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Imperial County sheriff reports higher stops, arrests and drug seizures in 2024
Summary
The Imperial County Sheriff's Office presented a 2024 year-end report showing increases in agency assists, traffic stops and arrests, a rise in weapon recoveries and large drug seizures, and continued community outreach and grant activity. The board received the update and discussed partnerships and rehabilitation programs.
The Imperial County Sheriff's Office presented a year-in-review to the Board of Supervisors detailing 2024 public-safety activity, changes from 2023 and efforts to expand community outreach and rehabilitation programs.
The sheriff's presentation said agency assists rose from 841 in 2023 to 1,141 in 2024 and traffic stops increased from about 7,877 in 2023 to 11,064 in 2024. Arrests countywide attributed to the sheriff's office rose from 855 in 2023 to 984 in 2024. The sheriff described the increases as reflecting greater field presence, participation in community advisory committees and targeted enforcement operations.
The sheriff's office reported large drug and weapon seizures in 2024. According to the presentation, the department seized fentanyl pills and fentanyl powder (listed in the slides as "108.4"), methamphetamine (presented as "4,492.95") and cocaine (presented as "63,892"); the sheriff characterized those figures as the quantities reported by the department and did not specify units beyond the slide language. Weapon seizures also rose: the department reported 76 pistols/revolvers, 67 rifles and 39 shotguns in 2024, a total of 182 weapons compared with 125 the prior year.
On drug-related deaths, the sheriff said the office recorded 97 total drug-related deaths in 2024, with 46 involving fentanyl; by comparison, earlier years cited 28 fentanyl-related deaths in 2022 and 2023. The sheriff attributed part of the response to multi-agency collaboration with the district attorney's office, social services, public health and federal partners.
The report also highlighted crime-prevention activity: the sheriff's crime-prevention unit participated in more than 83 community outreach events and conducted over 112 presentations to schools and groups on topics such as social-media safety, senior programs and school safety. The sheriff said staff obtained approximately $10 million in grant awards for departmental programs in 2024.
Board members thanked the sheriff and asked about causes for the year-to-year increases. The sheriff said the numbers reflect both increased enforcement effort and closer engagement with rural advisory committees, attendance at community events and partnership with regional information centers. Supervisors also praised the department's grant-seeking and emphasized the importance of rehabilitation and wraparound services for families affected by substance use disorders.
No formal board action beyond receiving the report was required.
