M. Contreras

M. Contreras is a corrections and use-of-force expert with nearly twenty-five years of service with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). He began his career in 2000 as a correctional officer at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, where his duties included inmate supervision, incident response, searches, escorts, and maintaining institutional safety and order.

In 2017, Mr. Contreras promoted to Correctional Sergeant and was assigned as the Armory Sergeant at California State Prison, Corcoran. In this role, he is responsible for the management, inventory, and deployment readiness of chemical agents and use-of-force munitions, including OC, CN, and CS chemical agents. He conducts weekly classroom and hands-on training for custody staff on CDCR use-of-force policies and the proper handling and effective deployment of chemical agents, including powder-based munitions and aerosolized OC spray systems such as the MK-9.

Mr. Contreras has extensive training and operational experience with CDCR use-of-force policies and chemical munitions, having attended the CDCR Correctional Academy, completed annual recertifications, and instructed staff on tactics, strategies, and force options. Throughout his career, he has responded to dozens of violent incidents requiring chemical agent deployment and has frequently served as an incident commander, directing staff and determining appropriate force responses in dynamic and high-risk situations. His expertise is grounded in hands-on management of chemical munitions, institutional training responsibilities, and extensive real-world incident response experience.