Why Is the Sheriff Also the Coroner in Riverside County?
- 43 deaths in Sheriff custody from 2022–2024
- 1 death every 25 days
- 3 more lives lost in 2025 – and counting
The Problem: A Built-in Conflict of Interest
In Riverside County, the Sheriff also serves as the Coroner—meaning the same office that oversees people in custody is also responsible for investigating their deaths.
This creates a dangerous lack of accountability and transparency, especially in a system already known for a high rate of in-custody deaths.
What Do the Sheriff and Coroner Actually Do?
Understanding the roles of Sheriff and Coroner is key to understanding why combining them can be a serious threat to accountability and justice.
The Role of the Sheriff
The Sheriff is the top law enforcement officer of a county. They oversee:
Jail operations and custody of incarcerated individuals
Patrols and criminal investigations in unincorporated areas
Court security and civil process services
Overall public safety enforcement
Sheriffs are elected officials, giving communities direct input into how local policing is carried out.
The Role of the Coroner
The Coroner is an independent official (in most counties) responsible for:
Determining causes and circumstances of deaths, especially if they are sudden, violent, or unexplained
Overseeing autopsies and forensic examinations
Making official findings on how someone died (natural causes, homicide, accident, etc.)
These findings are essential for transparency and for the public’s right to know what happened in cases of in-custody deaths or officer-involved shootings.
It’s Time to Separate the Sheriff from the Coroner’s Office
The same office that oversees people in custody is also the one investigating their deaths.
When the Sheriff also serves as the Coroner, it creates a dangerous conflict of interest.
Conflict of Interest in Action:
If someone dies in police custody—or as a result of law enforcement action—the Sheriff’s department is directly involved. If that same Sheriff is also the Coroner, then they are effectively investigating themselves. This:
Undermines public trust
Compromises the objectivity of death investigations
Shields law enforcement from independent scrutiny
A Real Example: Riverside County
In Riverside County, the Sheriff is also the Coroner. Multiple in-custody deaths have occurred without independent review, and grieving families have been denied transparency. This model lacks checks and balances and gives the Sheriff unchecked power over life-and-death accountability.