially distance the incarcerated, and prevent the spread of the virus. The Annex reopened on
Friday, October 27, 2023 due to a rise in the inmate population.
18
Court Services Unit
FIELD OPERATIONS DIVISION (FOD)
The Field Operations Division (FOD) is comprised of
four major branches:
Court Operations- Criminal and Civil
Sheriff’s Patrol Unit- (SPU) City Hall, DEM, ZSFGH,
Clinics, Laguna Honda Hospital and SF Public
Library
Emergency Services Unit (ESU)
Specialized Units- Special Response Team (SRT),
UAS (Drone), Transportation, Warrant Services
Chief Deputy Kevin McConnell
Custody Operations Division
19
FOD BY THE NUMBERS
2,834
In-Custody Court
Appearances per Month
51,418
Appearances
850 Bryant Street - Hall of
Justice (HOJ)
400 McAllister Street - Civic
Center Court
375 Woodside Dr - Juvenile
Justice Center
Our deputies serve as bailiffs in courtrooms;
protecting judges and attorneys, assisting
the public with questions or concerns, and
providing security in all court-related areas,
the lobby, and hallways adjacent to the
courts. They protect the constitutional rights
of the accused, and ensure that all in-
custody persons are present for court
proceedings.