Contra Costa sheriff presents quarterly oversight report; board agrees to combine Truth Act forum and reduce routine reporting once data portal launches

Sheriff Livingston presented the sheriff's quarterly oversight report to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on May 13, 2025, reviewing booking and custody data, in-custody medical interventions, ICE notification requests, calls for service and other operational metrics.

The board accepted the report and discussed changing the cadence of the routine presentations. Sheriff Livingston recommended moving from quarterly briefings to a less frequent schedule once a business intelligence transparency portal and dedicated staffing are in place; supervisors agreed to pair the required Truth Act forum with one oversight presentation and to reassess reporting frequency after the portal launches.

Sheriff Livingston summarized the first-quarter data and highlighted several operational items. He noted a slight uptick in bookings and in custody-alternative placements, and said deputies and medical staff's rapid use of naloxone likely prevented in-custody deaths: "But for those Narcan deployments, I'm quite sure we may see an in custody death, which of course we want to avoid at all costs." He reported 12 naloxone deployments in the quarter and zero in-custody deaths.

The sheriff also provided detailed counts by race, gender and last known address for people booked into county custody, noting the figures reflect bookings from multiple agencies and are broader than municipal arrest data. He said the office received 141 ICE requests for notification and made 27 notifications consistent with state law limits on local immigration cooperation. "The only time they're notified of a release is when it's a serious or a violent felon being released," he said in reference to state restrictions on ICE notifications.

Board members asked about trends and data access. Supervisor Diane Burgess and others pressed for clearer, more accessible presentation of racial and geographic breakdowns; Sheriff Livingston said the new business intelligence unit would deliver publicly searchable data online once staff are hired and the portal is built. Undersheriff Mike Caston was on hand to answer operational follow-ups.

Supervisors also discussed the frequency of future briefings. Sheriff Livingston said preparing detailed quarterly packets imposes a substantial ancillary workload on department staff and proposed moving to six-month intervals once the portal and a dedicated data team are in place, with the caveat that he would appear for any significant incident. Supervisor Diane Burgess proposed combining the Truth Act forum with a sheriff oversight session; the board agreed to adjust the schedule and revisit after the transparency portal is running.

The board took no disciplinary action; it accepted the report and approved the scheduling change approach. Supervisors said they would revisit exact timing after the sheriff hires the business intelligence staff and the portal begins publishing data.

Ending

Supervisors thanked the sheriff's team for the report and for plans to publish data publicly. Sheriff Livingston reiterated his offer to appear earlier if a major incident or controversy arises prior to the next scheduled briefing.