Tear gas, strip searches, and ICE: Supervisor calls for audit of sheriff's office

Tear gas, strip searches, and ICE: Supervisor calls for audit of sheriff’s office

Sheriff Paul Miyamoto’s work with immigration authorities, treatment of inmates, and rampant overtime spending could all be under review.

San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto’s management of his agency could be under review if a motion by Supervisor Jackie Fielder passes. | Source: Jeremy Chen/The Standard

Supervisor Jackie Fielder is calling for a top-to-bottom audit of the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department to review a series of recent scandals, the agency’s relationship with federal immigration authorities, and potential financial mismanagement.

“San Franciscans deserve accountability when it comes to how public funds are spent — especially when serious allegations of abuse and potentially fiscal negligence are at hand,” Fielder said in a statement.

Fielder will introduce the motion Tuesday for a vote by the Board of Supervisors. If it’s approved, the Budget and Legislative Analyst will conduct the audit, which would take a year. It would focus on Sheriff Paul Miyamoto’s cooperation with federal immigration and his department’s risk-management efforts around civil lawsuits, management of the city’s jail system, staffing, overtime, and recruitment, as well as security services provided to other agencies.

Fielder also cast doubt on whether the sheriff is upholding the city’s sanctuary policy for immigrants.

“Despite San Francisco’s sanctuary policies, ICE continues to operate here, and the Sheriff’s Department has authority over which individuals in county jails may be handed over to federal immigration authorities,” Fielder said. “The public deserves to know if the Sheriff’s Department is honoring our sanctuary city policy in good faith.”

The sheriff has not been audited in 10 years, Fielder said.

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The agency’s main responsibility is managing the city’s jail. Sheriff’s officials have said they remain committed to the sanctuary law and do not cooperate with requests from federal law enforcement to detain people wanted for suspected immigration violations.

In 2025, the sheriff’s office responded to only one detention request from federal immigration authorities, according tothe department.In that case, the department says, its criteria were met to notify federal authorities. The department tried to contact the federal authorities, who did not respond. For the sheriff to inform immigration authorities of an inmate’s release date, the individual must have been convicted of a violent felony in recent years, and a judge must find there is probable cause that the person is guilty. The sheriff does not hold inmates or hand them over to immigration authorities.

Calls for an audit of the department come on the heels of scandals that have raised questions about Miyamoto’s leadership and exposed the city to potentially expensive lawsuits.

In November 2025, a group of female inmates said they were (opens in new tab) strip-searched while deputies looked on and videotaped them.

The review will look into how inmates are treated in jail. | Source: Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

In August, Miyamoto was pilloried by local Democrats for endorsing a MAGA Republican (opens in new tab) — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — for governor.

During a May 2024 training exercise at the San Bruno jail, tear gas leaked into the surrounding neighborhood; children at a nearby school needed medical treatment.

“In the spirit of transparency, we look forward to providing information that helps San Franciscans better understand how their tax dollars are being used to support public safety and the critical services our office provides,” said Tara Moriarty, a spokesperson for the sheriff.

Miyamoto was first elected in 2019 and reelected in 2024.

The request for an audit comes after the city’s Streamlining Task Force called for gutting the sheriff oversight board’s power. It recommended removing the independent inspector general’s subpoena power as well as the board’s budgeting and contract approval powers. It also wants to give the mayor more appointments than the board of supervisors to the sheriff’s oversight board.

The board of supervisors can amend or kill the recommendations, but any changes to the sheriff oversight body must be approved by the voters.