About 75 people turned out early Friday morning at Doheny State Beach for a “paddleout” in memory of retired Lt. Darrell “Guy”  Poncy, known as a mentor to many in the Department.

About 30 of those at the memorial paddled offshore on surfboards and other floatables. Flowers were cast off the stern of a fishing boat that carried several members of Lt. Poncy’s family.  His brother was in a second boat.

Duke flew overhead and a Harbor Patrol fireboat gave a salute with water spray.  Retired Assistant Sheriffs Kim Markuson and Pete Gannon were among those attending the memorial.

Lt. Poncy died on April 15 while training for the Baker 2 Vegas Run. The Department’s  Womens Running Team placed first in their category in the competition and they dedicated their victory to his memory.

Pictures were taken by Harbor Patrol's Sgt. John Hollenbeck and Deputy William Nelson.

This coming weekend there will be a “Poncy Memorial Run & Walk.” It will take place on Saturday, May 17, starting at 0800 hours at Peters Canyon Regional Park, 8548 E. Canyon View Ave., Orange.

To see the flyer click on Poncy Run Revised.pdf (142.81 kb)

Five Deputies graduated on Friday, May 9 after completing a four week long intensive training program on immigration law and Immigration and Customs Enforcement procedures for removal of undocumented individuals booked our jails.  Once they return they will receive additional training from both the deputies that are already ICE trained and approximately one week with the Federal ICE agents over at the Federal building in Santa Ana.

The deputies will be cross-designed as ICE agents and will serve as such in our jails.   They were trained at the Mecklenberg County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina.

The five Deputies are Jesus Hernandez, Naomi Jimenez, Cynthia Mata, Hector Martinez and Art Tiscareno.

On December 21, 2006, 12 deputies and 2 sergeants successfully completed the four week training course for the 287(g) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cross-designation program.  The newly trained deputies will also be cross designed as limited authority ICE agents.

Due to recent transfers, four of the deputies will remain at the IRC and 1 will go to Theo Lacy after they complete their on the job training here.

Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson attended the graduation and delivered these remarks.

Good Afternoon. I want to thank you for inviting me to be here today. I’m Assistant Sheriff Jack Anderson, currently acting as the Sheriff of Orange County, California.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is currently in its 2nd year of screening for undocumented foreign nationals during the booking process in our jails.

We pursued our partnership with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement because it was essential that we reduce crime, reduce jail overcrowding and reduce cases in our court system.

For us, the Cross-Designation program is not about immigration, it’s about law enforcement. More...

A dozen public safety officers from around the state were at Harbor Patrol headquarters in Newport Beach for a weeklong training program on fighting fires on the water.

Agencies that sent personnel to the training program were the California Department of Fish and Game, the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, the Sacramento Police Department and the Los Angeles County Lake Lifeguards. Harbor Patrol is one of only two agencies in California to provide training in marine firefighting tactics.

Fighting fire on the water is a difficult task, with the boat carrying the firefighters and the boat on fire both moving at the same time and independently of each other. Each is influenced by wind, tide, current and other factors. Playing a heavy stream of water on the boat on fire is likely to cause the boat to move. More...

Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson made the following comments on May 1, 2001 when giving commendations to Investigator Jeffrey Brown, Crime Analyst Catalina Reyes and Tustin resident Michael Palacio. The three were responsible for the arrest and the large number of cases made against the individual accused of being the culprit who became known as "The O.C. Flasher."  

"On Saturday, February 2, 2008, Tustin citizen Michael Palacio was near an apartment complex when he noticed a nude male knocking on a window of an apartment. Mr. Palacio took immediate steps to confront the suspect, ultimately chasing him through the complex and apprehending him.

Our investigators suspect that this individual committed over 200 acts of indecent exposure from 2005 to 2008.

Today, family and friends gathered as we commended Mr. Palacio, Investigator Jeffrey Brown and Crime Analyst Catalina Reyes for their outstanding performance, diligence, and dedication for their efforts on this case.

Mr. Palacio's commendation reads in part: 'In 2005 the Orange County Sheriff's Department became aware of an individual who was accosting and exposing himself to lone female residents.' Based upon the suspect's method of operation, he left virtually no investigative leads or clues to his identity. The Orange County Sheriff's Department utilized all of its resources and manpower to identify and apprehend this suspect.

The Department organized and conducted covert surveillances, reviewed dozens of individuals previously convicted of indecent exposure and released a composite sketch of a suspect. For three years no suspect was identified.

The Department realized that the apprehension of this suspect would likely occur by the initial response of a patrol deputy or by the quick and decisive acts of a citizen.

Mr. Palacio's actions immediately halted the continuing victimization of women and, because of the extraordinary investigative work of Crime Analyst Catalina Reyes and Investigator Jeff Brown, the suspect will be accountable in a court of law for more than the single incident that occurred on February 2.

This is an extraordinary example of the work each of you performs on a daily basis with the support of the communities we serve. Thank you for all of your great efforts.

The Los Angeles Times featured a picture and story today on the removal of privacy walls at the Theo Lacy Facility.

To see the story, click here.

Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson mentioned the construction work in his briefing to the Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, May 6. 

The Acting Sheriff spoke today about one of several court actions AOCDS has undertaken. He also gave an update on construction at Theo Lacy and continuing transitional changes in jail operations.

Right now, TV news cameras are inside Theo Lacy videotaping the deconstruction of privacy walls inside the barracks. This morning the Acting Sheriff referred to this deconstruction stating, "Yesterday, deconstruction in F Barracks at Theo Lacy began – with the removal of the privacy walls, which had been in place for 22 years. I think the removal of F Barracks privacy walls is a fitting symbol to the removal of our Department’s historical privacy walls and the ushering in of the Sheriff’s Department’s new culture of transparency and accountability."

Specific to AOCDS, he spoke of their most recent court action on the personnel transfer schedule: "The Board of Directors of the deputy’s union took us to court over this matter. On April 24, County Counsel represented us in Court. The union lost their move for an injunction and the transfers took place as planned on April 25, 2008. The next hearing before the judge on this matter is scheduled for May 16, 2008."

There are numerous reasons for the personnel transfer schedule as discussed in the Declaration we provided to the judge in court on April 24. The Declaration is available in full right here. Additionally, they are detailed in his address posted below. More...

Deputy Kevin LaPyrne and his partner Kai are highlighted in a story here:

Kevin LaPyrne, a deputy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Canine Unit in Santa, Ana, Calif., has the type of partner only a select number of officers in his division have: Kai, a six-year-old male Malinois K9 dog.

Hailing from Holland, Kai came to the United States in 2003. He’s trained in obedience, handler protection, searching for evidence, apprehension of criminal offenders, as well as narcotics detection, making him a dual-purpose dog.

K9s are specifically trained to follow the freshest human scent, and because of their superior snouts, are able to aid officers in the process of making arrests and/or investigating crime scenes.

“Kai’s job—like any K9’s—is to help save our lives and make our jobs safer,” says LaPyrne. “Their drive is through the roof. It’s hard to understand how truly courageous they are,” he says, making reference to SWAT teams who wait for K9s to arrive on location before entering a situation where a dog’s superior sense of smell is needed.

LaPyrne explains that K9 dogs are trained to alert their human partners in one of two ways during narcotics detection: active alert, when the dog scratches to indicate, or passive alert, when the dog sniffs and then sits when something has been located. Kai is trained passively, although there is nothing passive about him—in 2007 alone, Kai was deployed on approximately 77 calls. 

Read it all here.

Sheriff’s personnel joined prosecutors, educators, firefighters, and a coalition of officials from youth services and programs to provide more than 100 San Juan Capistrano parents with information to protect their children from an assortment of daily risks.

The speakers at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center talked about drug abuse, Internet dangers and problem of gangs in the city. Many of the parents have children attending the Marco Foster Middle School.

“The Sheriff’s Department is looking for criminals but they can’t arrest the criminals unless you report the crimes,” Deputy Orange County District Attorney Tracy Rinauro told the audience.

The District Attorney has obtained a civil court injunction against one of the leading gangs in San Juan Capistrano and it is designed to protect the ordinary citizens living in the area claim as turf by the gang.

“Lt. Mike Betzler, your city police chief, is one of the hardest working and most caring police officers I’ve ever worked with,” she said. She credited Lt. Betzler and his Department personnel under his command with making the gang injunction a success." More...

Part 3 from the Orange County Register is available today. Register reporter Andrew Galvin spent several days with our deputies for his story:

Editor's note: This is the last in a three-part series looking at how Orange County's changing economy is affecting tenants, landlords, homeowners and the people who serve eviction notices. Today, we follow a sheriff, Ramona Figueroa, and track what happened to evicted tenant Sheryl Diaz and her former landlord, Roger Nelson.

 

The story is complete with pictures and video. Read it all right here.

For further information read the flyer here: 05-01-08 Looking For Family (Melesio Rodriguez).doc (192.00 kb)

An estimated 6,000 people are expected to rally and march for Immigration Rights starting at the Plaza of Flags in the Santa Ana Civic Center at about 3 p.m.

Santa Ana Police expect that the rally and march will be peaceful but the Sheriff’s Department has Deputies and equipment on standby in case the city police need help for any unforeseen reason.  The Plaza of Flags is only a short distance from Department Headquarters and the Central Jail complex.

The activities may cause some traffic delays for Department personnel assigned to Santa Ana because the city will close several streets to accommodate the rally and march.
To read the Orange County Register’s story on the rally and march, click here.
 

First a man dashed out from behind a screen, holding a gun and making threats for a moment, until the Deputy opened fire.

Next came a man with a knife lunging toward the Deputy. The quick response was to open fire.

When the man came from behind a screen holding a cell phone, the Deputy held fire and shouted out, “Get down on the ground.”

Finally a man came from behind a screen waving his empty hands and demanding to know what was going on. The Deputy again held fire and shouted for the man to get on the ground.

This sequence played out 16 times last week; once for each of the Deputies finishing up the selection process for the Department’s SWAT contingent. They used simunition weapons for this part of the tryouts, which were conducted at the Department’s Tactical Training Center located at the Katella Training Facility in Orange.

“You need to think on your feet, be able to handle specialized weapons, and make split second decisions,” SWAT Sgt. Joe Balicki had told the applicants. The evaluators, all currently members of the SWAT team, checked to see that the Deputy being tested had not only opened fire when confronted with the life threatening circumstances but whether the shot was on target. More...

Part 1 from the Orange County Register is available today. Register reporter Andrew Galvin spent several days with our deputies for his story:

"Over the next three days we'll tell the story from several points of view, through the eyes of a deputy sheriff who carries out evictions, a landlord struggling to overcome the loss of $10,000 in unpaid rent, and Diaz, a woman about to lose her tenuous grip on pride and self-sufficiency.

As we begin, Diaz has five days before the sheriff will come back to evict her...

The story is complete with pictures and video. Read it all right here.

Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson addressed the board this morning. Peggy Lowe covered it here. I'll have video later this week:

Good morning Mr. Chairman and honorable members of the Board.

When I addressed this honorable Board last week Supervisor Campbell asked about the inclusion of audio recording capability within the guard stations as an additional measure of safety. Supervisor Campbell used an example where a city jail employee was able to activate an audio button to summon assistance.

Without specifically revealing our jail security measures, currently Sheriff’s employees working in our jail housing areas have as many as four separate methods available to them to summon assistance outside their assigned housing area.

After having some time to further study the matter, and after receiving some valuable insight from 2nd District staffers, I have concluded that there is a workable model that will allow for a balance between an intrusive invasion of personal freedom, and the safety of staff and inmates.

I would like to propose an amenable solution, that audio recording capabilities be installed in the guard stations but they are only activated:

(a) when a deputy in the station activates it for safety reasons, or

(b) another individual or supervisor who is monitoring the surveillance video activates the audio when there is a perceptible disturbance or incident that gives rise to a concern for the deputies’ and/or inmates’ well-being.

Specific protocols will be drafted that spell out what these circumstances are, and clarify that random “eavesdropping” is not an acceptable practice.

In addition, there would be the installation of an indicator light located within the guard station that audio recording is in progress.

Thank you, I’m available for any questions.

Forty one members of Basic Academy Class 186 reported for their first official day at Orange County Sheriff’s Regional Training Academy and nobody wanted to start off on the wrong foot.

You always start out with your left; more than one recruit was instructed.

Even before they entered the academy, a recruit was found wearing the hat, called a cover, of another recruit. The pair was among the first of the class to get a round of inquiries from Tactical Staff curious as to how the mix-up had occurred.

The interrogation gets harsh; the Tactical Staff is in the faces of recruits.  

It is the start of 26 weeks of intensive training and the first hour will always be remembered by the recruits as their first inspection.  There are 20 Orange County Deputy Sheriff Trainees and 21 recruits training to join outside agencies as police officers. “We introduce stress into a learning environment,” explained Sgt. John Briggs.

“If they can figure out how to respond here under the stress we create, they will take that skill into the field.” He noted that a recent graduate had gone to the El Segundo Police Department and had the presence of mind earlier this month to shoot a gunman who had just wounded him, his partner and a bystander. More...

John Crandall of the OC Register writes:

At an April 9 City Council meeting the Orange County Sheriff's Department presented its 2007 Annual Report for Rancho Santa Margarita. The report lists last year's crime statistics, police programs and officer awards.

According to the report, arrests have increased about 105 percent over the past five years, from 376 in 2003 to 770 in 2007. Arrests are divided into two categories: citation and street arrests, both of which are on the rise.

Read it all right here.

From LAPD Chief William J. Bratton and Captain Jeffrey L. Greer:

Dear Sheriff Anderson:

On behalf of the officers of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (SWAT) and Metropolitan Division, I would like to personally thank your SWAT team and your Department for the generous donation to the Randy Simmons family.  It is truly an honor to receive this heartfelt offering for Lisa and their children.  Additionally, I would also like to personally thank Sergeant Joe Balicki and deputies from your office for attending Officer Randy Simmons’ funeral.

The loss of Randy Simmons was devastating to his family, our Department, and the community.  Randy’s life defined what a servant’s heart exemplified.  He was greatly respected in the law enforcement community and revered by our Department for his accomplishments.

Lisa Simmons and Randy’s children are overwhelmed by the support of the law enforcement family and the officers who traveled to celebrate his life.  We are truly grateful to your team for their unwavering support and tremendous gesture during this time.  Our officers and Randy’s family were taken back by the contribution your team has made to honor Randy.

Please extend our eternal thanks to the members of your SWAT team and Department for their faithful support of one of their fallen brethren.

From Michael J. Messina, Chief of Police, Brea Police Department:

Dear Acting Sheriff Anderson:

On March 27, 2008, at approx 1115 hours, officers from the Brea Police Department responded to a “take-over” bank robbery in Yorba Linda.  Three armed robbery suspects were seen leaving the bank and getting into a van.

Responding Brea officers chased the van into a nearby retail center where the three suspects fled on foot.  One was soon taken into custody and the other two were seen leaving the area in a black Ranger Rover.  A Brea motorcycle sergeant soon spotted the vehicle and a pursuit ensued through the City of Placentia.  One of the suspects jumped out of the vehicle and fled into a residential area near Kraemer and Bastanchury.  The pursuit continued all the way into Chino Hills before the driver pulled over and surrendered.

The search for the outstanding suspect in Placentia necessitated the need for a large perimeter and required extensive personnel resources.  Orange County Sheriff’s Department K9 Handler Brown and his partner responded to a request for assistance.  After an exhaustive three-hour search, the North County SWAT Team found the last suspect hiding in the garage of a residential home.

The assistance provided by the members of your department was critical in bringing about a successful resolution to the incident.  No one was injured during this event.  Your deputy is a credit to your department and a model example of inter-agency cooperation.  I want to express my deep appreciation for the service he rendered.

From Tuesday, April 22. On the agenda: CCTV cameral in the jails, new taser policy, partnership with FBI and US Attorney's office, pilot program for new data collection devise and enhanced mandatory training for all sworn jail personnel:

David Whiting writes about the first-place finish in Baker to Vegas:

Between his death and his funeral, Darrell "Guy" Poncy had his best race – ever.

To those who never met the retired Orange County Sheriff's Department lieutenant, it might seem like an incredible, even impossible feat.

But Poncy's role in the grueling "Baker to Vegas" race on Saturday came as no surprise to those who knew the 27-year sheriff's veteran, former training academy commander, husband and father of two grown daughters.

[...]

About 4 p.m., two hours into the race, team captain Vanessa Anderson grabs the baton. She charges up a steep grade in high heat. The rise is three miles. And there are still two miles after that. Gusts of wind nearly blow her sideways.

She reaches out.

"OK, Poncy," Anderson breathes, "come run with me. I need your help."

The wind shifts. It's at her back.

Anderson smokes her leg in 45 minutes. She will confide later, "Trust me, I wasn't this fast before Poncy got hold of me."

The women run with Poncy in their hearts and in their prayers. In the coldest hours before the dawn, Team Poncy is way ahead of where it was last year.

But at leg 16, L.A. is still relatively far ahead: 12:30 to be exact.

Read it all here.

They were smaller teams than they were 10 weeks ago, smaller by 722 pounds.

The Battle of the Badges pitted 10 sworn members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department against an equal number of Santa Ana Police Officers.

Of the 20 participants, every one met their goal of losing at least 10 percent of their body weight. Sheriff’s Department members lost 310 pounds between them while the Santa Ana team lost 412 pounds.

The competition, sponsored by the Lean for Life Foundation and managed by Lindora Health Clinics, drew regional press attention and is scheduled to be the subject of a segment on The CBS Early Show, between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Friday.

A need for weight control was pitched at the final Weigh-In by Lindora CEO Cynthia Stamper Graff. She gave out a set of startling statistics. For every law enforcement officer killed by a criminal, 25 die due to weight related cardiovascular diseases.

Assistant Sheriff J.B. Davis spoke to the group and mentioned that he has had a lifelong battle against gaining weight and he has had some success and some failure.

“I look at the people here and I know what they’ve done wasn’t easy,” he said. More...

Here are the Acting Sheriff's speaking points. Peggy Lowe was present. She wrote about it here. We'll have video later:

Good morning Chairman Moorlach and honorable board members. I appreciate the opportunity to address you once again.

Two weeks ago, I stood before this board just as we all were getting our first glimpse of the Special Grand Jury transcripts and the District Attorney's special report on their investigation.

The shock and outrage of what the special grand jury uncovered was felt by us all.

Over the last two weeks, I have heard from countless employees who have shared not only their disgust but their disappointment with the actions of a small portion of the members in our department.

In the last 2 weeks, our department has been under intense scrutiny and deservedly so…

You’ve all read stories in the media about jail deputies watching a DVD the day after the special grand jury report came out --- and last week we read about unsubstantiated allegation of one of our jail staff using a taser on a cat.

• Both of these incidents are under internal review and are both being fast tracked.

By now, it should be clear to everybody that I have zero tolerance for those who choose to break policy, act unprofessionally, or otherwise sully the reputation of our department. More...