San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez responded to County Board of Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe's proposal for establishing an Office of Inspector General, resulting in more thorough investigations, audits and review operations within the sheriff's office.
On Tuesday, the Board approved moving forward with a feasibility study, which would be the first phase in establishing the newfound body, according to the sheriff's office.
Martinez urged rejection of the OIG proposal and to focus on "collaborative" solutions that build on the department's progress in accountability and rehabilitation, stating the agency already operates under more than "twenty local, state, and federal oversight bodies, making it one of the most heavily regulated law enforcement agencies in California."
An additional governing layer doesn't equal more accountability, but equals more bureaucracy, Martinez said in a statement.
"The Sheriff's Office is already one of the most scrutinized and audited public agencies in this state," Martinez said. "We are accountable to the Board of State and Community Corrections, the California Department of Justice, the Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board, San Diego County Grand Jury, and many others. Each new oversight body duplicates reviews, drains resources, and diverts time away from what improves safety, care, and operations. It drains resources from real reform and undermines the progress our employees work tirelessly to achieve."
The sheriff's office said despite not being consulted prior to the docketing of the board letter, Martinez was grateful for the opportunity to speak on the proposal, and hopes the sheriff's office will be more involved in future efforts to ensure its "complex, dynamic systems and operations are fully understood and considered in policy decisions moving forward."
Martinez noted the sheriff's office "takes every recommendation and finding from these oversight entities seriously, using their input to continuously shape and strengthen its operations, training, and delivery of care."
"We don't dismiss oversight — we engage with it. Every audit, inspection, and review informs how we improve. That's how real change happens. But this proposal was advanced without any discussion, outreach, or engagement with my office — the very department it seeks to regulate. That's not good governance, that's exclusion."
Martinez said she reaffirmed the sheriff's office's ongoing commitment to transparency, safety and modernization. Officials also said recent improvements in jail infrastructure, medical care and compliance practices have been made in close partnership with the county's support.
"True transparency comes from working together to understand the challenges we face and the progress we're making, not from layering on more bureaucracy that looks like oversight but delivers no real value," Martinez said.
"The men and women of the sheriff's office have been driving meaningful change. Our mission is to keep San Diego County safe while strengthening trust with the communities we serve — and that requires support, not political posturing. At the end of the day, we all want the same things. We want policing and jail management in the county to be the best in the nation with community trust and support at the forefront of our efforts," she added.
