On a recent morning at the Theo Lacy Facility a line of inmates stood with their faces to the wall to make way for a visitor. The inmates wore mustard colored jumpsuits and were guarded by Deputies in green uniforms.

A second line of inmates was further down the corridor with their faces to the wall, again to make way for a visitor. These inmates wore blue work clothes and were escorted by jail staff dressed in tan uniforms, staff that are generally unknown to outsiders.

The green uniform of the Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy is a familiar sight but jail staff in tan is rarely seen by the public. 

The Lacy staff wearing tan pants and shirts and escorting the inmates dressed in blue are Correctional Services Technicians. 

“The way I look at it, the CST’s provide all the essential work at the facility,” said Senior CST Ray Scruggs. “The Deputies provide the security and run the jail, the CST’s see to it that all the work and upkeep is done satisfactorily. We do all the behind the scenes stuff. We keep this place up and running.”

At Lacy there are 310 Deputies, 35 SSOs and 66 CST’s. Department wide there are about 1,560 Deputies, 396 Sheriff’s Special Officers and 182 CST’s.  Two former CST’s were among the graduates of Basic Academy Class 185 and have been sworn as Deputies.

There are more than 2,800 inmates at Lacy, with a wide range of security levels. There are inmate workers who clean and maintain the facility and sleep in barracks. There are Death Row inmates in the county for new trials who are kept in solitary cells and must be moved only through areas that have been cleared of other inmates. 

It is the inmate workers who provide a role for the CST’s. They supervise the inmate workers. More...

 January through July numbers for 2007, include partial numbers for January because program began on January 9, 2007.

 The numbers for 2008 show a slight reduction of total numbers and that is partially due to the need in 2007 to interview many of the 6,500 inmates incarcerated when the program began, in addition to those newly booked. In 2008, the interviews have virtually all involved recently booked inmates.

SHERIFF-CORONER DEPARTMENT
COUNTY OF ORANGE
CALIFORNIA
550 NORTH FLOWER STREET – P.O. BOX 449
SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92702-0449
(714) 647-7042

SANDRA HUTCHENS
SHERIFF-CORONER

PRESS RELEASE

Avoid the Ten, Orange County Sheriff Launches Intensive
Crackdown on Impaired Driving

Police Vow to Arrest Everyone Found Driving ‘Over the Limit’
America is facing an impaired-driving crisis and the problem is especially acute during the summer
months.

That’s why the Orange County Sheriff ‘s Department and the AVOID the 10 campaign today announced it will join other police agencies throughout the country in support of an intensive
crackdown on impaired driving this August 15 – September 1. Nationally, more than $50 million will be spent on this year’s crackdown, known by its tagline: Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.

In 2006 alone, nearly 13,500 people died in crashes in which the driver or motorcycle rider was legally impaired, according to the latest statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Among them were 306 children under age 15 — innocent victims of crashes that could have been avoided. Alcohol Involved deaths in California reached 1,597 in 2006 with over 31,000 injured.

“All too often, innocent law-abiding people suffer tragic consequences and the loss of loved ones due to this careless disregard for human life. Because we’re committed to ending the carnage, we’re intensifying our enforcement during the crackdown. We’ll be especially vigilant during high-risk nighttime hours when impaired drivers are most likely to be on our roads,” said Sgt. Robert Osborne.

Across the country, more than $30 million in State and Federal funds will be spent in support of the high-visibility crackdown through television and radio ads targeted to young male drivers, who are the most common perpetrators of this deadly crime. Another $20 million will be spent on extra police enforcement — including saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints — during the crackdown period.

In every U.S. State as well as the District of Columbia it’s illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. More than 10,000 police agencies will participate in this year’s mid-August through Labor Day crackdown, including law enforcement officers representing every State and many U.S. cities and towns.

According to the latest data, 32 percent of motor vehicle driving fatalities involved a driver or motorcycle rider with a BAC of .08 g/dL or above — an average of one fatality every 39 minutes.

This summer, law enforcement is again asking for the public’s help. “Drunk driving is the top priority for the police, CHP, and sheriff deputies in California, but other motorists on the roads are one of the best weapons we have against drunk drivers,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “We’re asking the public to report drunk drivers by calling 911 and providing the location and a complete description of the vehicle.”

“With millions of cell phones on California roadways your chances of getting busted have risen,” said Murphy. “Drunk or other dangerous driving is an emergency, where we encourage other drivers to safely call in. In addition, law Enforcement will be out in force conducting sobriety checkpoints, multi-agency task force operations as well as local saturation patrols to get more drunk drivers off the road – and save lives that might otherwise be lost.”

“Our message is simple and unwavering. If we find you driving impaired, we will arrest you. No exceptions,” said Sergeant Osborne. “Even if you beat the odds and walk away from a DUI crash alive, motorists should be aware that the consequences of driving while impaired can still virtually destroy your life." “So don’t take the chance. Remember, if you are over the limit, you’re under arrest.”

Violators often face jail time, loss of their driver licenses, or being sentenced to use an ignition interlock. Their insurance rates go up. Other financial hits include attorney fees, court costs, lost time at work, and the potential loss of job or job prospects. When family, friends, and co-workers find out, violators can also face tremendous personal embarrassment and humiliation.

The National Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. crackdown is led by NHTSA and combines high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness through advertising and
publicity.

Funding for the “Avoid” program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. For more information on the crackdown, visit the California Avoid Web Site at click here. 

For traffic safety issues or concerns, visit the Orange County Sheriff Traffic Safety website at click here.  

With all that’s being written about the Sheriff’s Department PSR program, Sheriff Hutchens held a press conference on Monday to set the record straight.  She highlighted some the invaluable work and services the PSRs provide the Sheriff’s Department and the County, free of charge.  She also discussed her decision to have the badges returned.   

The press conference in its entirety can be seen here at Red County blog.

CBS/KCAL ran this story last night.    

FOX 11’s Chris Blatchford had this report.   

And here’s Eyewitness News’ Elieen Frere.

Orange County Register Reporter Larry Welborn writes about the long standing tradition of Bailffs and Donuts. Wonder who brought the donuts to the Sheriff's cubicle? Just look at the newspaper and see whose picture has been published.

For the whole story go to the Register blog click here:

The National Association of School Resource Officers has 9,000 members who police campuses from the poorest inner cities to the wealthiest suburbs and every venue in between.

Only a handful of the association’s members make presentations at NASRO’s annual conference.

Two of those selected to teach what they know at this year’s NASRO National Conference in Phoenix were members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department: Sgt. Mike McHenry and Deputy Lance Christensen.

Sgt. McHenry heads the Department’s Juvenile Services Unit and Deputy Christensen is a School Resource Officer in the Capistrano Unified School District. It’s an area with lots of wealth and comparatively little crime.

“What we have are kids with too much time and opportunity to do stupid stuff,” Sgt. McHenry told the audience. “We’re not an area that is inner city, we’re not an area that’s problematic. We’re just Anytown U.S.A.  And if it’s there for us, it’s there for you guys too. If we can find it, you can too.”

Like School Resource Officers all around the country, Sgt. McHenry and Deputy Christensen deal with the problems of drugs on campus, school bullies, gangs, fight clubs and the challenge of youngsters who break no rules but still pose a potential threat to other students. 

What is different in Orange County is “The Show.”

What Sgt. McHenry, a veteran of 19 years with the Department, and Deputy Christensen, a 15-year veteran, brought to the NASRO conference was “The Show.”  They created “The Show” to alert parents and school staff to the things they find in the course of their duties.

The drug paraphernalia collection is one of the most visually striking parts of the presentation. It includes elaborate water pipes and bongs that look too big to have been found in school lockers.  The weapons look formidable: brass knuckles, knives and replicas of handguns and submachine guns. More...

The Saddleback Civil Forum on Saturday included appearances by presidential candidates Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama. The forum proved to be an opportunity for the nation to observe its leading presidential candidates engage in the political process in a controlled environment. This forum also gave us the opportunity to assess our efforts in providing security to a packed house, in a venue with limited road access on church grounds that offered many obstacles to the security of those in attendance.

This challenge was well met by the U.S. Secret Service and Orange County public safety agencies. Thanks to extensive planning and coordinated efforts by Lake Forest Chief of Police Services Lt. Don Barnes and his staff, a large number of demonstrators were able to exercise their First Amendment protected rights without significant incident. The demonstrators gathered in the vicinity of Saddleback and Portola Parkways prior to the candidates' arrival and, during the event, engaged in heated debate that had the potential for a hostile confrontation. However, due to the involvement of liaison officers and prior meetings with event organizers, virtually all physical confrontation was avoided.

I want to applaud the performance of our Department members, Reserves, Support Personnel, volunteers, and Command Staff. I also want to thank the local agencies that supported our effort, including California Highway Patrol, the Orange County Fire Authority and the police departments of Anaheim, Buena Park, Garden Grove, Irvine and Santa Ana. We recognize that true success can only be accomplished when allied agencies work together for a common purpose. Our public safety effort insured that there were no injuries, arrests or public disruptions.

SANDRA HUTCHENS

Sheriff-Coroner

A tentative settlement has been reached in the lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union against the Department on behalf of day laborers in the City of Lake Forest. The city had previously settled with the ACLU. The case against the Department had been scheduled to go to trial in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana on Tuesday.

To read the Oragne County Register report of the case click here.

To read the version published in the Los Angeles Times click here.

For the Los Angeles Examiner's Associate Press story click here. 

Several news organizations have reported on the Department's Policy on the use of Tasers and these reports have caused some confusion.

The Department revised its policy on the use of Tasers on April 18, 2008.

The Orange County Grand Jury issued its annual report on The State of Orange County Jails on June 4, 2008.   That grand jury report raised several questions concerning the use of Tasers in the jails.

The Department responded to those questions on August 8, 2008, as part of our overall response to the State of Orange County Jails report. The grand jury posted our response on their Website on Monday.

There have been some inquiries made that indicate some people believe we changed our Taser policy this week. The April 18 revision is the latest revision. The news reports this week are about the Department's response to the grand jury.

To see the grand jury report and the response, click here.

Captains Lee Trujillo (left) and Mark Billings 

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens announced the promotion of two captains and a reorganization of some divisions in the Department.

The two promotions went to Department members of long standing who have helped the Department with skill and dedication throughout their careers.  

For a look at the new organization chart click here: Scan003.pdf (27.09 kb)

Captain Lee Trujillo, a 23-year veteran of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, has been promoted to Captain and placed in charge of the Department's Investigations Divsion.

He previously had served as Chief of Police Services for the City of Stanton.

Captain Trujillo has held many positions with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, including patrol supervisor for San Clemente and Stanton, sergeant of the Directed Enforcement Team, and watch commander at the Intake Release Center (IRC) and the Emergency Communications Bureau (ECB).  Lt. Trujillo is also a former member of the Sheriff’s Department’s SWAT team and worked narcotics and gang enforcement.  He brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise.

Earlier this year he was awarded the Medal of Merit for his part in the setting up the Department's Cross Designation Program with Immigration Customs Enforcement to identify illegal immigrants incarcerated in the Department's jails.

Captain Mark Billings holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biological Science from California State University, Fullerton and a Masters in Conflict Management from Caifornia State University Dominguez Hills.

He joined the Orange County Sheriff's Department in 1985 and worked Corrections until 1989. He was promoted to Deputy II in 1989 and held assignments in Special Enforcement, Traffic and served as a Field Training Officer. He promoted to Sergeant in 1995 and returned to Corrections until being assigned as a Tactical Sergeant at the Sheriff's Basic Academy. He served at the Academy from 1996 to 2000.

He was made Lieutenant in 2000 and worked Corrections, as a Watch Commander and as the County Mutual Aid Coordinator-Terrorism Warning Group Chair/Commander, Operations Support Division from 2001 to 2002. In 2002 he was assigned as Chief of Police Services to the City of Dana Point and he remained there until 2006. He was named Commander of hte Sheriff's Regional Training Academy in 2006 and served in that position until his promotion to Captain and Command of the newly formed Homeland Security Divison. In 1994 he was named Dana Point Deputy of the Year and was a Gold Star recipient, ACT  and Course Instructor  at the Basic Academy, and trained as a Drug Recognition Expert.

Hundreds of demonstrators showed up at the Presidential Forum at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest and the Department response succeeded in keeping the peace without injury or arrest. 

To see the Orange County Register's account of the demonstration and Department response click here.

Here are some of the scenes at the demonstration on Saturday.

Professional Services Civilian Responders serve an important role in the Department but a California Attorney General opinion has made it clear: PSRs cannot keep their current badges, Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said.

She made the statement at a meeting that drew more than 100 PSRs at the Orange County Sheriff’s Regional Training Academy in Tustin.

“I understand what you do for us everyday, I am an admirer of your organization. Some of you are like full time employees,” Sheriff Hutchens said. She told the PSRs that the organization had been formed many years ago and was the subject of press and public controversy at its founding.

 “It probably started as something not so good but it has evolved into something that is very good,” she said.

The badges that have been used in recent years by PSRs must be returned, she said. Her biggest concern is an opinion of the California Attorney General that the Department and the County may be held civilly liable a badge is misused. The opinion said in part: “A sheriff’s gift of an honorary badge to a private citizen violates California law if (1) the badge falsely purports to be authorized, or would deceive an ordinary reasonable person into believing that it is authorized, for use by a peace officer.” The current badge is very similar to badges used by Texas Rangers and U.S. Marshals, she said. More...

The auditorium was packed when Class 185 marched in from the hallway, the ranks in step, voices loud and in unison; they sent the message that these 35 law enforcement officers were well prepared.

Basic Academy Class 185 graduated Thursday evening, producing 22 new Deputy Sheriffs for the Department. The other graduates were sponsored by the Anaheim, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach and Manhattan Beach Police Departments.

Academy Commander Lt. Mark Billings told the audience  at the Orange County Sheriff’s Regional Training Academy what made this class possible.

“The Tactical Staff is the heart of the Training Academy. You’ll not find a more professional nor dedicated group of training officers in all of California. They take inexperienced recruits and mold them into leaders of our community.”

Academy Tactical Staff  

  Photos by Reserve Deputy Steve Sobodos and Professional Services Responder Fred Arnow

The Class President was Officer Michael Harvey o