RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. — A new Riverside County Civil Grand Jury report is urging county leaders to establish independent civilian oversight of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, citing ongoing concerns over jail deaths, transparency, and accountability.
The report found that Riverside County remains one of California’s largest counties without a formal civilian oversight body for sheriff operations and county jails. Grand Jurors concluded that existing oversight mechanisms are fragmented, largely internal, and insufficient to identify systemic problems or maintain public trust.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco wrote to News Channel 3 following a request for comment to the grand jury report, saying in part, “The report is nothing but an attempt to pressure the Board of Supervisors into creating an oversight board and/or inspector general. The report is ridden with inaccuracies and patently false statements, combined with apples to oranges comparisons. The Office of the Sheriff will provide our required response to the Grand Jury as soon as possible.” To read the full statement from Bianco, scroll to the bottom of this article…