The case of Jamie Marie Meissner made news when her attorney accused the Department of removing video footage he claimed would show his client being the victim of excessive force. The missing footage was due to an error in editing, leaving the view of one camera and appearing in a second camera. When the footage was found it showed no misconduct by jail staff. The jury made it official: no excessive force. 

The Register gave this account:   

Jury clears sheriff’s deputies in excessive force case

October 27th, 2009, 11:44 am · posted by Tony Saavedra, Register investigative reporter

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the Department faces another $65 million in budget cuts primarily due to the faltering sales tax revenues.   Assistant Sheriff Mike James gave the Board an update on the state of the Department's jails.

Click here to view the Orange County Register story on the presentations.

To view the PowerPoint presented by the Sheriff and Assistant Sheriff James click the icon below. 

The Annual Red Cross Blood Drive will be held in the IRC Briefing Room from 1000-1600 hours on Tuesday October 27, 2009.

As with the past Blood Drives, the Red Cross will be offering a County-Wide drawing and assisting with providing in-house drawings for gas cards, and other prizes.  Also, as in the past, all participants will receive a Donor T-Shirt and coupon to a local restaurant.  If you wish to participate you may register on line at http://www.givelife.org/ Code: OC1 or you can call me to schedule a time.

Walk-In donors with no appointments are welcome too. I thank you in advance for your assistance.

At this Blood Drive we also will be taking advance registration sign-ups for the “4th Annual Battle of the Badges Blood Drive”. Last year we finished in 2nd place behind Riverside Police Department for Donations collected (94 to 107).  With your help again, we will exceed that amount.

When you donate blood, please remember that you must bring Picture Identification.  

Thank you for your time.  

Deputy C.D. Vincent IRC – CJX                

January’s Battle of the Badges: On Wednesday, January 27, 2010 from 7AM to 7PM, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department will be participating in the 4th Annual “BATTLE of the BADGES” Blood Drive.  

The Battle of the Badges Blood Drive will run for two weeks, from Tuesday, January 19th to Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010, as Police and Fire Departments throughout Southern California compete in a friendly competition to see which Badge-Carrying Personnel, Family and Friends can donate the most blood and ultimately save the most lives.  

Letter from the Sheriff Sandra Hutchens

Department's Newest Training About to Begin

In a few weeks we begin a new era in the Orange County Jails. On October 22, the first class of Correctional Services Assistants will enter the Academy to begin training.

During the nine week course, the candidates will undergo 360 hours of training in curriculums established by the California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training, The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and Orange County Sheriff's Department Training Division. The courses will include leadership, professionalism and ethics, laws of arrest, search and seizure, use of force, cultural diversity, classification of inmates, cell extraction, booking and receiving, report and record keeping, scenario training, and many other courses designed to prepare these men and women as custody professionals.

Following formalized training, each graduate will be paired with a Jail Training Officer for four to six weeks of individualized mentoring.

Many department personnel have worked very hard to achieve this extraordinary milestone. These men and women of the CSA Class 1 are pioneers and I ask each of you to help them through this challenging transition and welcome them into our jails as "teammates" who will assist us in fulfilling our mission to ensure the safety and well being of our inmates - while responsibly safeguarding the taxpayers of Orange County.

To those in CSA Class 1: Congratulations! We look forward to working with each of you in your new role.

The first round of testing for the new position of Correctional Services Assistant took place on Saturday.  Sixty-seven candidates passed the written test, physical agility and background prescreening.

Photos by Staff Specialist Paige West

All of the candidates are currently employed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and are in line to be members of the Department’s first CSA Recruit Training Class #1.  Future recruitment will be opened to the public.

The Department’s goal is to have a class of fifty complete nine weeks of training and begin working in the jails in January 2010.  In the future, CSA's could make up about 35 percent of the jail staff. The program is expected to save the Department $10 million a year.

The Correctional Services Assistant will assist sworn personnel with monitoring inmate movement, maintaining order and controlling entry and exit to jail facilities.The Department continues to work with the county Human Resources Department to complete the job of making CSA's an important part of the Department’s team. More...

The Orange County Grand Jury issued it's annual State of the Jails Report in June and, while giving the Sheriff's Department high marks for their operations, made several recommendations and asked for responses from the Sheriff and the Board of Supervisors.

The report said in part: "The overriding conclusion reached by the Grand Jury is that the Orange County jail system is well run and in good overall condition. The delivery of service continues to improve under new leadership and the morale of the jail staff is improving."

The Grand Jury found that the facilities are aging quickly, staff overtime remains a concern and the challenges for command and line staff are many. Still the Grand Jury said it applauds the work of the OCSD men and women and the HCA staff in operating a jail system that has no shortage of tests and challenges."

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens filed the Department's reponse on August 17 and the Board of Supervisors approved their response at today's Board Meeting.

To view the full grand jury report click here.

To view the Sheriff's response click here.

To view the response approved by the Board of Supervisors click here.

Letter from the Sheriff

Fifty years ago newly hired Deputy Sheriffs were assigned to work in the Orange County Jail for the purpose of

observing criminal behavior before working the streets on patrol. They rarely spent a full year working in the jail.

That quaint training experiment has grown into our modern day custody operations force that requires deputies to stay

in the jails for up to eight years before they have the opportunity to transfer to patrol and it costs the county millions

of dollars a year.

In the interest of both fiscal responsibility and enhancing the careers of both sworn and non-sworn members of the

department, we have opened recruitment for a new class of department employee, the Sheriff's Correctional Services

Assistant.

This recruitment has been met with a lot of interest and it showcases the fact that, despite the challenges we currently

face, our future is bright.

Thank you for your collaborative and innovative efforts to explore new ways of accomplishing our mission. The press release is below:

"In a move that's likely to save the Orange County Sheriff's Department $10 million a year, Sheriff Hutchens announced the recruitment

for the position of Sheriff's Correctional Services Assistant Trainee. The Correctional Services Assistant will assist sworn personnel with

monitoring inmate movement, maintaining order and controlling entry and exit to jail facilities."

"The Correctional Services Assistant is an extremely important addition to the Orange County Jail system. This new classification of

department personnel will not only assist us in our mandate to provide for the safety and well being of our inmates, but it will provide a

significant savings to our operating budget," said Sheriff Sandra Hutchens. "Just this year we have been required to reduce our budget by

$28 million and next year we're looking at a $60 million reduction. Any savings we can obtain is of great benefit to Orange County

taxpayers."

The initial recruitment is open to current Orange County Sheriff's personnel; however, we anticipate opening this position to individuals

outside the department in the next few months.

The first class of fifty Correctional Service Assistants will attend nine weeks of training and should begin working in our jails in January

2010."

SANDRA HUTCHENS

Sheriff-Coroner

August 21, 2009

The Blood Drive and Bone Marrow Drive at IRC on Wednesday August 12, 2009 was a success. 

A total of 67 Employees from various parts of the Department and County Agencies attended this drive. The Red Cross collected 60 pints of blood. In addition, 44 Sheriff's employees registered for the National Bone Marrow Registry. According to officials at that Registry, “Orange County Sheriff's personnel provided the most new registered donors in a single day”.  

Deputy Curtis Vincent, who has organized blood drives at IRC in recent years, offered special thanks to Correctional Service Technician Annette Ortega for helping to organize the Bone Marrow Drive. CST Ortega began the Bone Marrow Drive after seeing the story of 14 month old Allison Zicree of Reseda and her need for bone marrow. CST Ortega hand-delivered flyers to various agencies and employees.    

From the press release:

Sheriff opens recruitment for first class of newest jail personnel

In a move that’s likely to save the Orange County Sheriff’s Department $10 million a year, Sheriff Hutchens announced the recruitment for the position of Sheriff’s Correctional Services Assistant Trainee. The Correctional Services Assistant will assist sworn personnel with monitoring inmate movement, maintaining order and controlling entry and exit to jail facilities.

“The Correctional Services Assistant is an extremely important addition to the Orange County Jail system.  This new classification of department personnel will not only assist us in our mandate to provide for the safety and well being of our inmates, but it will provide a significant savings to our operating budget,” said Sheriff Sandra Hutchens. “Just this year we have been required to reduce our budget by $28 million and next year we’re looking at a $60 million reduction. Any savings we can obtain is of great benefit to Orange County taxpayers.”

The initial recruitment is open to current Orange County Sheriff’s personnel; however, we anticipate opening this position to individuals outside the department in the next few months.

The first class of fifty Correctional Service Assistants will attend nine weeks of training and should begin working in our jails in January 2010.

Additional information on the Correctional Services Assistant can be found at http://tinyurl.com/mektxe  or by contacting the Media Relations Department at (714) 647-7042.

###

A Message on the Department Reorganization
Sheriff Sandra Hutchens 

Our Core Values:

Integrity without compromise;
Service above self;
Professionalism in the performance of duty;
Vigilance in safeguarding our community.

We all continue to feel the effects of these challenging economic times, both in our professional and personal lives.  The Fiscal Year 2009/10 budget approved by the Board of Supervisors requires our Department to cut 28 million dollars from our budget this fiscal year. Based on revenue projections, we must prepare for an additional 60 million dollar cut in fiscal year 2010/11.  When faced with these unprecedented budget cuts, I directed my Command Staff and Division Commanders to “deconstruct” their commands and look at our core functions—those functions that impact our responsibility for direct public safety services.  The decision of who would be laid off was made as a result of what functions could be eliminated and/or combined without directly impacting our core mission.  These layoffs were not based on performance; they were based on the elimination or consolidation of functions and were made solely because of our current financial situation.  

During the past few weeks, I have met with each Assistant Sheriff, Executive Director, and Captain.  The purpose of the meetings was to tell them if they were staying or if they would be laid off.  For me, this has been one of the most difficult and gut-wrenching of tasks.  As I have publically stated, given the budget cuts we have been directed to make, I felt it my duty to preserve the delivery of front-line law enforcement so that the residents of Orange County would continue to enjoy the benefit of our public safety services and not be impacted by our budget cuts.

You will see from the attached Organization Chart that the shape of the Department has been dramatically altered.    I have cut two Assistant Sheriff and five Captain positions. Assistant Sheriff Hillmann with be responsible for Field Operations and Investigative Services. Assistant Sheriff James will be responsible for Custody and Court Services.  Executive Director Dostal will continue to be responsible for Administrative Services Command. 

Of the remaining nine Captains, two will serve as Area Commanders.  The Area Commander will assist their respective Assistant Sheriff with their expanded commands.  Tim Board will serve as the Area Commander for Field Operations and Investigative Services and Jay LeFlore will serve as the Area Commander for Custody and Court Services.

Director Gialamas, in addition to his Crime Lab responsibility, will assume command of Support Services.  Undersheriff Scott will assume direct responsibility for Professional Services Division and I will assume direct responsibility for Coroner and the Crime Lab/Support Services Divisions.I view these cuts as temporary and something that we cannot sustain for more than a couple of years. I fully intend to rebuild the department when the economy improves.In addition to our Command Staff cuts, we are having to impact the lives of 30-40 of our employees either through demotion or layoffs.  This process will be completed sometime in September.

I want to personally acknowledge the tremendous contributions of our personnel who are impacted by these budget cuts.  They have all contributed to the success of this Department and are to be congratulated for their commitment and dedication. Their service and individual contribution to the success of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department will not be forgotten.

Finally, I want to thank each and every one of you for your hard work and willingness to go the extra mile to secure the safety of all and to continue the great reputation of community service that the Orange County Sheriff’s Department so richly deserves.  Your actions serve to make me proud every day. It is an honor to be your Sheriff and to serve side by side with you.   My decisions have and will always be based on what is best for the public safety needs of Orange County and the continued success of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.  

To view the new Organization Chart click: New Org Chart.pdf (2.15 mb)

To view the old Organization Chart click: Old Org Chart.pdf (1.43 mb)

The Los Angeles Times is reporting this afternoon that the U.S. Department of Justice has launched a probe into the Orange County jail system. 

This probe was launched in December 2008. We have and will continue to cooperate with their investigation.

August 13, 2009 

U.S. Justice Department probes Orange County jails

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an extensive investigation into Orange County’s jail system, which for more than a decade has been mired in allegations that sheriff's deputies mistreated inmates and used excessive force to keep control inside the county’s five jails, the Sheriff’s Department has confirmed to The Times.

The Justice Department is examining various cases to determine whether there is a pattern of Orange County violating the civil rights of inmates. Among the more recent cases, an inmate was stomped to death by fellow prisoners after a deputy erroneously told them he was child molester. A county grand jury later criticized the Sheriff's Department for trying to impede the investigation and concluded that there was evidence of rampant abuse at the Theo Lacy Jail in Orange.

The Orange County district attorney earlier this year criticized deputies for a "code of silence" that hampered prosecutors' ability to investigate possible criminal activities by jailers. In addition, the Sheriff's Department has come under fire for using Taser stun guns on handcuffed or restrained inmates. Two inmates died after being stunned, and new Sheriff Sandra Hutchens ended the practice earlier this year.

The investigation, which falls under the federal Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, has been underway for several months and may take more than a year to complete. If a pattern of misconduct is found, the Justice Department could seek a settlement or a court-ordered federal consent decree similar to the one brought against the Los Angeles Police Department after the Rampart corruption scandal. It took nearly a decade for the LAPD to have federal oversight lifted.

Orange County officials were not told why the investigation was initiated, and Justice Department officials would only confirm its existence. But the federal act outlines certain conditions that start such a process, among them whether the attorney general has reasonable cause to believe that people are being subject to “egregious or flagrant conditions which deprive” them of legal rights or causes them to “suffer grievous harm.”

—Tami Abdollah, reporting from Orange County 

The Annual Red Cross Blood Drive will be held on Wednesday and more donors are urged to sign up.

Here is a plea from long-time Blood Drive Coordinator Deputy Curtis Vincent.

As of today, we have 30 department personnel signed up to donate blood.

The Annual Red Cross Blood Drive will be held in the IRC Briefing Room from 0700-1900 hours on Wednesday August 12, 2009.

As with the past Blood Drives, the Red Cross will be offering a County-Wide Drawing and assisting with providing in-house drawings for gas cards, and other prizes.

Also, as in the past, all participants will receive a Donor T-Shirt and coupon to a local restaurant. If you wish to participate you may register on line at www.givelife.org Code: OC1 or you can call Deputy Vincent Curtis, IRC-CJX to schedule a time.

Walk-In donors with no appointments are welcome too. I thank you in advance for your assistance. When you donate blood, please remember that you must bring Picture Identification.

At this Drive we will have Mrs. Gina Cousineau to talk with anyone interested about how to register as a donor and to become a hero to those in need. 

Potential Bone Marrow Donors are being sought to help Allison Zicree, a 14-month-old, who is battling a rare form of Leukemia.

For informaton on helping Allison click: ALLISON - BATTLES.pdf (37.28 kb)

To see the flyer asking Orange County law enforcement to rally to Allison's cause click: Allison Zicree4 Scan001 (4).pdf (78.38 kb)

This information was originally published in the County Connections Newsletter  

Cogeneration Power On Its Way To Civic Center

operators and mechanics who have for 41 years made sure the County, city, state and federal government buildings in the Civic Center Campus had heat or cool air.

Every member of the cogen team has an average of more than 20 years experience running the large boilers and chillers in the Central Utility Facility (CUF). In the late 1990s when Southern California was experiencing electrical brown-outs, Facilities Operations’ managers reviewed the plant and concluded the County could produce its own electricity. In 2004, the County began design and construction on the conversion of the existing CUF to produce electricity through the power of cogen. Designed for electric reliability, the new County cogen plant has been constructed adjacent to the existing plant and will provide electric power to County Civic Center buildings. The CUF will operate in parallel with Southern California Edison power. In the event of a power failure from cogeneration electric production, all County buildings will immediately receive Edison power. The plant’s new cogen turbine engines operate at almost 15,000 RPM and can produce up to 10.4 megawatts of electricity.That is enough power for 8,600 homes, based upon average home use of 10,665 kilowatt hours per year.

The new cogen plant also stores natural gas compressors that condense gas to 250 pounds per square inch and drive the turbines. The turbine combustion engines, often referred to as aircraft engines, produce electricity and heat. The excess heat from the turbines is sent to the heat recovery steam generators (HRSG), which are often called boilers. The HRSG technology is similar to an old fashioned steam train. The generators produce steam to power the existing chillers that produce cold air for air conditioning in the summer and heat for warming buildings in winter.

(Over the last year, more than three miles of new piping was installed to heat County buildings and 41 miles of new electrical wire was installed for power. The project will be completed in October, when the CUF will begin to supply its own electricity to the OC Civic Center.

Below is the list of buildings that will be powered by Cogen:

Hall of Administration (Building 10) More...

A benefit BBQ was held August 4 at the Theo Lacy Facility to benefit the family of Deputy Chuck Jansen.

The BBQ was prepared by Deputy Roger Williams and included pork, beef, potato salad, cole slaw and baked beans. Sworn and professional staff from virtually every division in the Department participated.

Here are some photographs of the BBQ, courtesy of Deputy Peter Ross.

The Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics released figures this week on jail deaths in the country's largest local jails from 2000 to 2006. An analysis of the figures show that Orange County had the lowest rate of deaths per population of any of the nation's 30 largest institutions. The ranking and population of the jails is based on 2006 figures.

Assistant Sheriff Mike James said that federal statistics released earlier show that assaults, both inmate on inmate assaults and inmate on staff assaults, are also lower in the Orange County Jail than in other large facilities in the country.

Here are some of the statistics Chief James referred to:

The Orange County Jail System:Notable Statistics and Information  

 The Orange County Sheriff’s Department operates one of the 10 largest jails in the country (currently 8th, 12-6-06).

 Of the ten largest jail systems in America, the Orange County Jail (OCJ) System had the lowest suicide rate (1) for the reporting period (2000-2002)[1].

 The Suicide rate in the OCJ System was remarkably below the national average of 48 per 100,000 inmates/average daily population at a rate of 7 per 100,000 inmates/average daily population1.

 The OCJ System’s overall mortality rate (death by any cause) rated second lowest among the 50 largest jails in the nation; OCJ’s rate was 42 deaths per 100,000 inmates/average daily population.  By contrast, Baltimore, Maryland had a rate of 381 deaths per 100,000 inmates/average daily population – which included 9 suicides for a rate of 88 suicides per 100,000 inmates/average daily population1. 

 The OCJ System experienced an average of 1.1 inmate(s) on staff assaults per 100 inmates; the national average was 2.7 per 100 inmates2.

 The OCJ System experienced an average of 5.5 inmate(s) on inmate(s) assaults per 100 inmates; the national average is 10 per 100 inmates2.     

       The OCJ System operates with an incredibly low inmate to sworn staff ratio when compared to other jail systems throughout the nation.  According to calculations, the national average for inmate to total sworn staff ratio is 4.3:1; Orange County’s is 9.4:1 inmates to total sworn staff.  Even more remarkable is the inmate to on-duty staff ratio comparison.  The national average is approximately 14:1; Orange County’s is 34:1 inmates to on-duty sworn staff3.      

Quarantine due to swine flu at county jail is lifted

Activities inside Central Men's Jail resume normalcy, authorities say. Inmates expected to appear back in court Thursday morning.

The Red Cross Blood Drive scheduled at the IRC for August 12 will also be an opportunity for interested men and women to register as potential bone marrow donors for 14-month-old Leukemia patient Allison Zicree of Reseda.   

Allison Zicree

For information on Allison Zicree click here.

For information on the Blood Drive click here.

A letter from Sheriff-Coroner Sandra Hutchens to the Department:

After many months of assessing different options to address the department's budget crisis, the administration has made a critical decision to close the entire Central Women's Jail while we work on the development of a contract to house federal prisoners. The closure plans have already started and will move forward in phases with a completion date of July 24th.

In an effort to utilize all personnel displaced by this closure, female deputies will be assigned throughout the jail system, including the Theo Lacy Facility. To ensure an efficient and smooth transition, we will do everything possible to accommodate all personnel impacted by the closure.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the personnel assigned to the Central Women's Jail. They have done and continue to do outstanding work. Recently I attended several briefings where their efforts were recognized by me and members of the command staff. The closure of this facility will be difficult and will put additional strain on the entire system. The personnel at the Women's Jail were extremely helpful with all aspects of the closure plans.

While many people have worked on these closure options, I would like to specifically thank Deputy Denise Fairchild who did a significant amount of work showing the impacts of the proposed closure. This material was presented to the Board of Supervisors and was critical in mitigating issues created by the closure.

Now more than ever, I am confident all personnel will come together as a team and assist with the relocation efforts. Our collective dedication and commitment will make this transition successful and continue to move this department forward during very difficult times.

A Sergeant, three Deputies and an Administrative Manager received awards from the Exchange Club of Corona del Mar, which has been honoring Department members for exemplary service for 22 years.  

Each received plaques from the club's Crime Prevention Program at a luncheon that was attended by Sheriff Sandra Hutchens and other Department members. The club also donated to the Department sacks of teddy bears.  They purchased the bears with the proceeds of their recycling program.  The bears are used by deputies to comfort children they encounter when duty takes them to a family crisis.

Five Department employees received awards: Sergeant Mike Anderson, Jail Compliance and Training Team; Deputies Brian Nissen, Centrral Men's Jail; Dave Martin, Marine Operations; Steve Brown, North Operations K-9, and Administrative Manager Tracy Carrol, Inmate Records Bureau.

Here is what their supervisors said of those honored. More...

The Orange County Register reported on Sheriff Sandra Hutchens' report on her first year in office.

Sheriff Hutchens says she has made progress remaking department

Sandra Hutchens is also expected to discuss reform at county jails.

Earlier this week Board of Supervisors Chair Pat Bates wrote a commentary piece in the Orange County Register saying that the county budget crisis will force massive cuts in the Sheriff's Department.  Sheriff Sandra Hutches wrote a reply, published today in the Orange County Register's Opinon section, spelling out the measures the Department has taken to reduce costs and a plan for bringing federal revenue to the county to help keep public safety services at the level needed in Orange County.

Here is the rebuttal as it was published.

Reader Rebuttal: county budget
Reader Rebuttal to Chairwoman Pat Bates' column, "Delaying pain would hurt
more," Orange Grove, June 16, 2009
By SANDRA HUTCHENS
Orange County sheriff


The Orange County Board of Supervisors has taken many fiscally prudent steps
to address the growing budget challenges we have faced over the last year. I
commend them for their leadership. I would like to share some of what the
Sheriff's Department has done to address our budget shortfalls because,
while we still face a deficit, I am proud to say that we are poised to
finish this fiscal year about $20 million under budget.

Chairwoman Pat Bates' column in the Register ["Delaying pain would hurt
more," Orange Grove, June 16]states, "The Sheriff's Department is faced with
making $45 million in reductions." Our actual reductions add up to about $53
million when you include the $7.4 million in cuts that we are making and not
asking the county to restore. These cuts included eliminating hospital
security for outside agencies' arrestees, reducing maintenance of our
facilities, deferring equipment purchases, reduced helicopter flight time
and a reduction of 38 positions.

While we appreciate the board's restoration of $25 million, a number of
options have been suggested to close the $20 million gap that remains,
including eliminating vacant positions, reducing administrative nonsworn
staff, managing overtime, reducing vehicles and reducing overhead for our
contract cities - all of which we are already implementing.

Over the past year, we eliminated 67 vacant positions and cut 150 extra help
positions. We reduced overtime by 18 percent, cutting 6,000 hours of
overtime from each two-week pay period as compared with the previous year.
Additionally, we have closed 360 jail beds at the James A. Musick Facility
and, as we introduce the correctional services assistant (a civilian
classification) into our jails, we will further reduce the cost of managing
our jails.

The use of professional (nonsworn) staff is essential to our operation and
in most instances contributes a substantial cost saving when compared to
staffing the same position with a uniformed deputy. When you dial 911, your
call is answered by a nonsworn employee. The dispatcher who sends a deputy
to your aid is also nonsworn. Nonsworn personnel respond to crime scenes to
gather evidence, they staff the crime lab and the coroner's office, and they
analyze crime reports and manage the offices so our sworn personnel can be
out in our communities.

Administrative management represents 1.7 percent of our workforce. With the
addition of law enforcement management (captains and lieutenants) it's 3.5
percent - still lower than other county agencies.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that we utilize a variety of
volunteers to augment the great work of our deputies and civilian personnel.
Last year, our reserve deputies and professional service responders
performed work that would have cost the county $7 million.

I have proposed to the board that we take advantage of a recent decline in
our inmate population to enter into an agreement with Immigration and
Customs Enforcement to house ICE detainees for a fee. Revenue generated
would help us avoid significant cuts to our core services. On Tuesday, I
plan to again ask the Board to reconsider my request for $7 million to see
us through finalization of our agreement with ICE. As sheriff, it is my duty
to maintain public safety, and we cannot absorb cuts of this magnitude
without a significant impact on the superior quality of life we enjoy in
Orange County.

The Department has two new Sergeants; Michael Ellis and Brad Olsen. Sergeant Ellis, formerly with Lake Forest Police Services, has been assigned to the IRC.  Sergeant Olsen, formerly with the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center, has been assigned to the Men's Main Jail.

The Orange County Grand Jury today issued its annual assessment of the county jail system and gave a favorable report overall.

"The overriding conclusion reached by the Grand Jury is that the Orange County jail system is well run and in good overall condition. The delivery of service continues to improve under new leadership and the morale of the jail staff is improving," the report said.

The Grand Jury found that the facilities are aging quickly, staff overtime remains a concern and the challenges for command and line staff are many. Still the Grand Jury said it applauds the work of the OCSD men and women and the HCA staff in operating a jail system that has no shortage of tests and challenges."

The Grand Jury complemented Sheriff Sandra Hutchens on her strong leadership in taking charge of a jail system that last year was under massive criticism in the aftermath of the controversial murder of inmate John Chamberlain.

The grand jury said:  "Within a matter of a few weeks of her appointment, the Sheriff made major changes in the jail command staff. The Custody Operations Command was placed under a new Assistant Sheriff who reports directly to the Undersheriff. The four segments of custody operations received three new jail commanders. The fourth continued under the leadership of the Inmate Services Director. Based on meetings and interviews, the Grand Jury was very impressed with the experience and strong leadership qualities of these individuals."

The 16-page report covers a wide range of issues, from the need to build new facilities to using a bar code system for the wristbands worn by inmates.

To read the full report click here.

More than 450 Inmate Services Volunteers and their families turned out at Hart Park in Orange on June 6 for the 11th Annual Appreciation Picnic.

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens attended to show her appreciation for the hundreds of volunteers who help make the Department provide for the needs of inmates in accordance with the law.  

Sheriff Hutchens thanks the volunteers who work with Inmate Programs

Inmate Programs Director Sharron Gibson-Casler also thanked the volunteers.

"We are very proud of our nearly 1200 volunteers, representing 26 very diverse organizations, providing a multitude of services and donating tens of thousands of hours annually to our County’s inmate population. We want our volunteers especially to know that their dedication and support of our correctional programs are critical to the core mission of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Inmates Services Division," she said.  

There are 1151 Volunteers cleared for entrance to all five of the Department's jail facilities.

A total of 26 organizations provice church services, Bibles studies, individual Pastoral counseling, 12-step recovery drug and alcohol panels and individual tutoring for reading and math skills. 

Two community-based Volunteer Programs provide for inmate-made goods to help the community: Angel’s of Love, for the family of hospitalized patients and Sew Much Comfort to provide clothing for those who lost limbs in the Armed Forces.

In 2008 104,149 inmates attended volunteer programs in the Orange County Jails.

Volunteers put in 15,158 hours for a savings to the county of $295,732.58. 

In 2009 up to the day of the picnic, 44,624 inmates attended volunteer programs in the Orange County Jails serving 6,650 inmates. There were 6,918 hours donated for a savings to the county of $134,970.

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens pleaded with County Supervisors to provide $7.2 million in funding to stave off drastic public safety cuts while the Department secures a $20 million contract to house federal inmates.  The federal contract revenue would allow the Department to maintain public safety services basically at current levels.

Supervisors balked at the plan saying that it was too risky for them to support. 

Sheriff Hutchens answered that the alternative is forcing her to impose "draconian" cuts on public safety. Cuts will result in the closing of the Women's Jail, portions of the Musick Facility and reduction in investigations and patrol services. Sheriff Hutchens is attempting to obtain a sufficent federal commitment before the Supervisors take their formal vote on June 23. She will ask them again to reconsider the public safety cuts.  

The Orange County Register story on the hearing said this of the Sheriff's remark:

Hutchens says residents across the county, even in cities that have their own police departments, will feel the impact of the cuts. The department offers countywide services that could be affected, such as jails, crime scene services, air support and response to major traffic accidents.

"I view the cuts we may have to make today as pretty draconian," Hutchens said after the hearing. "The public will feel the impact."

She also told the Register:

If the cuts supervisors approved today remain, women's central jail could be closed and employees from across the department, from investigators to 9-1-1 dispatchers, could be laid off, she said.

"Everything is on the table," she said.

Here is the Register story:

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

County to slash public safety budgets by $50 million
Sheriff's department takes the biggest hit at nearly $28 million
By JENNIFER MUIR
The Orange County Register

SANTA ANA Despite warnings that slashing the sheriff's department could cripple jails, increase response times and impact investigations, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday appeared poised to cut nearly $28 million from the Orange County Sheriff's Department budget.

It's the largest cut to services that supervisors are expected to make in the next two days as they consider how to carve more than $1 billion from next year's spending plan.

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said the department may soon get some financial relief in the form of a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house federal immigration detainees. The sheriff asked for $7.3 million to stave off jail layoffs for six months – allowing time for the federal contract to take effect.

But supervisors weren't comfortable gambling that an agreement could be reached.

"That means we have to make a decision based on a 'maybe'?" Supervisor John Moorlach asked. "I'm not comfortable voting on something that may happen. I may feel more comfortable voting on something once it does happen."

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