Rialto Expands Jail Staffing Under New $4.1 Million Allied Universal Contract
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A San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department prisoner transport bus enters the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga Aug. 30. Rialto Chief of Police Mark Kling said the department transports detainees to the county facility for booking, a process that can leave Rialto’s jail without a custody officer. Photo by Christopher Salazar.
In an effort to keep more police officers on patrol and comply with new state detention requirements, the Rialto City Council approved a five-year, $4.1 million professional service agreement with Allied Universal Security Services. The move required a 2026-27 budget amendment and will increase jail staffing to ensure there is always a custody officer present to book and monitor detainees.
According to the staff report, Rialto has contracted for prisoner custody and transportation services since 2003. Services were originally provided by Wackenhut Corporation, which became G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc. In September 2020, the council approved an agreement with G4S; however, Allied Universal Security Services acquired G4S in 2021 and continued to provide service without interruption for the remainder of the contract term.
Increasing staff requirements from one to two custody officers, the newly approved agreement requires that someone is always available to receive, book and supervise detainees, and permits the city to contract with Allied Universal for up to five years at a total cost not to exceed $4,114,654.52. To fund the first year of the agreement, the council approved Budget Resolution No. 8550 to amend the 2026-27 fiscal year budget, “appropriating an additional $336,005.92 from the General Fund Reserves,” the staff report states. The city had already budgeted $425,820, bringing the total appropriation to $761,825.92.
For years two through five of the agreement, staff will budget for fiscal years 2027-28 through 2030-31, including $791,293.18 for year two; $821,562.44 for year three; $853,449.94 for year four; and $886,523.04 for year five.
Rialto Chief of Police Mark Kling presented the agenda item to the council, citing operational bottlenecks created when a custody officer transports detainees.
“ . . . [W]e do not have a Type One jail . . . we transport and book all of our prisoners with agreements with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and West Valley Detention Center,” Kling said, “ . . . [T]hat leaves our jail here vacant with any type of jailer.”
He continued, specifying scheduling complications and their impact on workflow efficiency.
“So when some other officer brings in a suspect to be booked, the officer has to conduct that on their own. That takes them out of the field for a substantial amount of time,” Kling said, adding that “the county . . . only allows us to come at a certain time per shift.”
Speaking to the council, Kling said current state detention requirements require the department to have at least one female custody officer available when female detainees are held at the facility.
Rialto did not seek bids from companies beyond Allied Universal. Instead, city staff relied on Ontario’s Request for Proposal (RFP). After review of RFP No. 1949, staff determined that the Ontario agreement is “substantially similar” to the needs of Rialto’s police department.
Following an analysis of the city’s needs and Ontario’s agreement, staff determined that the requirements in Section 2.48.210 of Rialto’s Municipal Code had been satisfactorily met, allowing the city to use “competitively awarded” contracts or agreements from another public or municipal agency or private company.
No residents spoke on the item. After a motion by Mayor Pro Tem Ed Scott and a second by Council Member Edward Montoya Jr., the city council approved the budget resolution and the professional services agreement.
