The Special Investigations Division (S.I.D.) consists of
multiple teams or units that are responsible for the
investigation of criminal enterprises relating to narcotics,
gangs, organized crime, terrorism, and the apprehension of
fugitives.
If you have information relating to any of the criminal
activity listed below or suspect such activity in your area,
click on “CrimeStoppers” to report it.
Criminal Intelligence Detail
The Sheriff’s Criminal Intelligence Detail has the
responsibility to provide the Sheriff’s Department with an
information base, as well as forward looking analysis, to meet
the needs of the Department in carrying out its efforts to
protect the public and suppress the operations of organized
criminal groups.
East County Regional Gang Task Force
A unit of the Sheriff’s Special Investigations Division, the
East County Regional Gang Task Force (ECRGTF) is a
multi-jurisdictional unit comprised of nine local, state and
federal agencies and is combined to be reactive and proactive in
gang investigations. An emphasis of the Task Force’s
investigative efforts is on the identification, arrest and
prosecution of members of violent street gangs using mandatory
sentencing laws whenever possible.
Fugitive Task Force
The Fugitive Task Force is comprised of Sheriff’s detectives,
who work in conjunction with the US Marshals, Chula Vista PD,
Probation, USBP, and ICE. Their primary mission is to locate and
apprehend known wanted felony fugitives with active warrants
issued by San Diego County Superior Courts and felony fugitives
located in San Diego County with outstanding felony warrants
issued in other jurisdictions. FTF also supports Sheriff’s
Department commands and other law enforcement agencies in
locating and apprehending felony fugitives.
FTF Detectives are frequently called into service to assist
departmental specialized units who require suspects be located
quickly. FTF is called on all homicide and sexual assault cases
where there are outstanding suspects.
Gang Suppression Unit
The Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) is a team of uniformed
investigators who are linked with the ECRGTF for gang
investigations. They serve as the patrol enforcement component
in areas that have high amounts of gang activity. The law
enforcement expansion can hopefully deter gang activity as well
as provide safer streets throughout the county. The efforts of
GSU Detectives are designed to enlist community and parental
involvement in discouraging youths from joining gangs.
High Intensity Drug Traffic Area / Tactical Narcotics Team
The San Diego Sheriff's Department’s High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Area Tactical Narcotics Team (HIDTA/TNT) is an investigative unit
responsible for counter-narcotic operations in rural San Diego
County and areas near the US-Mexican Border. The team consists
of Sheriff's Investigators, a Sheriff's Sergeant and a U.S.
Border Patrol Agent and is an element of the Sheriff’s Special
Investigations Division. The team conducts narcotics
investigations, surveillance and interdiction missions, Domestic
Highway Enforcement, and tactical operations. The Sheriff’s
HIDTA/TNT frequently collaborates with other Sheriff's personnel
and numerous allied federal, state and local agencies in pursuit
of common goals.
As a component of the Southwest Border HIDTA and a California
Border Alliance Group (CBAG) initiative, the team's mission is
to reduce drug trafficking, thereby reducing the impact of
illicit drugs in this region and other areas of the country. To
accomplish this mission, the CBAG assists in the coordination of
joint operations and supports initiatives seeking to deter,
disrupt, dismantle, and ultimately eliminate the most
significant Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTO's), and their
supporting transportation and money laundering organizations.
The CBAG will also emphasize efforts against methamphetamine
manufacturing, precursor supply, and “club drug” abuse through
innovative enforcement operations and demand reduction programs
utilizing a multi-agency, joint concept of operations.
If you have questions regarding the Sheriff’s HIDTA/TNT please
contact (619) 401-8120.
Jurisdictions Unified for Drug and Gang Enforcement (JUDGE)
The Jurisdictions Unified for Drug and Gang Enforcement
(J.U.D.G.E.) task force has been funded by the Office of
Criminal Justice Planning (O.C.J.P.) for over twenty years in
San Diego County. This multi-agency task force is staffed by
personnel from the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, San Diego
District Attorney’s Office, San Diego County Probation
Department, California Department of Corrections Parole
Division, United States Border Patrol, Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms, Child Protective Services (Drug Endangered
Children), Chula Vista, Oceanside and Escondido Police
Departments.
The J.U.D.G.E. currently operates in two primary geographical
areas of San Diego County, the South Bay region and the North
County. Within these areas, the problems of concern for the
J.U.D.G.E. are as follows: In the South Bay region are the
serious or repeat drug offender and violent gang members. In the
North County region the concern is the manufacturing,
trafficking and use of illegal drugs and serious, violent, gang
and repeat drug offenders, as well as drug endangered children.
Narcotics Task Force (NTF)
NTF is an integrated task force comprised of officers from
various Federal, State and local agencies. The NTF provides
geographic coverage for narcotic investigations, training to
local investigators on narcotic investigations, develops
specialized skills through an active officer exchange program,
and fosters a sense of cooperation and collaboration between
participating law enforcement agencies and members of NTF.
The task force is divided into eight teams with separate
enforcement responsibilities relating to general narcotics
enforcement, marijuana eradication, commercial interdiction and
airport enforcement.
North County Regional Gang Task Force
The North County Regional Gang Task Force is made up of
investigators from more than a dozen local, state and federal
law enforcement agencies. The task force focuses its
investigative efforts on the leadership of documented gangs,
gang members and their associates, including criminal aliens,
who participate in any ongoing criminal enterprise or pattern of
violent criminal activity. Task force investigations include but
are not limited to murder, attempted murder, armed robberies,
carjackings, extortion, kidnapping, assault with deadly weapons,
firearms violations and other major crimes such as theft and
narcotics distribution or trafficking that benefit gangs through
the acquisition of wealth and power.
The task force’s investigative goals are the identification,
arrest, prosecution, and deportation, in the case of criminal
aliens, of members and associates of these violent criminal
gangs using mandatory sentencing laws (both state and federal)
whenever possible.
Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center
The Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center (RTTAC) is a
multi-agency task force focused on terrorism-specific
intelligence and information-sharing. Participating agencies
include the San Diego Sheriff's Department, Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI), California Department of
Justice, California Highway Patrol, Federal Department of
Homeland Security (DHS), and Governor's Office of Homeland
Security. The RTTAC is co-located with the FBI's Joint
Terrorism Task Force and a Criminal Intelligence component and
together comprise the Law Enforcement Coordination Center
(LECC), San Diego's Intelligence "Fusion Center."
The RTTAC has three core functions- 1) managing the regional
Terrorism Liaison Officer (TLO) Program, 2) providing Critical
Infrastructure support, and 3) providing Intelligence & Analysis
support.
The TLO program seeks to create an enhanced sense of awareness
among first responders, specifically related to pre-incident
indicators and warnings of a terrorist attack. The concept is
simple: Prior to terrorists flying jet liners into buildings,
there are certain planning actions they must do to prepare for
such an attack. These actions are often accompanied by
indicators/warnings ("clues") that an attack is being planned.
By providing an awareness of these indicators, the goal is to
encourage reporting of suspicious circumstances/incidents, thus
preventing an attack.
The Critical Infrastructure team is involved in a regional
Critical Infrastructure Protection Program (CIPP), in
collaboration with FBI, San Diego Police, San Diego Fire, San
Diego Office of Emergency Services, and others. The CIPP seeks
to identify the most critical sites and/or services in our
region in an attempt to mitigate potential threats to those
sites from an "All Hazards" approach.
The RTTAC's Intelligence & Analysis capability is quite robust.
Our Intelligence Analysts evaluate data from a variety of
sources, conduct extensive research, and prepare and coordinate
intelligence products for dissemination.
San Marcos Street Narcotics and Gang Detail
The San Marcos Street Narcotic and Gang Detail consist of two
narcotic investigators, two gang investigators, and a sergeant.
This unit is fully contracted by the City of San Marcos.
Although we do not have any county investigators, we also
provide service to the unincorporated Escondido and Valley
Center areas on a limited basis.
The San Marcos SNGD provides a wide range of services to the
City of San Marcos. These include investigating narcotic and
gang related complaints; initiating investigations; conducting
investigations of cold crimes; responding to crime scenes to
assist patrol and investigations; interviewing of suspects;
development and use of confidential informants; expert resource
to patrol and investigations; expert testimony in court;
training in gang and narcotic related topics to patrol,
community forums, civic groups, schools, and Senior Volunteers;
liaison with other local, state, and federal agencies. We also
frequently support other SNGD units and various agencies with
support personnel when needed.
South East Narcotics Team
The South East Narcotics Team (SENT) is a unit of the
Sheriff’s Special Investigations Division and consists of one
sergeant and numerous detectives. Personnel dress in plain
clothes, patrol, platoon, camouflage, or black raid uniforms as
needed.
The SENT detectives investigate street level sales and
distribution of narcotics related activity and is responsible
for complaints in Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, Santee, Poway,
Ramona, and all of the unincorporated areas served by those area
stations, i.e. Bonita, Spring Valley, El Cajon, Lakeside, etc.
Additionally, the SENT works along side Federal agencies and
task forces like the Narcotics Task Force, FBI, ATF, and the
East County Regional Gang Task Force during high level illicit
narcotics distribution organizations.
If you suspect narcotics activity in your area, visit the
CRIMESTOPPERS site to report it.
Vista Team of the Street Narcotics and Gang Detail
The Vista Team of the Street Narcotic and Gang Detail has
responsibility for the areas covered by the Vista and Encinitas
Commands. Narcotics investigators assigned to the Vista,
Fallbrook, and Encinitas Stations investigate the illegal
distribution and manufacture of controlled substances at the
street level; to address and solve street narcotic problems
relative to specific geographic locations; and to respond to
information and complaints from citizens and other sources
within the station areas.
Additionally, gang detectives assigned to the Vista and
Fallbrook stations conduct criminal investigations of
gang related crimes, compile intelligence maintain information
on gang activity within the station areas.
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