Riverside County Grand Jury calls for oversight of jail system, Bianco says report full of ‘false statements’

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.

Civil grand jury reports are advisory, so the report does not compel the sheriff or the county to make any changes, although by law they do have to submit written responses, which will be made public.

The investigation follows years of criticism surrounding the county's jail system, including a California Attorney General civil rights investigation launched in 2023 after a record number of in-custody deaths. According to the report, 29 people died in Riverside County custody between the start of the state investigation and April 2026.

Among its findings, the Grand Jury determined that internal investigations of jail deaths lack independence and that public reporting on jail operations is limited and inconsistent. The report also outlined that the Sheriff's Advisory Committee has failed to provide meaningful oversight or documented recommendations.

To address these concerns, the report recommends that the Riverside County Board of Supervisors create an independent civilian oversight body with investigative authority, public reporting requirements, independent staffing, and the ability to review critical incidents and in-custody deaths. In July of 2025, the Board declined to create an independent civilian oversight body over the Sheriff's Department.

The Grand Jury also recommends an independent audit of jail medical and mental health services, the creation of a public data dashboard, and the development of a long-term strategic plan for jail operations.

The Riverside County Sheriff must respond to the report within 60 days, while the Board of Supervisors has 90 days to provide its official response.

Full statement from Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco

Unfortunately, the Grand Jury in its recent report has severely damaged its reputation as a fact-finding entity for all future reports, at least with the current members.  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.  There also seems to be a major lack of understanding between deaths that occur in jails and those in the field.  The majority of the report is inaccurate or simply false, and was obviously intentionally crafted to come up with the desired recommendation.    One fact they conveniently left out of the report is that the National Institute for Justice has concluded that oversight committees rarely, if ever, achieve the intended result, and that more often than not, create more of a distrust between government and the public we serve.  I stand by my previous statements that the demand for oversight is from political activists who dislike law enforcement.  The county executive office has also conducted its own investigation into the need for an oversight committee and recommended against it.  Another aspect conveniently left out of the report is that the Bureau of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) has 100 percent complete oversight of all statewide jail operations, including RSO.  RSO is also currently under court ordered supervision of the Prison Law Office.  The Grand Jury failed to even attempt to interview BSCC administration.  Riverside Sheriff's correctional institutions remain the standard and recommended example for all jails in the state, according to the BSCC.  It appears the current make-up of the grand jury shares the same agenda as the anti law enforcement activists.

Sooner or later, the media will do their job and factually report on this topic so Riverside County residents have the truth.  Eliminating 2022 and 2023, years where nationwide jail deaths skyrocketed because of across-the-board fentanyl and suicide increases, the average jail deaths since 2019 is 7.6 per year.   Our 20 year average, including 2022 and 2023, is 7 per year.  This is a non-existent problem.  Going to jail does not prevent anyone from dying.  No one has died because they were in jail, they died while they were in jail.  Our jail deaths are from fentanyl, suicide, natural causes, and, unfortunately, murder.  The CA DOJ has done absolutely nothing and recommended nothing, since their investigation into RSO for alleged atrocities cited by the Grand Jury.  That is because there are none, and it is more proof of my statement that this topic is nothing but political fodder.

The Office of the Sheriff will provide our required response to the Grand Jury as soon as possible.  We will not implement any of their recommendations concerning oversight.  This current report is worth absolutely nothing and has tarnished the reputation of all previous Grand Jury reports.  They should be embarrassed.

I said last year that the years of non-partisan government for Riverside County residents is over.  The cancer of political party has infiltrated county government and is spreading.  I will not stand by idly and let our residents suffer the consequences.