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...

The Department's women's team clinched first place in this weekend's Baker 2 Vegas Run.

To read the Orange County Register's story, click here.  

More...

Retired Lt. Darrel (Guy) Poncy was fondly remembered by many in the Department. He was commander of the academy from May 1997 until June of 2000 and retired in 2004 as a lieutenant at the James Musick Facility. He was a physical fitness enthusiast and died on April 15 while training for the Baker 2 Vegas Run.

He is survived by his wife Rennatta and his daughters Christie and Tiffany.

A service will be held on Tuesday, April 22 at 1 p.m, Cornerstone Church, 4905 E. La Palma, Anaheim, CA  92807.

The Los Angeles Times ran an obituary on his death. To read it click here.

First the good news: All graduates of Basic Academy Class 186 of the Orange County Sheriff’s Regional Training Academy will receive 24 college credits, courtesy of Santa Ana College.

The not so good news: There has never been a Basic Academy class at the academy that made it to graduation without dropouts and most classes suffer dropout rates of one-quarter to one-third.

Academy Commander Lt. Mark Billings gave some details to the 46 recruits who attended Basic Class 186 orientation at the academy. The recruits all wore sharply pressed black suits and each brought a family member or loved one for the occasion. 

“I want to explain how difficult the course is. Not to scare you but to prepare you for it,” Lt. Billings told the group.  “We don’t try to emulate the military but some graduates who have served in the Marine Corps say they would rather go back to Marine Corps training than here.