Riverside County Supervisors Approve Committee to Study Sheriff's Department Oversight

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is pushing back after the Riverside County Board of Supervisors voted to move forward with studying possible oversight of his department.

Just a day after the vote came in, Bianco sat down with NBC Palm Springs and says he still does not believe additional oversight is necessary, arguing the Sheriff's Department already operates under extensive accountability measures.

While he disagrees with the decision, Bianco said he intends to cooperate with the newly formed committee as it begins its work.

The vote establishes a two-member ad hoc committee made up of Supervisors Jose Medina and Karen Spiegel. Over the next six months, the committee will evaluate whether additional oversight is needed and examine ways to improve accountability, transparency, ethics, and professionalism within the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

The decision follows more than a year of debate over civilian oversight of the department.

Medina first proposed creating a similar committee in July 2025, but the effort failed to gain enough support from the Board of Supervisors. Since then, calls for greater oversight have intensified, particularly after a Riverside County Civil Grand Jury recommended establishing an independent oversight body following concerns about a rise in inmate deaths inside Riverside County jails.

The ad hoc committee is expected to spend the next six months reviewing oversight models from other jurisdictions, gathering public input, and examining Riverside County's existing accountability structure before presenting its findings and recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.