Blaine County Sheriff's Office

The Blaine County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) is the principal law enforcement agency for Blaine County, San Andreas. The BCSO is responsible for responding to calls across the county, running the county jail, serving warrants along with papers and with traffic safety efforts. The BCSO also is responsible for prisoner transports in and around the Blaine County area.

   The current Sheriff of Blaine County is Li Chen (R) who has held the position since September 2023.

## History

The Blaine County Sheriff's Office was formed in 1889, replacing the Blaine Marshal's Office which was formed in 1874. The BCSO when first formed had only 7 deputies under the Sheriff who all had to patrol the generally large county. In 1915, the BCSO had a small fleet of Ford Model A and Model T which would help with covering more patrol ground within the county. During the prohibition era, the BCSO was aggressive in their efforts to stop the shipment and manufacturing of illegal alcohol. In 1932, the BCSO formed a Detective Bureau to combat the increase in mafia related activities within the region. The BCSO would form a traffic unit in 1945, following a rise in vehicle accidents and drunk driving.

In 1955, the BCSO officially established a Water Patrol who would patrol the Alamo Sea and would conduct boat inspections. The BCSO would form a tactical unit in 1974, following a rise in violent crimes in the county. Prior to 1974, the BCSO relied on the Senora Valley Police Department to provide tactical support in a critical situation. The BCSO formed the Special Response Team (SRT) who would respond to barricaded suspects, armed disturbances, bank robberies and with incidents in which an officer or deputy was shot by an armed suspect. The BCSO would form an anti-drug squad in 1976, following a rise in the illegal transporting and manufacturing of drugs.

In 1985, the BCSO formed a specialized unit to serve warrants on suspects across the county which was called the Tactical Warrant Service (TWS). The BCSO also established an air unit for the agency in 1988, prior the air unit was borrowed from the Senora Valley Police Department. In 1990, the Blaine County Sheriff's Office adopted the Smith & Wesson Model 4506 .45 ACP as the standard issue handgun, replacing the Smith & Wesson Model 19-3 .357 magnum revolver which entered service in 1975.

In 1994, the SVPD and BCSO officially formed a specialized relationship due to their close working relations and that it would help with crime prevention within the region. The BCSO from 1995-2000, became notorious for their excessive use of force against suspects and with their aggressive policing. This was due to a spike in crime which at the time required a "tough on crime" response but some deputies took it to far in several instances. In 2000, Sheriff Mel Parkman resigned from his position after it was determined he was involved in business dealings with known criminal organizations.

In 2001, the San Andreas State Bureau of Investigation investigated the BCSO for their actions during the Sheriff Parkman administration. The SASBI concluded the investigation in 2002 and found that Sheriff Parkman had abused his powers while in office and pressed charges against him. The BCSO was under state control from 2001-2003, while the department went under major reforms in regards to finding new leadership and fixing several policies. In 2003, the BCSO purchased the Glock Model 21C Gen 3 .45 ACP as the new department issued sidearm.

In 2004, former Sheriff Parkman was sentenced to 7 years in Federal Prison for political misconduct and embezzlement charges. The BCSO used the arrest of the former Sheriff as a moment to increase their community relations and with becoming more transparent with the general public. In 2007, the BCSO formed a counterterrorism unit following the rise in terrorist activities around the world, basing theirs off of the one formed by the Senora Valley Police Department. In 2008, the BCSO purchased Tasers for all deputies working in the jail.

In 2010, the BCSO transitioned to the Smith & Wesson M&P45 .45 ACP as the new department sidearm replacing the Glock Model 21C Gen 3 in service. The M&P45 handguns were all equipped with TLR-1 tactical flashlights and had upgraded night sights. In 2011, all patrol and traffic unit deputies were issued Tasers to give them a less-lethal option on their duty belt. In 2013,

In 2013, the BCSO made history when the first African American Sheriff would be elected to the position. Sheriff Albert Murray was elected following a campaign in which he promised to crackdown on misconduct by deputies and with improving training. Sheriff Murray had support from the general public and would be re-elected in 2017. However in 2018, Sheriff Murray resigned from his position when it was realized he was misusing funds and used BCSO funds to pay for his Sheriff election in 2017.

Following the resignation of Sheriff Murray, the BCSO conducted an investigation and found that Sheriff Murray had taken $45,000 to fund commercials and road signs across the county from the BCSO budget. In 2019, Sheriff Murray was sentenced to 2 years in prison for the charges and was forced to pay back the funds. In 2020, the Governor of San Andreas appointed Francis Peters to head the BCSO as an interim Sheriff. Peters served with the San Andreas State Bureau of Investigation and led the investigations in to BCSO regarding corruption.

Sheriff Francis Peters made it a part of his administration to fire deputies accused of misconduct and even fired members of the command staff who were involved with supporting Sheriff Murray during his campaign. Peters also purchased bodycams for all deputies working at the BCSO and worked to improve the image of the department. In 2021, the BCSO purchased the SIG Sauer P320 chambered in 9mm as the new standard issue handgun for all deputies, replacing the Smith & Wesson M&P45 in service.

In 2022, Sheriff Peters announced he would not run in the Sheriff election and would go back to the San Andreas State Bureau of Investigation. In 2022, Gabriel Kinjer would win the Sheriff's election and would focus on increasing the amount of deputies hired and with improving the amount of funds the agency received from the county. However Sheriff Kinjer would be removed from his position as Sheriff following an on-duty shooting that occurred of an unarmed veteran outside of a store in Harmony. The shooting investigation determined that Kinjer accused the solider who invoked his rights as an innocent man but was Tased by another deputy before attacking the Sheriff and the deputy. The unarmed veteran was then shot several times by Sheriff Kinjer and died at the scene.

Sheriff Kinjer was removed from his position by the Governor following the shooting being deemed unjustified by the Blaine County District Attorney's Office. The investigation found that Kinjer escalated the situation and didn't use the proper training in the incident. The SASBI also found that Kinjer had also violated the rights of the unarmed veteran who he shot and killed. Following this a special election was held for the Sheriff of Blaine County in which would happen immediately.

Sheriff Joseph Mastriano was sworn in after he won the election after he ran a campaign based on moving past the Kinjer administration and with implementing more de-escalation training. The Mastriano administration was successful in reducing complaints and use of force by members of the BCSO. In addition he also improved community relations and also upgraded the in-car dashcams and bodycams used by the BCSO. Mastriano would also work with community leaders to help improve how the hiring of deputies occurs within the department.

However on February 18, 2023, Sheriff Mastriano was shot and killed while assisting with a vehicle pursuit of an armed suspect. Mastriano was shot and killed as he attempted to use a Taser on the suspect, who was then shot and wounded by other officers on the scene. The suspect was then arrested and would recover in the hospital from his wounds. The suspect was then indicted on capital murder charges by the Blaine County District Attorney's Office with the death penalty being considered as well.

On February 22, 2023, Mike Levish was sworn in as the new Sheriff of Blaine County. Sheriff Levish increased the abilities of specialized BCSO units and would take a "tough on crime" approach to policing. Sheriff Levish was more aggressive in his tactics than Sheriff Mastriano who was seen as a reformer, however Levish did work to ensure that bodycams were worn by all deputies. However on May 02, 2023, Sheriff Levish retired from the BCSO to focus on his personal life as well as spending time with his family. Following this, the Governor of San Andreas chose Andrew "Andy" Mills to serve as the Interim Sheriff of the BCSO.

Sheriff Andrew Mills made it clear when he was sworn in that he would take a new approach for the BCSO and worked on the community relations that the BCSO had and with implementing more de-escalation trainings. Mills also was more strict in punishing deputies who broke policies and who failed to activate their bodycams when responding to or on a call. Sheriff Mills also worked on implementing more trainings surrounding people with mental health and established the Critical Incident Team (CIT) who responds to mental health calls. Sheriff Mills however would resign from the BCSO in July of 2023, to take a job as the Assistant Chief of Police at the Senora Valley Police Department.

In June 2023, Sheriff Rode Hawk was chosen to lead the BCSO following their appointment to the position. Sheriff Hawk has indicated that they will have more trainings for the deputies and that the department would be re-organized. Sheriff Hawk also takes a more hands on approach to working with and policing the community. Sheriff Rode Hawk, however accepted a Police Chief position at a department outside of Vice City on August 12, 2023. Sheriff Hawk officially left the BCSO on August 31, 2023 and Sheriff Li Chen took office on September 01, 2023.

## Equipment

The standard issue sidearm is the SIG Sauer P320 9mm handgun equipped with a TLR-1 tactical flashlight which entered service in 2021. In 2023, the BCSO announced that they would be purchasing the SIG Sauer P320 X Full Size handguns which would be equipped with a red dot sight and a tactical flashlight. The new P320 handguns are expected to be fully in service by January 2024.

The Daniel Defense DDM4 5.56x45mm is the standard issue patrol rifle for the BCSO. The Remington Model 870 and the Mossberg M590A1 are the two shotguns currently in use with the BCSO.

Deputies are also issued an X26P Taser as well in addition to OC Spray and an ASP Baton. Deputies are also issued a flashlight as well which can be used for when working at night, searching dark areas or if a deputy needs to break a window.

## Special Response Team (SRT)

The Special Response Team is the tactical unit of the Blaine County Sheriff's Office (BCSO). The SRT is deployed when deputies can't handle the situation and or the suspect is barricaded. They also are deployed during manhunts, active shooters, hostage situations and other high risk incidents that occur in the county which also can include protests when needed. The SRT is considered one of the best tactical units within San Andreas due to their training and tough selection process within the department.

The SRT generally wear a tan tactical shirt, multicam cargo pants, multicam plate carrier and wear tan/brown tactical boots. They also wear tactical helmets which can mount night vision googles if needed. They also wear tactical gloves and are approved to wear a ski mask to protect their identities. This has been the standard uniform since 2022, prior the SRT favored an olive drab green uniform with a black plate carrier which entered service in 2005.

The BCSO Special Response Team (SRT) is equipped with the following:

* Heckler & Koch USP45 .45 ACP
* SIG Sauer P320 V-TAC 9mm
* Heckler & Koch MP5A3 9mm
* Colt M4A1 5.56x45mm
* Daniel Defense MK18 5.56x45mm
* Heckler & Koch HK416A5 5.56x45mm
* Remington Model 870 Tactical 12 gauge
* Heckler & Koch HK417 7.62x51mm
* Remington Model 700 7.62x51mm

## Divisions

* Aviation Unit
* Criminal Apprehension Team (CAT)
* Critical Incident Team (CIT)
* Gang Suppression Unit (GSU)
* K-9 Division
* Jail Services Bureau
* Patrol Bureau
* Special Response Team (SRT)
* Tactical Warrant Squad (TWS)
* Traffic Division
* Water Patrol Division