The first volunteer unit to assist the Sheriff's office with search and rescue incidents was the King City Sheriff's Posse in 1939. Later that year another team joined called the Salinas Rodeo Riders and Sheriff's Posse.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) Search and Rescue (SAR) Team was created in 1963. The volunteer unit was established in 1989 to assist the Sheriff's office, which then had a roster of 15 Deputies.

Search dogs became a part of Monterey County's SAR Team in 1995. We currently have six K-9 teams trained in tracking and cadaver search which have completed the requirements set by the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES). The formal Monterey County Sheriff's Mounted SAR Unit formed in 2000.

The existing team is made up of approximately 15 Sheriff's Deputies and 20 volunteers, both male and female. Ages range from 21 to 70 years.