Sheriff Explains Why Her Decisions Sometimes Differ From the BOS
Beryl Flom | Published on 8/25/2026
The Immigration & Deportation Committee was treated to an hour with Sheriff Kelly Martinez at their August meeting. Members posed many questions to her.
She kept emphasizing that several of her decisions are based on the fact that the job of the County Sheriff is public safety. Her numbers were overwhelming: 420 sq. miles, 18 regions (her department serves as law enforcement for 9 of them), 18 Native American reservations, courthouses, court labs, 4,700 staff with 160 job classifications.
Without hesitating she appeared familiar with the issues of everything we asked her except details of deaths in the jail, FLOCK and shared shooting ranges with ICE and Customs & Border Patrol/CBP. In the latter case, she knew this topic was on the agenda in a few days and she didn't want to give her opinion ahead of time. She mentioned that when ICE was arresting people in the Federal Court House, she asked them to stop and they complied. The Sheriff protects schools from ICE activity, but they cannot interfere with an arrest no matter where it is. The Sheriff does not interfere with conditions or deputy conduct in the Otay Mesa Detention Center except for sexual assault.
Data from license plate readers is kept within the department and disposed after a month, but sometimes that data helps San Diego County or neighboring regions locate a potential criminal. Since 9/11, law enforcement departments have been sharing data although now California prevents certain procedures and information going to ICE operations. The Sheriff must not help or get involved with an ICE arrest. But, the Sheriff Department does meet monthly with Federal departments including DEA, FBI, Border Crime Suppression Task Force, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Every year, by the state law called SB54, the Sheriff has to hold a public meeting on the number of people who are picked up by ICE outside the jail. They use a list online of people being discharged. In 2025, there were 83 transferred to ICE. The Sheriff had to transfer 60 of them by law because ICE had a judicial warrant for them. Most of the others had committed a serious crime, so there is a policy to deport them if they are undocumented.
Because she knew that the LWVSD was very concerned about the conditions in the County jails, she noted that 600 people are on withdrawal, and some die of natural causes or serious illness
The Sheriff listed several improvements:
More and repeated training of employees
More thorough medical and mental assessments including depression for new inmates.
Using an Apple watch to monitor those people with certain illnesses including pro to suicide for medical changes.
Programs to eliminate drugs in the jails.
Reviewing and renewing contracts with healthcare providers working in the jails.
Planing to hire a psychiatrist if there is BOS approval and funds.
Doing urine tests for all inmates.