On Friday, two years after taking over as San Diego County Sheriff took office, Kelly Martinez put out what she called a "report card" on what's happened in the department during her watch.
She said the jails are now safer and overdoses have decreased by 65% thanks to some new protocols she implemented.
“We're doing more routine checks of individuals who are unable to care for themselves," she said. "We have a multidisciplinary team that now goes around and checks on every individual at the Central Jail once a week to make sure they're eating, that they're drinking, that they're taking their medication, that they don't need medical care or medical services.”
Part of that includes having a doctor check on inmates during intake and making medical records electronic for easier access. Martinez credits those protocols for reducing in-custody deaths last year. There were nine deaths in county jails in 2024, though some community activists argue that number should be 10.
But the number of deaths is the lowest it's been since 2012.
The department has been plagued with inmate deaths for years, with San Diego Council jails having one of the highest inmate death rates in the state.
North County Equity & Justice Coalition executive director Yusef Miller doesn't give the department any credit for the reduction in inmate deaths. He said all the changes and improvements were forced upon the department.
“Kelly Martinez and the Sheriff's Department, they don't do anything that they're not forced to do by outside entities. For example, the class action suit against the county for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements for health and hygiene in the jails, for different things like this.”
The Sheriff’s Department is currently being sued for the conditions of its jails, which have been described as “filthy” and “deplorable.”
Martinez said fixing the problem is an ongoing effort because of aging infrastructure.
“We have real infrastructure needs within our system," she said. "They are aging facilities. They're not easy to keep clean. But we do a really good job with what we've got."
The Vista Detention Center, for example, is around 49 years old and is at the end of its service life.
"We've actually closed down one of the housing units because we can't open it. It doesn't have the doors that close — the doors don't open, it doesn't work," Martinez said. "And so if that structure isn't replaced or renovated, then we're going to, we're not going to have anywhere to house those individuals."
With Proposition 36 recently going into effect, there were concerns about overcrowding at county jails. Martinez said so far, that hasn't been the case.
The measure increases penalties on certain theft and drug crimes, and so far, it's increased the inmate population by 6%, she said. However, Martinez estimates it will take about a year for the measure's impact to be felt as cases move through the court system.
