Patrol Division

Located in the heart of Monterey County, the Central Station serves as the headquarters for the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, encompassing the county jail and providing a hub for countywide law enforcement activities. Situated strategically to manage both urban and rural jurisdictions, the Central Station oversees a diverse and extensive area, ensuring law enforcement coverage and public safety across several communities.

The Central Station is not only pivotal in daily law enforcement operations but also plays a crucial role during numerous county events, providing enhanced security and coordination. The station houses the Sheriff's administrative offices and serves as the primary dispatch center, responding to a broad spectrum of calls from routine incidents to critical emergencies. Here, dedicated deputies and staff work tirelessly to uphold their mission to protect life and property, responding swiftly to the needs of the citizens.

Additionally, the Central Station is instrumental in managing specialized units such as the Crisis Negotiation Team and the County's SWAT Team, which are essential in handling high-risk situations across Monterey County. The facility, located at a central and accessible location, is a cornerstone of community safety, embodying the commitment of the Monterey County Sheriff's Office to serve and protect its diverse community effectively.

Based in the Monterey Courthouse, the station covers an area of over 750 square miles, including approximately 100 miles of coastline. The Coastal Station provides law enforcement to the unincorporated county areas of Pebble Beach, Carmel, Carmel Valley, and Big Sur. The patrol area also extends to the coastal communities along our southern coastline, such as Gorda and Palo Colorado Canyon, as well as inland to include a part of the Los Padres National Forest. Also within the scenic coastal patrol area are Laguna Seca and the communities along Laureles Grade and Highway 68.

In addition to the day-to-day enforcement duties, the Coastal Station is also responsible for supplemental law enforcement at many special events occurring in Pebble Beach and Carmel Valley. There are Community Field Offices at the Crossroads Shopping Center and Carmel Valley Village. The Coastal Station is located at 1200 Aguajito Rd in Monterey.

The team of dedicated deputies who are assigned to the Coastal Patrol Station are honored and proud to serve this great community.  Their mission is to protect life and property and to respond promptly to citizen requests for assistance. They are requested, on a daily basis, to provide assistance for life-threatening incidents, investigations with regard to crimes committed and the apprehension of those responsible as well as non-emergency incidents.

The Coastal Patrol Station is also home to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team, which conducts rescue and recovery operations throughout the county. 

The Crisis Negotiation Unit of the Monterey County Sheriff's Office plays a critical role in managing high-stakes situations such as hostage incidents and barricaded suspects. This specialized unit is composed of highly trained negotiators who are skilled in de-escalation techniques and crisis communication. They work diligently to ensure the safety and preservation of all lives involved in these tense situations, employing empathy, negotiation skills, and strategic problem-solving to achieve peaceful resolutions.

These negotiators are on call 24/7, ready to respond to any situation where their expertise is required. The unit operates under the principle that every crisis can be defused with the right combination of communication and patience. They collaborate closely with the Tactical Response Team and other law enforcement agencies to manage the scene and provide the best possible outcomes for all parties involved. This proactive and careful approach is crucial in maintaining public safety and trust, ensuring that each situation is handled with the utmost care and professionalism.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Dive Unit is a Public Safety Dive Unit that has been in operation since 1975. It was originally tasked as a Search and Rescue Team, but in 2013 it was reassigned under the Patrol Division. This reassignment also included the restructuring and certification as a Public Safety Dive Unit.  Since its inception, divers have participated in hundreds of recovery operations in its history and are responsible for the investigation of underwater crime scenes, as well as homeland security sweeps and searches. Divers have recovered significant amounts of stolen property, vehicles, vessels, aircraft and bodies from various underwater locations throughout the County of Monterey and State of California. All Dive Unit members have assigned duties in various other commands within the Sheriff’s Office and perform the Dive Unit missions as a collateral duty. The Dive Unit consists of a Commander as Officer-in-Charge and diver, a Sergeant as Assistant Officer-in-Charge and diver. Also, seven Sheriff’s Deputy divers, one which acts as a Bomb Squad Diver and four SWAT Divers.

MCSO Dive Unit Mission

Dive Unit members routinely dive in the Monterey Bay, Moss Landing Harbor, Monterey Harbor, Stillwater Cove, the Salinas River, City and County lakes, canals, streams, reservoirs and the approximately 100 miles of coastline that borders Monterey County. Their mission is to perform all investigations and other needed law enforcement tasks which must be performed underwater. Requests for Sheriff’s Dive resources are made telephonically through the County Communications or contacting the Sheriff’s Office. 

Diver Training and Certifications

All Divers attended a Public Safety Dive School at the Maritime Law Enforcement Training Center (MLETC) in Las Angeles. This 6-week school certifies all Sheriff Divers as Public Safety Divers through California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). All Divers have certified as NAUI Dive Masters. The team Sergeant is Certified as NAUI Dive Master and SCUBA Instructor the Team Commander is Certified as a NAUI Dive Master, SCUBA Instructor and Public Safety Diver Instructor. 

Divers have also attended Underwater Hazardous Device Search course, FBI Post Blast Underwater Investigations course, Kirby Morgan Public Safety Surface Supplied Air Dive course, Law Enforcement Boat Operators course Tactical Maritime Operations course. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Sheriff’s Divers primarily conduct search, rescue and recovery of persons in bodies of water. They also conduct investigations of underwater crime scenes in the County of Monterey.

Other responsibilities include search and recovery of property and related criminal evidence, recovery of lost or stolen property, underwater photography and video documentation, hazardous devices and contraband related vessel hull and pier searches, homeland security/sensitive location periodic inspections, removal of conditions that pose a threat to life and property, or where County liability exists, confined space diving, hazmat diving and other duties as directed by the Sheriff.

The primary mission of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Explosive Ordnance Unit (formerly known as the Bomb Squad) is to ensure the safety of it’s citizens, as well as, the safety of all personnel who may be first responders to an explosive-related incident. MCSO’s Explosive Ordnance Unit has been serving the people of Monterey County since 2005. Our Explosive Ordnance Unit is comprised of 6 highly trained bomb technicians and 2 explosive detection canines. The Explosive Ordnance Unit averages approximately 30 calls for service per year. They are responsible for the handling, transportation and rendering safe of all explosive items located within Monterey and San Benito Counties.

If a suspicious item is found, call 9-1-1 immediately to request assistance and clear the area. Do not attempt to move or open the suspected item under any circumstances.

History

Formed in 2005, the Explosive Ordnance Unit initially was comprised of four bomb technicians. In 2021, the team was expanded to six bomb technicians and two explosive detection canines. All Monterey County Bomb Technicians receiving formal explosives training at the FBI Hazardous Devices School at Redstone Army Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama and maintain their standard and training through the FBI and the National Bomb Squad Commanders Advisory Board (NBSCAB) criteria.

Training

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Explosive Ordnance Unit maintains all training based on the NBSCAB requirements. The Explosive Ordnance Unit is continually striving to improve the quality of its contacts with the community, as well as with police and fire department personnel at the scene of an explosive related call. The Explosive Ordnance Unit is dedicated to enhancing public safety at the scene of any incident involving explosives. The Explosive Ordnance Unit has set specific goals designed to promote not only the safety of police personnel but of the public at large in dealing with explosive devices and bombings.

Calls For Service

Today, the Explosive Ordnance Unit has 6 part-time Bomb Technicians who complete their training as a collateral duty. The Bomb Technicians respond to all explosive-related incidents throughout our County and San Benito County. The Explosive Ordnance Unit maintains a team to respond to calls 24-hours a day. Each Bomb Technician responds to calls with essential equipment including the bomb suit, x-ray, bomb blanket and other special tools to include military issued items. This equipment is required to handle a variety of explosive-related incidents.

At the Monterey County Sheriff's Department, our commitment to keeping the peace and earning your trust is unwavering. With a dedicated team of highly skilled professionals, we strive to maintain safety, security, and order in our community.

The Mounted Patrol Unit (MPU) is a key component of the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, providing high-visibility patrols to the county's parks, beaches, and special events. While the MCSO was an all mounted unit when we started, we designated a special unit for this team decades ago to be a force multiplier at big events.

A dedicated barn was constructed on a section of land in the Salinas Valley, and the Sheriff’s Advisory Council and the Monterey County equestrian community has generously supported this pivotal unit.

For volunteers, please fill out our Civilian Volunteer Application.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Patrol Unit routinely attends a variety of local and even statewide events. One such event is the California Peace Officers Memorial Service held in Sacramento.

The unit provides patrol assistance with other large gatherings throughout Monterey County such as the Salinas Rodeo, King City Fair, and many more.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Patrol Unit is also periodically called upon to assist in the location of evidence or suspects in remote, rural areas of the county.

Search and Rescue has a long history in Monterey County. The first volunteer unit to assist the Sheriff’s Office with search and rescue incidents was the King City Sheriff’s Posse in 1939. Later that year another team joined called the Salinas Rodeo Riders and Sheriff’s Posse.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Search and Rescue (SAR) Team was created in 1963. The volunteer unit was established in 1989 to assist the Sheriff’s office, which then had a roster of 15 deputies. Search dogs became a part of Monterey County’s SAR Team in 1995. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Mounted SAR Unit formed in 2000.

The main objective of the SAR team is to provide trained personnel and specialized equipment to aid in the location and recovery of injured, lost or deceased people throughout the county, from urban environments to the most extreme wilderness areas. It performs rescues and recoveries in areas inaccessible to other first responders, usually in the Ventana wilderness and at the bottoms of the cliffs along the coast. 

The Search and Rescue team consists of both Sheriff’s Deputies and civilian volunteers, making it one of the only search and rescue teams in the state to utilize both sworn and non-sworn personnel as fully functional members of the team. Specialized positions on the team include high-angle technicians, a swift-water team, mountain bike operators and drone pilots.

Our SAR team is a full member of the Mountain Rescue Association as a type 1 rescue unit. To be included in this elite organization we are certified yearly in three disciplines, High Angle Rescue, Winter Alpine Operations and Search Management. 

Our SAR team frequently responds to emergencies in Monterey County and throughout the state for mutual aid SAR missions. We stand ready to respond anywhere, to any circumstance, be it an injured climber stranded high on a cliff face, a vehicle off the side of the road, a missing child,  or a hunter lost in a snowstorm in the high sierras.

For volunteers, please fill out our Civilian Volunteer Application.

Based in King City, the South County Station patrols the largest geographical area of the stations. This station’s area of responsibility encompasses 55 percent of Monterey County's area, divided into three patrol beats. The area has a normal population of about 22,000 people, but thanks to recreational attractions such as Lake San Antonio, that number can swell by several times during the summer or holiday periods. Agriculture is the primary economic activity, with row crops, vineyards, and cattle leading the way. The U. S. Army and California National Guard have major installations at Fort Hunter Liggett and Camp Roberts. This area also contains a large portion of the Los Padres National Forest. The station is located at 250 Franciscan Way in King City.

The King City Sub Station covers approximately 2,000 square miles and covers the largest geographical area of the three Sheriff stations. Serving a population of over 70,000 to include the surrounding incorporated cities of Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield, City of King and unincorporated towns of Bradley, Parkfield, San Ardo and San Lucas. 

South Monterey County is rich in history with the Soledad Mission founded on October 1791 by Father Fermin Lasuen and the Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum located at the San Lorenzo Park.  Visitors can find activities such as the nearby Pinnacles National Monument for hiking, Lake San Antonio for boating, camping, and swimming, or wine tasting along the River Road Wine Trail. The U. S. Army and California National Guard have major installations at Fort Hunter Liggett and Camp Roberts.

This area also contains a large portion of the Los Padres National Forest. Salinas Valley is known as the Wine Capitol of Monterey County with an economy based on tourism in the Coastal regions and agriculture in the Salinas Valley consisting of row crops, vineyards, and cattle.

The Deputies of the Monterey County Sheriffs, King City Substation take pride in serving the public and keeping the community safe!  Their mission is to defend life and property and to respond promptly to resident’s requests for aid.

The Monterey County Sheriff's SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) Team is an essential component of law enforcement, designed to handle high-risk situations beyond the scope of daily police activities. Though this is a specialized collateral assignment at the Sheriff’s Office, members must be available to respond to emergency calls any time of day, 7-days a week.

Deputies must complete patrol training before they can participate in a testing process to become a member of the SWAT Team.  Once selected, members must pass a stringent and challenging two-week SWAT School that is approved by California POST and designed to test a deputy’s ability to mentally and physically perform in stressful situations.

The SWAT Team’s responsibilities are multifaceted, demanding a combination of skill, training, and dedication. The MCSO SWAT team is called upon in dangerous scenarios such as hostage situations, armed standoffs, active shooter scenarios, or incidents involving violent and dangerous criminals. This team’s goal is to defuse these situations with minimal harm to civilians, law enforcement personnel, and suspects.

Another critical function our SWAT team is the execution of high-risk warrant services. These operations often involve serving arrest or search warrants to suspects considered to be armed and dangerous or involved in severe criminal activities. The approach to these operations is meticulously planned to minimize risks to all parties.

Additionally, the MCSO SWAT team often collaborates with and serves other local state and federal law enforcement agencies. MCSO SWAT team serves as the tactical team for South Monterey County Cities in addition to San Benito County as well.  This coordination is vital for information sharing, pooling resources, and ensuring operational success, especially in situations that cross jurisdictional boundaries.

In addition to tactical operations, the MCSO SWAT team is heavily involved in continuous and comprehensive training. This training encompasses a wide range of skills including firearms proficiency, less lethal/chemical agent training, tactical maneuvering, tactical breaching, negotiation, medical aid, and understanding the legal aspects of use-of-force. Such rigorous preparation ensures we are ready to respond effectively to emergencies when called upon.

Apart from their tactical responsibilities, our SWAT team also plays a role in community relations. We engage in educational programs, public safety demonstrations, and other outreach activities. We see these efforts as crucial in building relationships and maintaining trust between the law enforcement and the community we serve.

Overall, the Sheriff's SWAT team is a vital asset in the law enforcement structure at the Sheriff’s Office, equipped to handle high-risk and complex situations. Their specialized training and capabilities enable them to effectively address scenarios that are too challenging for deputies. While their primary role is tactical response, their involvement in community relations and inter-agency cooperation underscores their comprehensive contribution to public safety and security.