Operations Division
Captain David Samson
The Sheriff's Operations Division consists of the Patrol Unit, the
Detective Unit, the Boat Patrol Unit, the Live Oak Contract Unit, and
Evidence. The Sutter County Sheriff's Office patrol
responsibility covers approximately 600 square miles of unincorporated
area and approximately 4 square miles of unincorporated area. A
Sheriff's primary responsibility is to maintain the county jail
and its prisoners. The Sheriff also provides Coroner and Public
Administrator functions for all areas in the County of Sutter. Sutter
County Sheriff's Office also provides law enforcement services
to the citizens who live in the unincorporated areas. Incorporated cities
in a county normally have their own police department unless they contract
with a city for law enforcement services. Under Contract, the Sutter
County Sheriff's Office provides patrol services for the
incorporated City of Live Oak and a portion of the City of Yuba City.
The City of Live Oak is approximately 9 miles north of Yuba City and has
a population of approximately 8,500 people. 7 Deputies, 1 Sergeant and
1 Lieutenant are assigned to staff the Live Oak Contract Area. The staff
in Live Oak provides the same services that a police department would
provide such as traffic enforcement and traffic accident investigation in
addition to regular law enforcement services.
This year, Sheriff Parker has made changes in the office and each
division. The changes that have been made are the combining of the Patrol
Division, the Detective Division and the evidence section into a single
division under one commander. Other changes include the combination of
the Jail Division and the Support Services Division is now combined under
one commander. The Support Services Division is now comprised of our Jail,
Records Unit, Civil Unit, and our Dispatch Unit. These changes serve to
streamline the office and unify the individual functions within the
office. These changes have already made work flow much more efficient
by promoting team work, and improving communication, both of which are key
to effective leadership.
Sheriff Parker and his staff are continuously looking for new and innovative
methods to effectively use your tax dollars to ensure public safety. Ideas
are greatly appreciated and considered. Please feel free to contact the
command staff with any questions you may have concerning the office.
Reserve Deputy Program
Patrol Car
The Sheriff has a Reserve unit with 35 reserves. This year, we have expanded
the size of our reserve unit to better serve the community. Reserves augment
patrol by providing a back up officer in the car and Level I reserves can
operate by themselves and are trained to handle any call for service.
Reserves are also used for special events, special event security operations
and additional staffing on special enforcement details such as search warrants,
probation searches and gang enforcement details.
Cadet Program
The sheriff has a cadet unit comprised of youth from age 15 to 22 who volunteer
to help with many venues in the Sheriff's Office. They work in the
jail, our dispatch center and on patrol riding with deputies. The cadets
also help with public events by providing assistance with parking or
serving food. The cadet unit provides a venue for mentoring our youth and
preparing them for a career in law enforcement.
The Rural Beat Program
The sheriff also has a resident deputy program for the outlining areas of
the county. We have deputies who either live in the beat where they work
or they are assigned to that beat on a regular basis. There are two beats
in the south end of the county for the areas of Pleasant Grove, Nicolaus,
Rio Oso, Verona and the Robbins areas. We now have a deputy assigned to
each shift in the south end of the county so that we may have the best
coverage in those areas. We have a deputy assigned to the Meridian beat
in the west end of the county.
Special Teams
Multi-Agency Special
Teams Exercise
The Sutter County Sheriff's Office also has a number of
Special Units and Teams comprised of deputies who specialize in many different venues of
law enforcement service. Those teams are listed as follows:
Special Enforcement Detail Team (SED)
Special Enforcement Detail
The Special Enforcement Detail Team (SED) is similar to a SWAT team.
The team is highly trained to handle high risk events such as hostage
situations, high risk warrants and any event that would require a tactical
application to resolve the situation. There is a fitness requirement and
regular and ongoing training in equipment and tactics used to resolve
dangerous situations.
Canine Unit
Canine Unit
The Sheriff has an award winning Canine Unit with 5 dogs. All 5 dogs
are trained in protection and 4 of them are cross trained in drug
detection. Two of the dogs compete regularly in canine competitions
throughout the state of California. One of the dogs is currently the
#2 dog in the State of California. We are frequently called upon
by other agencies to assist them with our canine team.
Dive Recovery Team and Swift Water Rescue Teams
Swift Water Rescue
The Sheriff has a Dive Recovery Team and a Swift Water Rescue team.
Both of these teams are made up of deputies who receive training in
underwater black-water recovery and rescue techniques on top of the
water for technical rescue. They perform technical rescues on the
river such as stranded people in fast moving water, capsized boats
and other water related emergencies. This year, we have added more
people to the team and expanded our training to train with other
office. This has increased our ability to utilize resources
outside our office when the need arises.
Bicycle Patrol
The sheriff also has a Bicycle Patrol team used for surreptitious
patrol and public events such as parades and festivals, the Sutter
Pedestrian Walkway between Sutter and Yuba City. This is a valuable
tool for getting into areas we cannot go with a patrol car and it
saves fuel.