The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office appreciates your interest in the Ride‐Along Program. We believe that such participation provides citizens with a better understanding of the Sheriff’s Office and improves communication between sheriff deputies and the communities they serve, thereby enhancing public safety.

This experience will give you the opportunity to observe first‐hand your Sheriff’s Office at work. Your presence at the scene of a law enforcement incident will permit you to hear and see exactly how such situations are handled. The personal exposure to the experiences encountered daily by sheriff deputies will allow you to better understand the nature of law enforcement in our community and evaluate the quality of your Sheriff’s Office personnel.

We hope that your Ride‐Along experience will reinforce your confidence in the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and the many ways the Office helps citizens of our communities. We also hope you will share any new information and ideas gained through this experience with your friends and neighbors.

Persons applying to participate in the Ride‐Along Program must obtain the approval of the Sheriff Office’s watch commander or shift supervisor, and may participate in the program only two times during the calendar year. Ride‐Alongs usually last 4 to 5 hours.

The Sheriff Office has the discretionary authority to deny Ride‐Along participation at any time during or prior to the Ride‐Along’s participation if he/she feels the presence of the Ride‐Along interferes with safety or the efficiency of any operation. Click here to read policy 405 for more details about Ride-Along requirements. Ride‐Along applicants will also be required to sign a Waiver, Release and Indemnification Agreement to participate in the Program.

For questions or instructions on how to submit your application, please call (707) 565-2650

Ride-Along Application