Attorney General announced that under the California Department of Justice’s settlement with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, individuals who were cited as minors under the county’s CleanSWEEP student citation program may be eligible for dismissal of the citation and reimbursement of any related fines and fees.
The DOJ said the settlement formally concludes practices associated with Operation CleanSWEEP, a student-ticketing program that operated in San Bernardino County from 1997 until 2022; the Sheriff’s Department suspended CleanSWEEP shortly after DOJ began its investigation in 2022 and terminated the program countywide in January 2024.
"All students deserve school environments centered on their learning, not environments that criminalize youth. During a years-long investigation, my office found San Bernadino County’s CleanSWEEP program unlawfully issued citations to students that at times led to steep fines and resulted in adverse impacts against protected student groups," Attorney General Bonta said.
The DOJ said people may be eligible for relief if they were cited by the Sheriff’s Department when they were under the age of 18 for daytime loitering on school grounds under specified local ordinances (citation must have been issued on or after Dec. 20, 2002); a tobacco-related offense under Penal Code section 308, subdivision (b) (citation must have been issued on or after June 9, 2016); fighting or disturbing the peace on school grounds under Penal Code section 415; or any offense if they were under the age of 12 (citation must have been issued on or after Jan. 1, 2019).
To seek reimbursement or dismissal, contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department by email at crcoordinator@sbcsd.org, by phone at 909-387-3406, or by mail to 655 East 3rd St., San Bernardino, CA 92415, attention Miles Kowalski; all requests must be received by April 18, 2027. The DOJ said claimants should be prepared to provide proof of the citation, any related fines or fees, and any related pending matters, and that the Sheriff’s Department will work with people who cannot provide proof to verify their cases.
The DOJ said CleanSWEEP trained school staff to investigate and issue citations and that law enforcement later signed the citations and required students and parents to appear in adult traffic court, typically without legal representation; the DOJ said fines could exceed $1,000 for a single violation. The DOJ said that from 2016 to 2022 the two most common cited violations countywide were possession of under an ounce of marijuana (35%) and daytime loitering (34%).
The DOJ said it reached separate settlements with the Sheriff’s Department and with Chaffey Joint Union High School District that formally terminate CleanSWEEP practices and require revised training, policy changes and monitoring. The DOJ said the Sheriff’s Department has revised policies and training materials, agreed to an SRO training expert and an SRO Guide, and agreed to a data expert to analyze citation and RIPA data; the DOJ said the District has shifted to trauma-informed strategies, restorative justice training and expanded student services. District Superintendent Dr. Mathew Holton said, "Our collaboration with the Attorney General’s Office in discontinuing use of the county-wide program was rooted in shared values. This agreement reflects the District’s proactive efforts and our ongoing commitment to helping students grow in a safe, caring, and supportive school environment."
If you need reasonable accommodations related to a request, the DOJ said to contact the San Bernardino County Public Access ADA Coordinator by phone at 909-386-8655 or 7-1-1, or by mail at 22 West Hospitality Lane, 3rd floor, San Bernardino, CA 92415. TTY callers may use Valley Communications Center at 909-387-8313 or Desert Communications Center at 760-956-5001.
State
Rob Bonta
Attorney General · Democrat
Named 2 times in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
Sources & methodology
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