The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office presented an update to the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 14 about its Correctional Investigations Unit, which the department said targets contraband, gang activity and internal violence across the county jail system.

The update, presented by Lieutenant Pedro Beltran, said the county operates four jail facilities with an “average daily population of about 1,450 incarcerated individuals” and more than 300 sworn deputies alongside medical and support staff. Beltran said the unit focuses on intelligence, threat assessments and special investigations to protect inmates and staff and to strengthen criminal prosecutions.

The presentation outlined tools and tactics used during intake and inside facilities, including body scanners, a laser drug identification device, K-9 narcotics teams and a “double search” intake protocol. Beltran said mail was a persistent smuggling route, noting examples such as Suboxone strips hidden behind stamps and paper dipped in meth or MDMA. He also described perimeter attempts and unsuccessful throws over fences, and said a digital mail system is being installed to reduce paper-mail contraband.

Beltran provided 2024 and since-2021 statistics to illustrate CIU activity: 201 documented jail crime reports in 2024 (126 related to smuggling), CIU involvement in 93 cases for 2024 year-to-date (about 46% of the total), 112 arrests/rebookings since 2021, an 83% conviction rate for CIU cases, 41 weapons seized, 758 pieces of mail intercepted, 422 "wheelers" (small handwritten communication scrolls used inside the jail), 5,742 cell searches, 1,281 pat searches, 1,063 unclothed body searches, 635 interviews, and 54,904 monitored phone calls. Beltran also credited the unit’s K-9 teams with 367 deployments in 2024 year-to-date.

Beltran described CIU’s staffing and structure: custodial K-9 handlers, gang intelligence deputies, a crime analyst and a unit supervisor. He said the unit was formed in September 2021, adding a K-9 handler, crime analyst and a dedicated supervisor in 2022. He highlighted collaboration with patrol investigators and the District Attorney’s Office, and said the DA has a new policy — posted inside jails — that “plea deals will no longer be offered to individuals involved in gang assaults,” a change the sheriff’s office said helps prosecution.

Public commenters tied to jail operations raised concerns after the presentation. Brandon Kirkbride, speaking for the Stanislaus Warren Deputies Association, said staffing remains a central problem: “I was here last week, and I told you that we were at a 187 deputies. … The afternoon, that same day … we are now at 186. … We’re allotted 209,” Kirkbride said, urging the board to support recruitment and retention. Another public commenter, Kenneth Brian Evatt, said he believed he had contracted scabies while jailed and asked officials to address health and sanitation; Evatt said, “I wound up with scabies from our own jail, which they should keep it clean.”

Sheriff Jeff Dirkse and department leaders said CIU will expand K-9 coverage, adopt new technologies and continue staff training, and that the unit’s investigative work can also support street-level operations. The presentation did not include a board vote or formal action item; supervisors asked follow-up questions about K-9 patrol frequency and CIU partnerships.

The sheriff’s office said it will continue to report metrics and pursue digital mail and other countermeasures to reduce contraband. The board did not take a vote on staffing levels during the presentation; public commenters asked the board to address deputy shortages through hiring and retention efforts in future budget and policy discussions.