The Kern County Sheriff’s Office has established a Detentions Bureau Court Services Section Consisting of several units. These units consist of Metro Court Holding, Electric Monitoring Program, Registration Unit, Building Security Unit, and Work Release Program.

Courts

The Metropolitan Court Unit maintains security in the Metropolitan Court Building which has 18 courtrooms utilized as adult Criminal Law Courtrooms. The courtrooms hear all misdemeanor and felony court hearings from arraignment to jury trials. The Metropolitan Court Building also oversees all adult in-custody criminal court calendars for the greater Bakersfield area, and some cases from outlying courts.The Justice Court Unit maintains security at the Justice Court Building which has 12 courtrooms utilized as Family Law and Civil Law Courtrooms. On occasion, the Justice Court Building will hear low level, out-of-custody trial cases. The Justice Court Unit also provides security at two satellite court buildings in Bakersfield. One of the satellite court buildings is the Juvenile Justice Center which has four courtrooms utilized as Juvenile Law Courtrooms and one courtroom utilized as a Probate Law Courtroom. The other satellite court building is the Traffic Court Building which has two courtrooms utilized for hearings and trials involving low level traffic offences. On occasion, the Traffic Court building will hear low level, out-of-custody trial cases.

Metro Court Holding

The Central Receiving Facility is now known as the Metro Court Holding Facility. The Metro Court Holding Facility no longer houses incarcerated persons. The Metro Court Holding Facility operates as a court-holding facility only. If the incarcerated persons are scheduled for court, they are transported back and forth daily from the Lerdo Facilities to Metro Court Holding.

Electric Monitoring Program Unit

The Kern County Sheriff’s Office Electronic Monitoring Program Unit supervises inmates released from custody into Post Release Supervision Programs. The Electronic Monitoring Program Unit supervises inmates released with an ankle monitor attached to them that has GPS tracking capabilities and/or alcohol monitoring capabilities.

Work Release Program Unit

The Sheriff’s Work Release Program was established by the Board of Supervisors in 1987, under the statute authority of Penal Code Section 4024.2. The Work Release Program promotes the successful reintegration of law violators back into society and helps reduce the jail population by providing a work program as an alternative to incarceration. Work Release also helps ease the burden of Assembly Bill 109, Public Safety Realignment, introduced in 2011.

Registration Unit

Registrations, fingerprints, and photographs of convicted sex, arson, and gang offenders that live in the unincorporated areas of Kern County. The Registration Unit also processes any subject that the court has ordered to be booked, and fingerprints any subject required to do so by an officer when they have received a citation.

Building Security Unit

The Building Security Unit is comprised of Kern County Park Rangers and Security Attendants who provide security for various County buildings including the County Administrative Center at 1115 Truxtun Avenue.