The Orange County Election Ballots were once again secured by the Department's Reserve Deputies and Professional Services Responders. Lieutenant Roger Neumeister said that 68 Reserves and 4 PSRs took part in the Election Night operation. The Reserves and PSRs provided security while ballots, both electronic and paper, were transported form polling locations all over the county to the central location where the ballots were stored.

Lt. Neumeister estimated that the use of Reserves and PSRs for the detail saved the county about $35,000 in overtime costs.

Graphic by Sergeant John Hollenbeck

From Sheriff Sandra Hutchens:

On September 12th, bureau commanders and managers, both sworn and professional, were asked for assistance in producing the Mission Statement and Core Values for the Sheriff’s Department. They were requested to have their supervisors solicit suggestions from line staff on what they believed should be included in the Mission Statement and Core Values for the Department. The volume of suggestions offered was extraordinary.

The Mission Statement was based on a submission by Sheriff’s Special Officer Shawn Tangard of the John Wayne Airport Police Services division. The Core Values were selected from those consistently offered for inclusion by Sheriff’s Department personnel. The following individuals played a key role in the crafting of the final version of the Mission Statement and Core Values:

Administrative Manager Denise Litten          Southeast/Southwest Operations Divisions
Sergeant Vince Bravata                                  Tactical Training Center
Investigator Margie Sheehan                         Economic Crimes Bureau
Deputy Ryan Anderson                                   West Justice Center
Deputy Theresa Bard                                      Risk Management Bureau
Deputy Aaron Brady                                       North Patrol Bureau
Deputy Christine Chang                                  Lake Forest Police Services
Deputy Jeff Puckett                                         Lake Forest Police Services

We should all be proud of the collective effort that shaped our new Mission Statement and Core Values. It is my hope that the Mission Statement and Core Values will serve as our guide and assist our residents in measuring our performance in the service of our communities.