Sheriff Miyamoto proposes new rules for San Francisco's electronic monitoring program

The San Francisco County government meeting on July 4, 2025, focused on the electronic monitoring (EM) program managed by Sheriff Miyamoto. The discussion highlighted several initiatives aimed at improving the program's success for individuals assigned to EM, particularly those who are post-sentence.

A key point of the meeting was the presentation of a resolution that approves the fiscal year 2022-2023 rules and regulations for the sheriff's home detention electronic monitoring program. This resolution specifically applies to post-sentence participants and includes an evaluation of the financial responsibility of Sentinel Offender Services LLC, the contracted provider of the necessary equipment for the program.

The sheriff operates the EM program under a section of the administrative code approved by the Board of Supervisors, which allows for the establishment of home detention and electronic monitoring programs. While the board has previously considered legislation for pre-sentence individuals, such measures have not been approved since a proposal in 2013 failed to pass.

The resolution discussed in the meeting allows the Board of Supervisors to review and weigh in on the program's rules and regulations annually. The last significant action taken by the board regarding this program was in 2019, when they approved both the rules for that year and a contract with Sentinel Offender Services for GPS equipment.

Financially, the sheriff's office is currently spending approximately $800,000 annually on the Sentinel contract, which is set to remain in effect through 2024. This ongoing investment underscores the county's commitment to enhancing the electronic monitoring program as part of its broader criminal justice strategy.