Sergeant Moy oversees our Economic Crimes division. Perhaps you read him quoted here recently, and, just yesterday, he sat down with KUCI's Mari Frank to discuss frauds and scams:

Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Terry Hart serves the City of Stanton. For many years, Deputy Hart has spent his "off-time" volunteering through his church, conducting law enforcement training throughout the world. He's pictured here on the right:

Here's the full screen shot

David Griffith writes, "The public believes that TASERs kill, and something must be done to change their minds." He continues:

"...The headline always reads like the Aug. 5 headline in the Chicago Tribune: "Man Dies After Police Use TASERs During Arrest."

Headlines like this have convinced the public that TASERs kill. The irony here is that TASERs have saved a lot of lives, both police lives and the lives of people who might have been killed by police if they hadn't been TASERed.

Demonizing such a beneficial tool is clearly part of the agenda of activists. And unfortunately their propaganda has convinced a lot of the public that TASERs are deadly.

Perhaps the only way to counter this propaganda is through citizen education. Unfortunately, unless you can convince the press to publish or broadcast a story praising the TASER as a life-saving device, then citizen education is going to be an uphill battle.

Still, that's a battle you must fight. Because the goal of your detractors is to deprive you of one of your most effective and benign weapons. Such a misguided decision could be deadly for you and the people you serve."

The Orange County Sheriff’s Aero Squadron Reserve Unit (ASRU) was formed in 1947 by Johnny Martin at the Orange County Airport (now the John Wayne Airport) and consisted of 12 original members. This coincidentally, was the same year that the United States Air Force was created.  

The Aero Squadron’s first Reserve captain was Johnny Martin, under the direction of Sheriff Musick. This 1947 photograph of the Aero Squadron inspired the recent photograph of the modern Aero Squadron which was taken at the John Wayne Airport, 60 years later. 

The current Aero Squadron has over 40 sworn and PSR volunteer members and a fleet of over 35 privately owned aircraft at its disposal to support a variety of missions such as VIP transportation, prisoner transportation, aerial photography, aerial surveillance, and radio repeater communications support. The modern Aero Squadron operates under the command of Reserve captain Bud Rasner (the sixth Aero Squadron commander since its beginning) under the direction of Sheriff Michael Carona. 

Sheriff Musick appears in the 1947 photograph (back row center) and Sheriff Carona appears in the 2007 photograph (front row center).  In the 2007 photograph, the gentleman in the first row (right end in civilian clothing) is Don Cleland, 80 who was an original member of the Aero Squadron, and flew his personal airplane from his home in Arizona to attend this 60th anniversary commemorative photo session.

While we're on the topic, Ramin, who has been charged with designing our blog, also serves as a Reserve in the Aero Squadron. Ramin flies sick patients to and from hospitals as a volunteer for Angel Flight West.

I am constantly amazed by the generosity and the spirit of the men and women of this department. Ramin has always taken great care of us so it's no surprise that he's doing such great work in our community -- for those who need it most of all.

We've discussed these three bills before. It appears the Governor agreed that such legislation would endanger public safety. Below is his reasoning for veto.

Sent to AOCDS Thursday evening:

"We fully recognize the frustrations that you, your membership and your Board are experiencing around the stalled negotiations with the County and our Board of Supervisors.  However, we are beginning to walk a fine line of “work-to-rule” and its impact on our courts and the community we serve. 

While we know that you and our deputies and public safety personnel have been diligent in ensuring that no cases are dismissed and that public safety is not put in jeopardy, work-to-rule is having cataclysmic effects on court operations and may jeopardize cases pending in the criminal courts.  

At the same time we understand from conversations with you and Mark Nichols that the negotiations held this week did not go well.

We request that the “work-to-rule” policy be abated until Tuesday, October 16, after the Board of Supervisors concludes their closed session discussion on bargaining issues.  While we have no personal knowledge of a possible resolution, it is our hope that you all can return to the bargaining table to resolve this stalemate without future negative impacts on court operations and public safety. 

We both understand this is a tough request in light of the fact that our deputies and public safety personnel have been without a contract for a year; however, we believe the abatement of “work-to-rule” is necessary to ensure continue public safety and sent a good-will gesture to the county and the Board of Supervisors."

*Signed by Sheriff Michael Carona and D.A. Tony Rackauckas

The Register's Gordon Dillow writes, Net scams still net too many:

"Nancy, 77, is relatively new to the Internet – this may shock younger readers, but some people are just learning how to use a computer – and she hadn't seen any of these e-mail come-ons until recently. Nancy's too sharp to be a sucker herself, but she asked me to warn people.

"I'm sure there are people out there who would fall for it," she said.

And sadly, she's right. There are people – the uninitiated, unsophisticated, the confused, the gullible, the greedy – who do get suckered into these scams.

"Unfortunately, people are still falling for it," says Sgt. Tim Moy of the Orange County sheriff's Economic Crimes/Computer Crimes unit. His office gets about a dozen calls a month about such Internet scams – and he figures that only a small percentage of victims report them, because they're too embarrassed to tell police or even their own families that they were taken for chumps."

On October 3rd, Sheriff Carona sat down with Channel 6 in Laguna Woods to discuss crimes against the elderly, focusing on economic crimes and fraud. Laguna Woods is the safest city in Orange County. It is also one of the safest cities in the state and the nation.

• The Orange County Sheriff’s Department continues to partner with the City of Laguna Woods and its residents and businesses to maintain this level of safety.

• While the crime rate remains low, instances of fraud have increased dramatically at the city, county, state, and national level.

• Much of the increase in reported fraud within Laguna Woods is due to public education and awareness.  The public is less hesitant or embarrassed to report fraud than it has been in the past.

Here's the video:

Last week, Deputy Jose Almazan presented an American Flag to the Sheriff for the men and women of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Deputy Almazan is known as Gunny Sergeant Almazan in the United States Marine Corp, where he has served for 16 years as an Active Reserve. Deputy Almazan was deployed in the Anbar Province in Iraq from June 2005 to August 2006. This was his second deployment and, while he was away, his wife Carmen gave birth to their third son.

Deputy Almazan wanted to offer something to the department in thanks for our prayers, letters and support, so he presented the flag, which flew for a week over his post while he was in Iraq. The flag is now on display near the entrance of Sheriff's administrative offices.

Deputy Almazan graduated from Orange County Sheriff's Academy class #162 in October 2003. He spent one year with Costa Mesa Police Department before transferring to the Sheriff's Department. He has been married for eight years and has four sons ranging from 5 months to 8 years.

Keeping Deputy Almazan and his family in our thoughts and prayers was the least we could do for their commitment and sacrifice to keeping Orange County and our nation safe from enemies foreign and domestic.

Angels of Love and the Orange County Sheriff's Department became partners 5 years ago when Rick Cryder, Executive Director of Angels of Love, approached us about teaching stained glass art to men and women inmate volunteers. Non-violent detainees from James A. Musick, the Youth Guidance Center and Joplin Juvenile facility eagerly participate in Rick's program, making beautiful stained glass Angels.  The Angels are then given away to people with cancer. The kids at the Youth Guidance Center have the opportunity several times a year to accompany Rick and his volunteers to local area hospitals where they distribute their hand-made Angels to patients confined with cancer. The experience of volunteering helps the inmates and the kids build self-esteem and become more optimistic about their future.

Rick and his wife, Sally, feel they are blessed to have the help of their loving volunteers, such as our group of faithful seniors who come twice every week to Rick's workshop in his home.  They make Angels for the families of fallen policemen, sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, and war heroes.

With the Holidays approaching, Angels of Love staff are gearing up for their annual tradition of delivering Angels to patients confined in the hospital on Christmas Eve.  Their goal is to deliver 1,100 Angels this year, over 200 more than last year.

Visit their website here.

A video of their work is here.

Trivia from their website: They have made an angel for the family of each fallen law enforcement officer and fire fighter in the State of California, along with many others in our nation. They have donated hundreds of angels to families who have experienced tragedies in their lives. This has included families of the military killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the VA Tech tragedy, Oklahoma City bombing, Columbine, 9/11 terrorist attacks and other world events.  

Assemblyman Spitzer has been a popular target for the Register's Steven Greenhut. Actually, anyone who appears to support public safety, even remotely, is a possible target. Last Sunday, the Register published Assemblyman Spitzer's "Reader Rebuttal":

For nearly 20 years, I have dedicated my profession to law enforcement. I have been a street cop and a deputy district attorney and have become one of the Legislature's experts on law enforcement.  Appointed by Speaker Fabian Nuñez as chairman of the Select Committee on Prison Construction and Operations, I was one of the architects of Assembly Bill 900, the landmark legislation that re-focuses corrections on both punishment and intervention.

But your columnist Steve Greenhut, in "Disagree with Spitzer and you love criminals" [Commentary, Sept. 30], suggests that I "grandstand" on issues related to public safety, as if I have a newfound commitment to side with police against criminals or with victims against their perpetrators.

I guess he doesn't read his own newspaper. I formed Responsible Justice for Communities while a county supervisor, blocking the release of Cal State Fullerton killer Edward Allaway. I was the statewide chairman of both the DNA (Prop. 69) and the No on Prop. 66 (effort to stop Three Strikes) and Jessica's Law. I chaired the Governor's Task Force on sex offender policy. I am the author of Megan's Law on the Internet.

Greenhut believes he's an expert on three bills that were the subject of my floor speech he criticizes.  He fails to disclose that not one Republican Assembly member supported any of the three through their committees, or that all law enforcement and victims' rights groups were opposed. So why did we all vote no? 

Senate Bill 756 (Ridley-Thomas) deals with eyewitness identifications and establishes preferences for "double-blind" line-ups. This means that an officer not involved with the case and unaware of a suspect's identity must be the one to conduct the line-up. If a crime is in progress, and a suspect description is broadcast to other officers, they then become tainted.  We all know that the sooner a crime broadcast is transmitted, the greater the likelihood of suspect apprehension. By causing delay and multiagency coordination, SB756 gives those who are guilty time to escape detection.

Another bill, SB511 (Alquist), requires all suspect interviews in murder and serious felony cases to be video-recorded. Prosecutors, judges and juries benefit when they witness the defendant's interrogation demeanor. But what happens when a child is buried in the ground somewhere and time is of the essence before he/she runs out of air? Can the detectives interview the suspect at the crime scene? The bill opens the doors for huge technical violations that will benefit defendants despite their guilt and create more technical grounds for appeal.

AB609 (Romero) would throw out the use of jailhouse informant testimony unless independently corroborated. A defendant may confess to his cellmate that he killed his wife because she was cheating.  Why shouldn't the jury be able to hear the "snitch's" testimony and decide if it is credible despite a motive to lie in exchange for a more lenient sentence? Juries are already instructed to view this type of testimony with great caution.

Does Greenhut disclose that these bills are sponsored by a committee chaired by John Van de Kamp who was both attorney general and Los Angeles district attorney? Is Van de Kamp seeking judicial review of the thousands of cases he prosecuted where police line-ups were "tainted" or where confessions were not recorded? Hardly, despite the double standard.

I have been the first responder to a crime scene and witnessed a mother murdered in front of her two children. As an officer, I have had to use my baton to stop a man from beating his girlfriend. I have been the deputy district attorney in courtroom proceedings where a victim has been re-victimized and discredited because she consumed too much alcohol but still must have "wanted it" on a first date.

The difference between me and Greenhut is simple. I live it; Greenhut Monday-morning quarterbacks it.  What luxury.

The legislation cited by Assemblyman Spitzer as not being supported by any Republican through their committees is the same legislation that Sheriff Carona asked Governor Schwarzenegger to veto. In letters to the Governor, the Sheriff detailed problems and concerns with each bill. Below is a portion of each letter, highlighting public safety concerns:

SB 756:

As Sheriff of Orange County and a member of the California State Sheriffs' Association, I respectfully request you to veto SB 756, which declares a legislative intent that law enforcement officials study and consider adoption of new procedures recommended by the National Institute of Justice and the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice regulating eyewitness lineup identifications to ensure a decrease in the number of misidentifications.   

One of the recommendations is that an officer not involved in the investigation, and who is unaware of the suspect’s identify, conduct the lineup.  This presents a problem in that our  law enforcement agencies immediately put out a broadcast describing the suspect’s physical appearance and name if known, last known location or direction of travel and the vehicle (if applicable) description.  Every officer on duty will learn the suspect’s description and a brief synopsis of the crime that occurred.  This ensures swift capture of the alleged suspect.  We would have to call in an officer that was not on duty to conduct the lineup, and this would pose an overtime issue, which can be costly.  Also, it would delay securing witness information while we’re trying to determine if we caught the right person.  This is disruptive to the witnesses and very inefficient in most jurisdictions.  In the event of multiple suspects, there would be a need for multiple “unaware” investigators to conduct the lineups. 

Another recommendation by the Commission addresses the situation where two or more witnesses are available for an in-field lineup (where an alleged suspect in a recent crime is detained in the field for prompt identification or elimination by drive-by viewing).   

The Commission’s recommendations is that once a single witness has made a lineup identification, that the other witnesses may not view the suspect, but must await a lineup at a later time.  This procedure increases the chances that an innocent person might be wrongly arrested, because a mistaken identification by the first witness was not allowed to be promptly disclaimed by the other witnesses.  In this case, a wrong person may be taken into custody while the actual suspect got away.  It is very important to secure witness information as soon as possible and to ensure their availability to testify in court. 

The current procedures that law enforcement uses for lineups are time-tested and court approved.  All of our criminal investigative reports are seriously scrutinized by the District Attorney’s office prior to formally charging a defendant.  It is not necessary to change the investigative procedures for identifying an alleged suspect.  It is for these reasons that I must oppose this bill.

As Sheriff of Orange County and a member of the California State Sheriffs' Association, I write to inform you of my opposition to SB 511 regarding custodial interrogations and recordings, and request your veto of the bill.

SB 511 would provide the appellate court the opportunity to interpret the complexity of the law and create new case law that could affect credible case law, and the current evidence code. In most cases, agencies use interview rooms located at their headquarters for interrogations.  However, there are times that a suspect needs to be interviewed immediately at or near the crime scene where there may not be an interview room with video and audio capabilities.   

Currently, the scope of recording is limited to audio record. Attempting to video tape a suspect at the crime scene may cause a subject/suspect to be reluctant to talk to investigators; therefore, interrogations are routinely conducted at a station.  If the state does not provide counties and cities with funds for all law enforcement agencies to retrofit their facilities, the burden of funding will be costly for the construction and hardware placement. Additionally, if a suspect is in custody on an unrelated charge in one of the state prisons and needs to be interviewed or interrogated, prison authorities do not allow video taping/recording equipment into their facilities.  Special permission must be obtained in order to allow for a tape recorder to be taken into a prison. 

We also have concerns regarding the measure’s restrictive language.  The bill suggests that all homicides and serious felonies need to be recorded.  However, the word “shall” is too restrictive with regards to interviewing and /or interrogating a suspect in a homicide investigation.  We are concerned that the focus of a trial will be more on the procedures of law enforcement using proper recording devices than on the actions of the suspect.  “Cautionary jury instruction” in the event the officer’s recorded interrogation is deemed unlawful by the courts.  It is unclear what “unlawful” indicated.

SB 609:

As Sheriff of Orange County and a member of the California State Sheriffs' Association, I respectfully request you to veto SB 609 (Romero). 

This measure proposes to do away with the use of inmate witnesses in custody. This would severely hamper law enforcement’s ability to investigate serious felonies that occur in the jail and prison systems.   

As an example, if another inmate or correctional officer is murdered, inmate witnesses could not be used to help solve the crime and seek a successful conviction of the suspect(s) in the crime.  Quite often inmates brag about their criminal activity to other inmates while they are in custody.  These “jailhouse informants” are sometimes the only link to solving the crime. 

Shielding these confessed criminals may have a negative effect on public safety without reducing the risks that an innocent person will be wrongly convicted on the basis of unreliable informant testimony.   For these reasons I oppose SB 609 and ask for your veto of this measure.

The 36th OC Traffic Officers Association National Invitational on Wed, Oct 10th, 9 a.m. will take place at the Huntington Beach State Park, located at PCH at Newland, in Huntington Beach.

From the law firm representing the Sheriff's Department:

Federal Court Dismisses Three of the Five ClaimsContained in William Hunt’s lawsuit against the County On October 1, 2007, the United States District Court, Central District of California granted the County and Sheriff Carona’s motion to dismiss the second, third and fifth claims for relief contained in William Hunt’s lawsuit filed against the County.  The Court granted the motion to dismiss without leave to amend and stated “dismissal without leave to amend is appropriate only when the Court is satisfied that the deficiencies of the complaint could not be possibly cured by amendment.” 

The Court denied the County and Sheriff Carona’s motion to dismiss the plaintiff’s first and fourth claims for relief based upon Mr. Hunt’s statement in his complaint that he was not,  while serving as Chief of Police Services of the City of San Clemente, a “policymaker or confidential employee” in the Sheriff’s office.  The Court stated that “the Court must accept as true all factual allegations in the complaint and draw all reasonable inferences from those allegations, construing the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff.”  The Court stated that “under this standard, plaintiff has alleged enough facts to survive the motion.” 

However, the Court noted that the claims which arose out of the disciplinary proceedings brought by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department against Mr. Hunt resulting in his demotion were barred by his failure to exhaust his administrative remedies.  The Court noted that he failed to take advantage of his right to appeal the Sheriff’s adverse action but rather chose to retire.  The Court noted that the plaintiff was entitled to seek and should have sought a hearing and that the County provided an administrative proceeding which qualified as a “quasi-judicial” proceeding which Mr. Hunt failed to utilize.  As such, his claims were dismissed “without leave to amend.” 

The suit will now proceed with discovery during which time evidence will be produced by the County and the Sheriff to show that the position of Chief of Police Services was, is and always has been a significant position within the Sheriff’s office and one which, by law, is considered a policymaking position.  Under rulings from the United States Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court and both Federal and State Courts of Appeal one who holds a policymaking position is subject to disciplinary action under circumstances similar to those present in the instant case.

This week, the board requested information from Sheriff Carona on California's prison reform legislation. Before the Sheriff spoke, Mark Nichols, general manager for the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs spoke. Here's what he had to say:

Mark Nichols:  Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Members of the Board.  My name is Mark Nichols, general manager for the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs.  Thank you for allowing me to address you here today regarding Agenda Item No. 8. I would like to raise a potential issue that deserves consideration with regard to the proposed agreement of cooperation with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in the County of Orange to provide an additional 500 beds for secure and reentry facility here within the County.

With this additional facility comes the inherent need for additional sworn law enforcement personnel either from the Deputy Sheriff's Department or from another agency.  The number one crisis facing public safety in the immediate future here in Orange County and across the state is the recruitment and retention of qualified personnel.  The pool of qualified candidates in which we compete has continued to shrink.

The vacancy rate here at the Sheriff's Department is nearing double digits.  Other leading law enforcement agencies in the County have positioned themself to address the issues of competitive wage and benefits.  These new packages are designed to allow agencies to steal lateral experienced officers from other departments.

Conversely, we in the County are positioning ourselves to be a training ground with public agencies will fill their ranks.  With October 12th marking the one-year anniversary of our deputies working without a contract, I participated in recent negotiations meetings with the county and have been briefed on the meetings prior to my arrival.  I can say without reservation this negotiation process is the most unprofessional that I've been a part of.

If contract negotiations continue down this path, we will soon be unable to recruit qualified personnel we in the community have come to expect from the Sheriff's Department and District Attorney's office. Additionally, we will be left to stand and watch as our best and experienced deputies and district attorney investigators leave it for cities and counties who appreciate quality, experienced personnel protecting their communities.

I implore the board to empower the negotiators with the ability to bargain in good faith and deliver competitive contracts that will guarantee our ability to, in the future, recruit and retain the best public safety personnel.  These men and women here today who keep our communities safe deserve a fair and equitable contract, but more importantly the citizens of our county deserve the quality personnel patrolling their streets, investigating their cases and securing the jail and core facilities within our communities.  Before we make commitments to expand our operations to accommodate others, I suggest we get our house in order here first and address the current issues.  Thank you for your time and I look forward to working with you in the future on the challenging issues that lie before us.  Thank you.

Supervisor Nguyen:  Thank you.   I was just going to ask if you have anymore to say Mark?

Mark Nichols: Supervisor Nguyen, I think it's important that we address some of these issues.  We're laying the foundation today for the next few years that lay before us.  Having been in the field with regards to this, I know what other agencies are doing in the county and if we do not stay competitive, we will become a training ground as we were once before, which will not be conducive to our being able to provide the law enforcement protection and security that we have come to know and expect in this County.  So I think it's an important issue.  It's one that faces everybody in the state.  There's nobody coming into the field anymore, so what departments are doing are stealing laterals, officers experienced from other departments.  I don't want to see us here fall behind and try to play catch-up as our officers leave for greener pastures and better working conditions in another agency.  I think we need to address it now so that we can stay ahead of that curve and continue to provide the quality public safety that this county expects and deserves.

Next was Sheriff Carona, explaining AB900, Governor Schwarzenegger's comprehensive prison reform measures:

Deputy Larry Costa and K-9 Shadow will be appearing on Orange County's new morning news program, Daybreak OC. Check local listings here. The interview will air in two segments - the first at 6am and the second at 7am.

You may remember that Deputy Costa is a member of the Jail Operations Canine Team. Here's a breakdown of their great work:

"The first two Jail Operation’s Canine Teams went into service in October of 2006.  Deputy Larry Costa and Canine “Shadow” of the Theo Lacy Facility and Deputy Lisa Samsel and Canine “Raiden” of the Central Jail Complex have established reputations in our jails for being to find narcotics in places where we might not have found them without the canines’ keen sense of smell.

The two canines have already sniffed out more than 79 attempts to sneak drugs into County Jail facilities including: 12 balloons of heroin.  During a search of a vehicle visiting one of our jails, Raiden located narcotics.  A subsequent search of the vehicle yielded two handguns, a knife and a stun gun."

Sheriff Carona's letter on Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's parole reforms was published in today's Orange County Register. "Parole reforms boost public safety":

O.C. will be first to allow nonviolent offenders to earn early discharge from parole.

By MIKE CARONA

Orange County sheriff

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's parole reforms will make California safer by tackling our state's unacceptable recidivism rate and allowing authorities to focus on the most dangerous criminals.

I know there is concern over the effectiveness of these proposals, but make no mistake about it, these reforms are tough on crime.

They still target the period immediately after inmates are released, when most violations occur. They provide incentives for rehabilitation programs that are proven to work. And they continue to enforce strict regulations up to the four years permitted under the law on the parolees who are most likely to commit new crimes.

Every year, 120,000 prison inmates in our state finish their sentences, and they are automatically placed in the parole system for supervision. That also will not change.

But because we have the nation's highest recidivism rate, it is absolutely essential that we change the way we handle our parolees. The current system is not doing all it can to protect public safety.

Under a pilot project unveiled last month by state corrections officials, offenders who have not committed serious or violent crimes would be eligible to go off parole after six months, rather than the customary three years, if – and only if – they earn a discharge.

To do this, they must meet a specific set of requirements. Criminals with violent and serious offenses, including registered sex offenders, will not be eligible. Nor will any criminal who violates parole or those assigned to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In weighing eligibility, officials will consider evidence such as parolees' employment status, successful completion of rehabilitation programs, whether they have a stable residence and have complied with orders to pay restitution to their victims.

These qualifications, when met, are proven to be good indicators of lawful behavior. The governor's administration based the earned-discharge criteria on scientific evidence, because parole regulations that include the right incentives have proven in 33 other states to be highly effective.

Simply put, they lower crime.

The reforms also allow us to devote more resources to supervising the worst offenders. This includes tracking sexual predators and enforcing Jessica's Law.

Orange County will be the first in the state to implement the new earned-discharge policy. We want to do our part to improve safety throughout California, and we will critically evaluate the program and make any changes necessary to support the ultimate goals: reducing recidivism, protecting victims and preventing future crimes.

Parole reform is a crucial part of the governor's comprehensive efforts to solve California's prison overcrowding crisis.

Federal courts have threatened to impose a cap on our prison population, which could lead to the early release of tens of thousands of inmates. That would pose an unprecedented danger to our communities, and we must do all we can to prevent that from happening.

Gov. Schwarzenegger took a giant step to head off that potential disaster when he signed a historic prison reform bill in May. Under the $7.7 billion plan, California will add 53,000 new beds to the prison and jail system and strengthen rehabilitation programs to reduce our recidivism rate.

He also signed legislation last week to create the first secure re-entry facility in Stockton so inmates whose terms are ending will have more opportunities to complete rehabilitation programs in areas like substance-abuse treatment, job training and counseling.

I have worked in law enforcement in California for 32 years, and Gov. Schwarzenegger's commitment to public safety is encouraging. I have seen firsthand that we have the greatest success by providing rehabilitation to individuals in our jails and prisons. It reduces recidivism and thereby creates needed bed space for serious and violent criminals.

Combined with improved incentives from his parole reforms, offenders who can be rehabilitated will have a much better chance of returning to their communities as productive and law-abiding. And that will better protect our residents, better protect our communities and result in a safer California."

The Jail Operations Canine Unit was established to enhance the safety and security of our jail staff and inmates by sniffing out drugs in the inmate housing and work areas, as well as the attempted smuggling of drugs into the jails and Superior Courts.

All of the Jail Operations Canine Teams have undergone extensive training at Adlerhorst International Kennels in Riverside County where they learned to detect the odors of heroin, cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine.

The first two Jail Operation’s Canine Teams went into service in October of 2006.  Deputy Larry Costa and Canine “Shadow” of the Theo Lacy Facility and Deputy Lisa Samsel and Canine “Raiden” of the Central Jail Complex have established reputations in our jails for being to find narcotics in places where we might not have found them without the canines’ keen sense of smell.

The two canines have already sniffed out more than 79 attempts to sneak drugs into County Jail facilities including: 12 balloons of heroin.  During a search of a vehicle visiting one of our jails, Raiden located narcotics.  A subsequent search of the vehicle yielded two handguns, a knife and a stun gun. 

In 2007, the canines have 56 alerts resulting in small seizures of marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.  After initially making a few notable arrests in the visiting parking lot of the James A. Musick Facility, we have noticed a significant decrease in the amount of seizures.  According to deputies working at the Musick jail, word spread very quickly through the inmate population of the canine program and recent arrests.  Visitors are now much more aware of our presence during contact visits.  This is definitely an indication that our canines have been successful in preventing drugs from entering the jails by means of contact visits. 

Funding for the program was obtained from the Southwest Border Prosecution Initiative (SWBPI) (an innovative financial arrangement between the Sheriffs Department and the Federal Government).  SWBPI generates revenue for the Sheriffs Department by housing Federal violators while we prosecute them under state law.  As an added savings to Orange County Taxpayers, future revenue from SWBPI may also be utilized to defray the ongoing costs of the program.

In March of this year, Deputies Costa and Samsel began training several times a month with FEMA canine teams from Task Force-5.  One of the handlers' primary responsibilities during a search and rescue deployment is to maintain the interest of their dogs. For the dogs, the search is a game of "hide-and-seek," with a find being the reward.  Because of their hard work and commitment to training, on August 21, 2007, Deputy Costa and Shadow along with Deputy Samsel and Raiden were added as Canine Search Teams with California Task Force-5. Administrative responsibilities for FEMA Task Force-5 are handled by the Orange County Fire Authority.

If a disaster event warrants national support, FEMA will deploy the three closest task forces within six hours of notification. The role of these task forces is to support state and local emergency responders' efforts to locate victims and manage recovery operations. 

Each task force consists of two 31-person teams, four canines, and a comprehensive equipment cache.  A task force can have up to 12 canine search teams to assist in locating trapped victims.  Task Force-5 currently has 3 FEMA certified canine search teams.  Canines Shadow and Raiden are the only two Orange County law enforcement canines on Task Force-5.   These deputies have made great progress with their canine partners and are expecting to be FEMA certified before the end of the year. 

Because of the success of the program canine program in Jail Operations, the James A. Musick facility decided to add a canine team to their facility.  Deputies from all of Jail Operations were considered for this position.  On September 19, 2007, Deputy Matthew Anderson of the James A. Musick facility was informed that he would be the newest addition to the Jail Operations Canine Unit. 

On September 25^th, Deputy Anderson and his Canine “Noa” started class at Adlerhorst.  Noa is a 3 year old female Belgian Malinois, which is perfect for the work we are doing.  She’s got a great disposition and very good “play drive.”  Deputy Anderson and Noa will be certified as a Narcotics Detection Team on October 19^th and will begin their new assignment at Musick.  In the future, Deputy Anderson and Noa will join the other Jail Operations Canine Teams in training and certification for FEMA detection work.

On a related topic, the Orange County Police Canine Association is hosting a benefit this weekend. As stated on their website, "At the exciting family show, you can see K-9 teams perform obedience, agility, apprehension, handler protection, explosive and narcotic detection.  Through the benefit show, the OCPCA raises funds which are donated to assist the families of fallen officers, provide medical care for retired police K-9s, assist police departments needing to replace retired K-9s, and provide further training for K-9 teams."

Here's a press release from March on our canine jail team.

On today's agenda:

#8. Approve agreement of cooperation with State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for secure re-entry facility.

#19. Select DMJM H&N as primary and Joint Venture - MVE and Partners / Rosser International Inc. as alternate firms for Musick Master Plan; authorize negotiation of agreement for Board approval; and make California Environmental Quality Act findings.

#20. Accept grant from U.S. Department of Justice for Forensic DNA Backlog Reduction Program, FY 2007 ($397,427); and authorize Sheriff-Coroner to execute cooperative agreement.

The Sheriff will be attending the meeting and speaking on AB900, legislation signed earlier this year to reform California's prison system. Here's the Governor's press release on SB943, legislation Governor Schwarzenegger signed on September 26, creating the first secure community re-entry facility.

Sheriff Carona will also be discussing the expansion of the James A. Musick jail.

Watch the board hearing live right here.

OCPCA's 20th Annual K-9 Benefit Show - Saturday October 6th, 2007 at Cal State Fullerton.

The show will start at 6:00PM  - Tickets are on Sale: Available at the gate the day of the event or from an OCPCA K-9 Handler $10 for individual; $40 for group (admits 8 people) ; Children 5 & under are free.

The OCPCA is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization comprised of law enforcement K-9 handlers who are dedicated to receiving the most current and highest quality training available.  Training is a key factor that ensures the best possible service to the community.  The OCPCA was started in 1983 by several law enforcement canine handlers in an effort to share information about the training and use of canines in law enforcement.  As the OCPCA grew, they began to host an annual canine demonstration for the public that served as a fundraiser for the OCPCA.

In the fall of each year, the OCPCA has continued the tradition of hosting their annual canine benefit show.  At the exciting family show, you can see K-9 teams perform obedience, agility, apprehension, handler protection, explosive and narcotic detection.  Through the benefit show, the OCPCA raises funds which are donated to assist the families of fallen officers, provide medical care for retired police K-9s, assist police departments needing to replace retired K-9s, and provide further training for K-9 teams.

The OCPCA is comprised of canine handlersfrom the following departments: 

• Anaheim Police Department
• Brea Police Department
• Buena Park Police Department
• Corona Police Department
• Costa Mesa Police Department
• Cypress Police Department
• Fountain Valley Police Department
• Fullerton Police Department
• Garden Grove Police Department
• Huntington Beach Police Department
• Irvine Police Department
• La Habra Police Department
• La Palma Police Department
• Newport Beach Police Department
• Orange Police Department
• Orange County Sheriff's Department
• Placentia Police Department
• Probation Department
• Santa Ana Police Department
• Tustin Police Department

 

As discussed previously, Sheriff Carona filled in for the Governor on his weekly radio address. Listen here.

Here's the transcript:

"Hi, this is Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona, filling in for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, with this week’s California Report.

As elected leaders, the Governor and I agree that public safety is our number one priority and I applaud his efforts to reform the state’s parole system because they will make California safer.

I have worked in law enforcement for 32 years and I know that parole reform is crucial to our work to fix California’s prison crisis and protect our people.

Our state has 120,000 inmates who finish their sentences every year and they are automatically placed in the parole system.

And because we have the nation’s highest recidivism rate, it is absolutely essential that we change the way we handle our parolees.

The Governor’s plan would allow authorities to focus on the most dangerous criminals and devote more resources to enforcing Jessica’s Law.

Offenders who have not committed serious or violent crimes would be eligible to go off parole after 6 months if they meet specific criteria and if they earn it.

In weighing eligibility, officials will consider evidence such as a parolee’s employment status and commitment to rehabilitation. And violent criminals would stay on parole up to the 4-year maximum under state law.

These improvements are based in science because parole regulations that include the right incentives have proven to be highly effective in other states.

Parole reform is part of the Governor’s comprehensive strategy to solve California’s prison crisis and head off the threat of a court-imposed cap on our prison population. In May, Governor Schwarzenegger signed a historic prison reform bill that will add 53,000 new beds and beef up rehabilitation programs to reduce our recidivism rate. 

And just this week, he signed legislation to create the first secure re-entry facility in Stockton so inmates whose terms are ending will have direct access to programs like job training and counseling.

That will give them a much better chance of returning to their communities as productive, law-abiding citizens. As sheriff, I am honored that Orange County will be the first area to implement the Governor’s parole reforms.

We will critically evaluate the program and make any changes as necessary to ensure our ultimate goal of reducing recidivism and preventing future victims.

I know there is concern over these proposals, but make no mistake about it, the new parole reforms are tough on crime.

They still target the period immediately after release, when most violations occur. They provide incentives for rehabilitation programs that are proven to work.

And they continue to enforce strict regulations on the criminals who are most likely to commit new crimes.

All of these reforms were designed to better protect our residents and communities and they will produce a safer California.

On behalf of Governor Schwarzenegger, I’m Sheriff Mike Carona. Thank you for listening."