Riverside County is a large, diversified, and growing county located in Southern California's Inland Empire. It stretches from the Orange County line in the west all the way to the Colorado river and the Arizona border in the east. It is bordered by San Diego and Imperial Counties in the South and San Bernardino County to the North and encompasses over 8,000 square miles. The terrain stretches from the snow and pine forests of Idyllwild and Mt. San Jacinto to the world class desert resorts of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley.

The job of protecting and helping all the residents, tourists, and visitors to Riverside County falls principally upon the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is the third largest Sheriff’s Department in California. The Department is responsible for maintaining the County's jail facilities, serving its court system, and protecting the public through operations out of ten patrol stations.