The Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau was formed in 1986 to provide the Department with a single, centralized investigative unit responsible for conducting investigations into sensitive allegations of criminal misconduct by Sheriff’s Department employees. These range from minor offenses, such as the misuse of Department computers, to serious felony allegations. Initially established with two investigators, the Bureau began addressing its primary task by retaining some ongoing cases and coordinating others which had been referred to various bureaus within the Detective Division for investigation.

The value of the Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau was quickly recognized by Department executives and it rapidly expanded in order to retain more cases within the bureau. This significantly enhanced the ability of the Department to provide a greater level of confidentiality regarding sensitive employee investigations. In addition, it became common for other law enforcement and County agencies to request the services of the Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau to investigate unusual cases within their jurisdiction. Today, Department policy outlines the types of cases handled by the bureau. Typically, the bureau handles allegations of criminal misconduct occurring within the Sheriff’s Department’s jurisdiction. It does not routinely handle criminal allegations occurring outside the Department’s jurisdiction.

The basic threshold for the Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau to handle a case is reasonable suspicion to believe that a crime occurred and that it was committed by a Department employee. In a typical year, the Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau handles about 100 criminal investigations. Only those cases wherein there is sufficient probable cause to believe that a crime occurred, and that it was committed by an employee, are submitted to the Justice System Integrity Division of the District Attorney's Office for filing consideration. If that threshold is not met, the criminal case is closed by the Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau with the concurrence of the District Attorney's Office.