Detective Coroner, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Department

Detective Jeff Nichols is a 13- year veteran of law enforcement. He served three years as a police officer in Grover Beach, California. He worked as a patrol officer, S.W.A.T operator, was on plain clothes assignments and was also a liaison to the County Narcotics Task Force and bicycle patrol. He spent the last 10 years with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department.

After arriving at the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Department, he spent five years as Deputy Sheriff Coroner where he participated in nearly 200 preliminary death investigations, investigated property crimes, crimes against persons and narcotic related crimes. Collateral assignments have included marine enforcement and OHV enforcement. He promoted to senior deputy and field training officer, where he enjoyed training new deputies for two years before transferring to the detective bureau to become a coroner investigator. As a detective coroner, he has conducted more than 200 death investigations over the last two years involving homicides, suicides, natural deaths and accidental deaths. Investigations include, but are not limited to; crime scene examination and processing, evidence collection and post mortem forensic examinations. He is a member of the California State Coroner’s Association.

Detective Nichols is trained and certified by California Peace Officer Standards and Training in Coroner’s Death Investigation. He is also trained as a terrorism liaison officer, field training officer. He is also trained for interview and interrogation, as a S.W.A.T operator, along with crisis intervention, boating water rescue & enforcement, off-highway vehicle enforcement, drug abuse and recognition, latent print identification & recovery and as a radar operations instructor.

Detective Nichols is an instructor for patrol staff on coroner investigations, instructor for the 40- hour Fire Death Investigation Course and is a terrorism liaison officer for the Joint Regional Intelligence Center.