Contra Costa Sheriff

What Contra Costa Sheriff does

Contra Costa Sheriff Search and Rescue (CoCoSAR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, all-volunteer organization founded in 1974 and headquartered in Martinez, California, that provides search and rescue services under the direction of the Contra Costa County Sheriff Emergency Services Division. The team fields approximately 200 professionally trained volunteer searchers available on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and operates seven specialized resource units: Bike Resource (including E-bikes), Canine Resource, Disaster SAR Resource, Metal Detector Resource, Mountain Rescue Group Resource (Type 1 statewide deployable), Tech Rescue Resource (low/high/vertical angle), and Tracking Resource. Its technology stack is operationally focused, comprising radios, GPS, self-contained wireless networks, computers, printers, search maps, and physical technical-rescue equipment rather than software products, and no public API or software platform is offered.

CoCoSAR's service portfolio spans missing-persons searches (children, hikers, dementia/Alzheimer's walkaways, hunters), wilderness and urban searches, technical rope rescue, downed aircraft recovery, disaster response (earthquakes, fires, floods, mudslides), criminal evidence searches using metal detectors, and medical support at community events. It also runs a SAR Cadets program for youth aged 14-18 and public safety education including the Hug-a-Tree and Survive program. Operational reach is primarily Contra Costa County, with statewide mutual aid activation through the California Office of Emergency Services Mutual Aid Plan.

The organization's business model is donation-funded: services are provided at no charge to the public and may only be activated via local law enforcement through 911. Revenue consists entirely of contributions from individuals and businesses, with 100% of donations directed to equipment, training, and operational expenses; no revenue figures are publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is community- and event-driven, supported by a website, Facebook presence, KTVU Fox 2 media collaborations, and structured annual academies and monthly trainings that serve as both certification pipeline and volunteer recruitment channel. The organization is not a commercial entity and has no funding rounds, investors, or M&A activity.

Name

Contra Costa Sheriff

Legal name

Contra Costa County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team

Website

https://contracostasar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Contra Costa Sheriff Search and Rescue (CoCoSAR) is a 501(c)(3) all-volunteer nonprofit that provides free, 24/7 search and rescue services to Contra Costa County citizens and statewide California mutual aid, using approximately 200 trained volunteers across seven specialized resource teams under the direction of the County Sheriff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Search and Rescue Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Search & Rescue (Urban/Water/Wilderness) Coordination (HLAJAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Response & Search-and-Rescue (SAR) (BPAGAAAA), Fire & Rescue Services (Fire Suppression, Rescue) (BPAIAGAB)

Keywords

• Search and rescue services
• Volunteer emergency response
• Wilderness rescue operations
• Disaster response support
• Missing persons search

Headquarters

HQ city

Martinez

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: All-volunteer nonprofit organization funded entirely by donations from individuals and businesses. 100% of every dollar donated is used to provide essential equipment and support operational budget. Registered as 501(c)(3) with tax ID 68-0288233.
2. Services Provided Free of Charge: Search and rescue services are provided at no cost to the people of Contra Costa County. No charge for search and rescue services - services are requested by law enforcement agencies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Contra Costa County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team (CoCoSAR) provides professional, all-volunteer search and rescue services at no charge to the public in Contra Costa County and across California. The team, operating under the direction of the Contra Costa County Sheriff Emergency Services Division, deploys approximately 200 trained volunteers organized into specialized resource teams (canine, mountain rescue, technical rope rescue, bike, tracking, metal detector, disaster SAR) to locate missing persons, recover evidence, support disaster response, and provide medical coverage at community events. The organization is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded entirely by donations.

Product overview

Contra Costa County Sheriff Search and Rescue (CoCoSAR) is a nonprofit volunteer organization providing specialized search and rescue services rather than a commercial product company. The core offering is search and rescue operations conducted by approximately 200 trained volunteers. This encompasses multiple specialized resource teams including Bike Resource, Canine Resource, Disaster SAR Resource, Metal Detector Resource, Mountain Rescue Group Resource, Tech Rescue Resource, and Tracking Resource. Supporting services include the SAR Cadets youth program, annual Type 3 and optional Type 2 training academies, Hug-a-Tree public education program, and medical support for community events. Administrative support groups provide logistics, IT, communications, fiscal control, training, HR, and website management. All services are provided at no charge to the public.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• No charge for services to citizens of Contra Costa County
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office Emergency Services DivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1974CoCoSAR operates under the direction of Contra Costa County Sheriff Emergency Services Division. The Sheriff's Office provides vehicles and overall supervision while CoCoSAR provides trained volunteer searchers and specialized rescue capabilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• REACH Air Medical Services: Air ambulance and medical transport provider supporting emergency response in California and the Western U.S. Adjacent to CoCoSAR's mission, providing medical support during wilderness rescues and community events.
• California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES): State agency coordinating disaster response and the Mutual Aid Plan under which CoCoSAR operates. Functions as a key institutional partner and contracting counterpart for CoCoSAR's deployments.

Broad incumbents

• American Red Cross: Large humanitarian nonprofit providing disaster relief, emergency shelter, and emergency preparedness services. Comparable as a nonprofit emergency response organization operating alongside government partners, though at much broader scale.
• Mountain Rescue Association: National umbrella organization for mountain rescue teams across the U.S., offering accreditation, training standards, and inter-team coordination. Comparable as an organizing body for the volunteer mountain rescue discipline CoCoSAR operates in.
• National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR): National nonprofit that sets SAR training standards and credentials across the U.S. Overlaps as a peer in the volunteer SAR ecosystem, particularly through training and certification programs.

Direct peers

• California Wing Civil Air Patrol: Volunteer civilian auxiliary performing search and rescue, disaster relief, and emergency services across California under the U.S. Air Force and state emergency framework. Comparable in volunteer-based SAR mission and California mutual-aid reach.
• Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit: All-volunteer nonprofit search and rescue team operating across the San Francisco Bay Area with mountain rescue and technical rescue capabilities. Directly comparable in volunteer-based SAR delivery model and Bay Area/Northern California geography.
• Sierra Madre Search and Rescue: Los Angeles County-based volunteer SAR team providing wilderness, mountain, and missing-person search services. Comparable volunteer nonprofit SAR structure operating under a sheriff's office in California.
• Los Angeles County Sheriff's Search and Rescue: Largest volunteer sheriff-affiliated SAR team in California providing urban, wilderness, and swift-water rescue. Highly comparable organizational structure (sheriff-directed volunteer SAR) with broader resource portfolio.
• San Bernardino County Search and Rescue: Volunteer search and rescue team serving San Bernardino County with multiple specialized resources. Closely matches CoCoSAR's charter: county-based volunteer SAR under sheriff coordination in California.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/118470371513365
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/contra-costa-sheriff

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Contra Costa Sheriff