The Coroner's Division hosts its annual open house for the community on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

The Department has one of the most advanced Coroner facilities in the state.  Those attending the open house will be given and inside look at exhibits which include: Anatomical Plastination, Anthropology, AutopsySuites, Excavation of Skeletal Remains, Cadaver Canine, California Coroner Training Center, Forensic Evidence & Specimens, Homicide Viewing Rooms, Jane & John Does, Mass Fatalities Management, Organ Donation and Simulated Death Scenes.

For more information click: Coroner Division Open House.pdf (211.41 kb)

The Orange County Police Canine Assocation will have it's annual benefit show on Saturday, Oct. 11 starting at 6 p.m. The show is at Glover Stadium at La Palma Park,  1151 N Anaheim Blvd., in Anaheim. 

The organization's Website said this about the organization and the show:

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.

For more information on the organization and the show click here:

Harbor Patrol Deputies rescued fisherman on Friday. Here is an account of the episode by Harbor Patrol Sergeant David Ginther.  

On Friday, October 3rd several people decided to try their luck at fishing above the rocky shoreline known as Ladder Rock along the cliffs of Corona Del Mar. Unknown to them, their luck would be rather diverse that day – from tragic to miraculous. The ocean, which occasionally claims a fisherman or mariner’s soul, was about to make another hardy attempt.

The adventure began that morning when the group of fishermen made their way to the coast then climbed a rugged cliff providing a perch about forty feet above the shore. In the afternoon, after hours of angling, they heard the heartrending screams from one of their party. They saw their friend missing from the cliff and flailing helplessly in the water below. He had apparently slipped on the jagged, slippery surface and fell into the cold ocean waters. They threw a life line from the cliff in a futile attempt to save their friend but were defeated by the insufficient length of the rope. Their fellow angler, clad only in sweatpants and a t-shirt, was soon unconscious and being drawn away from them by the hungry sea.

The emergency phone call was received at the Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol dispatch center in Newport Harbor. Twenty-six year veteran Marine Dispatcher Keli Sheridan gathered the critical details and immediately dispatched the fireboat manned by Deputies J. C. Roberts and Tracy Sizemore. The crew, responsible for the entire Newport Harbor and miles of the surrounding coastline, responded with lights and siren to the location about a mile down coast of the harbor entrance. They left under the impression that the distressed subject would be merely assisted aboard their boat. That the victim was drowning would soon be revealed.

The victim’s luck was about to change with the tide, literally. More...

S.M.A.R.T. deputies are trained in a wide range of skills that run the gamut from Special Weapons and Tactics to threat assessment and interviewing skills. Some are capable of taking out a school shooter at long range however, their main mission is to prevent a catastrophic school incident by identifying early warning signs and facilitating early intervention.   SMART Deputies evaluate and assesses each incident individually. Their goal is to effectively resolve each incident through the least intrusive means available while maintaining the safety and security to the school.   

“We’re very concerned about children who have dark, dark secrets,” said the S.M.A.R.T. unit commander, Lieutenant Brad Virgoe.

The Department's School Mobile Assessment and Resource Team is profiled in the latest edition of California Sheriff.

S.M.A.R.T. Deputy Merl Mireles shows items he has confiscated at local schools

To read the California Sheriff story click: Scan001a.pdf (253.24 kb)

At about 0815 hours Sunday morning, Lieutenant Timothy Finneran was just exiting the Chino Valley Freeway when he was flagged down by a man and two children.

They pointed to a car that had gone off the exit ramp and rolled over and came to rest in a ravine at the bottom of a 15-foot slope.

“I observed a brown vehicle laying on its passenger side with a woman partially pinned underneath and inside the vehicle passenger side,” said Lieutenant Finneran, who was off duty at the time. Lieutenant Finneran, who heads the Homeland Security Grants Unit, said it was hard to describe just how the woman was positioned, he could see her face through the windshield and her legs were outside the passenger compartment and under the car.

“We had to get her out of there,” he said. Moving the car could be dangerous if there were other occupants. He checked the vehicle carefully. Two other cars had pulled over at the same time as he did, one with a Little League coach and a youth team football coach. One of the coaches was with his wife, a Registered Nurse.

The nurse stayed at the top of the ramp to call 911 for help.

Lieutenant Finneran and two of the men lifted the overturned car enough so that the fourth man could pull the victim out from under it. There was a fear that the car could fall back, overturning and possibly crushing the victim. To prevent it falling back onto the victim, it was pushed upright, all the way onto its wheels. More...

        Stephen J. Connolly  

                                         Executive Director                                                                    

OFFICE OF INDEPENDENT REVIEW:  An Introduction  

  I.          Creation of OIR 

The Office of Independent Review (“OIR”) was established by a County Ordinance that the Board of Supervisors passed in February of 2008.  The creation of OIR ended a process that had begun several months earlier, when the Board began to explore the possibility of bringing formal civilian oversight to the Sheriff’s Department. A working group with representatives from several County entities had recommended the adoption of the OIR model, which has been operating in Los Angeles County since 2001.  As articulated in the Ordinance, the mission of OIR is to “monitor, assist, oversee and advise” the Orange County Sheriff -Coroner Department (“OCSD”) in its handling of critical incidents and allegations of employee misconduct. 

Once the Office had been formally created, the County engaged in a selection process for an “Executive Director” to lead OIR.  That process culminated with the approval of an “Agreement for Special Legal Services” between the County and Stephen J. Connolly, executed on August 5, 2008 with a commencement date of September 1, 2008.

The OIR model of civilian oversight has several core principles:

• Integration into law enforcement’s own review process:  Rather than creating a parallel or competing mechanism for addressing critical incidents and allegations of misconduct, OIR brings an outside perspective to the OCSD’s existing protocols.  It recognizes that law enforcement is, in many ways, best situated to address these situations, not only because of its resources and expertise, but because it must take managerial responsibility for its findings and decisions.  At the same time, inclusion of an independent, outside perspective is meant to strengthen these processes and enhance public confidence in their legitimacy.

• Full-time commitment of oversight personnel:   This ensures the level of involvement needed to maintain productive relationships, stay apprised of relevant developments (both internal and external to OCSD), make informed assessments regarding individual cases and OCSD practices, and ensure appropriate follow through.

• Access:  The attorney-client relationship between OIR lawyers and both the County and OCSD allows OIR lawyers and personnel to have access to investigation files, records and meetings while maintaining the confidentiality of those materials.  OIR personnel respond in person to critical incidents, consult regularly with OCSD decision-makers, and have the unfettered ability to review OCSD operations.   (The cooperation of OCSD is obviously critical in this regard, and has been forthcoming.)

• Independence:  The Executive Director and other professional staff members of OIR (no more than two (2) staff attorneys and an “investigations analyst”) are independent contractors.  They are not employees of the County or part of the OCSD chain of command.  This helps OIR maintain appropriate “arm’s length” relationships and objectivity in its assessments and recommendations, and increases public confidence accordingly.

• Transparency:   OIR serves as a conduit between the public and OCSD. It seeks to represent the public’s interest and perspectives when monitoring individual cases or promoting reforms, and to provide explanation and insight to the public concerning the Department’s actions.  Reporting about the Department’s handling of critical incidents, allegations of misconduct, and reform initiatives is an important dimension of OIR’s responsibilities. More...

Blood Drive

Wednesday October 15, 20087:30 AM to 7:30 PM

Please sign up to donate blood today!To make your appointment please visit: http://www.givelife.org/Type in the Sponsor Code: OC1(OR)

 E-mail at cdvincent@ocsd.org or call

       Curtis Vincent at 647-6063 to sign up IRC – BRIEFING ROOM 

***FREE T-shirt******

In-house raffle for Gas Cards and other Prizes

***FIRST 30 DONORS TO PRE-REGISTER WILL RECEIVE A $1.00 SCRATCHER FROM CALIF. LOTTERY

***With Parent Permission children as young as 16 years old may donate

*** MUST BRING PICTURE IDENTIFICATION

Most recent Blood Drive was a big success. For details click here.

Crime Survivors, Inc. has invited Sheriff Sandra Hutchens to be their special guest at a 5k Run Walk/RunHealth & Safety Expo at Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base on October 11.

From the organization's Website:

ABOUT OUR CAUSE

Crime Survivors, Inc. “All victims of crime have the right and responsibility to survive”

Vision
Crime Survivors vision is for victims of crime to recover from their experience mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially, by receiving the respect, support, and protection from law enforcement, the judicial system, and the community.

Mission Statement
The mission of Crime Survivors is to ensure the public knows victims’ rights and needs and to provide resources, support, and information to empower crime victims to survive and thrive.

This mission will be accomplished by:

• Conducting public awareness campaigns in communities about the needs and rights of victims and the services Crime Survivors offers via different media forums, public speaking with schools and training with local authorities.
• Offering a comprehensive set of products, services, and resources to help the victim and families through the emotional recovery process, as well as reduce financial and physical burdens placed on the victim as a result of the crime.
• Educating/preparing crime victims for the trial preparation, trial and post trial process.

WE ARE HERE TO HELP!
Crime Survivors is committed to serving our community by being an advocate and resource for crime victims and their families. If you don’t know where to turn, or are confused or frustrated with the public services that are available to you as you recover or seek justice, Crime Survivors can help. Our web site will provide information, resources and tools that will help you become a “Survivor”.

Victims Advocate
Crime Survivors works in your community to make victims’ rights a top priority. We facilitate communication and cooperation across various public service, government and non-profit organizations to ensure that Victims’ rights are understood, and that the services victims are entitled to are received. If you think you are not receiving the assistance you should, please contact us.

For more information on the event click here.