The press was given a rare look inside the Department's Forensic Science Lab on Wednesday. An Orange County Register Reporter and Photographer took the tour and published their findings in today's edition of the paper. For the online version, which includes 22 pictures of the lab and the presentation of the Lab's International Accreditation, click here.

PREPARING BLOOD SAMPLES: Orange County sheriff's crime lab forensics scientist Kari Sterling prepares blood samples to be tested for the presence of alcohol.

BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Department Photographer Jerry Manson also took a series of photographs of the tour. More...

The Orange County Register reported in its Online news about the good police work by the Department's Court Operations Judicial Protection Unit and the Bomb Squad.

Ronald Gary Turner, 44, was arrested July 2 after Orange County sheriff's deputies found handcuffs, pepper spray, throwing knives and a stolen 9 mm gun inside his vehicle during a traffic stop. The gun was loaded with hollow-point rounds and had the serial numbers removed.

During a search of his Costa Mesa home, authorities discovered a cache of explosives, including two homemade bombs with timers, two homemade guns, other bomb-making materials, tactical equipment, a bulletproof vest, and listening devices. Two children lived in the room next to where the bombs were kept, according to county prosecutors.

To read the whole story click here.

From today's OC Register online is the story of a Sheriff's Professional Services Responder dropping his own plans and pitching into help the Department and a boy in trouble.  

SANTA ANA – Flight instructor Tim Reynolds was between lessons Sunday when he got the phone call.

"Can you fly to El Paso immediately?'' David Corsiglia, a reserve lieutenant with the Orange County Sheriff's Department, asked him.

A 9-year-old boy, Ryan Ramos, needed to be picked up.

Reynolds, a pilot for more than 30 years, cancelled his next lesson as well as a planned charter to Catalina to pick up a newly engaged couple.

To read the entire profile click here.

A burglary that has remained unsolved for more than 3-years may have been solved due to the good work of the Department's DNA Lab, Irvine police reported in an Orange County Register story.

The DNA evidence used by Irvine to link the suspect to the unsolved burglary was also matched to burglaries in Lake Forest and San Clemente.

To read the Orange County Register story click here.

Peggy Lowe writes:

The moment passes quickly and Hutchens repeats what she told her new staff on June 10, the day she was appointed sheriff by the Board of Supervisors.

"'This is the day we take a step away from that. Carona and everyone else just becomes another court case, disassociated from this department,'" she remembered. "That's where I'm at. And everybody in this agency is ready to do that."

Meet Sandra Hutchens, a 27-year Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department veteran who was sworn during a private ceremony Thursday as the county's female sheriff.

[...]

"Firm and fair is a very good description of what she was," said Anna, who lives in Orange. "She ran a good, tight ship. But on the other hand, you enjoyed working for her."

That kind of leadership will be much different than Carona's style. Hutchens has yet to announce her command structure, instead meeting last week with, as she says, "captains and above" in an effort to find who she will surround herself with. Carona, in contrast, won special conditions from supervisors in 1999 when he brought in two assistant sheriffs who were not qualified and later contributed to his downfall.

When she is publicly sworn in on Tuesday, Hutchens will make another statement. Hutchens' uniforms won't include a dress coat, as Carona often wore. She will wear a long-sleeved shirt with a tie.

"I prefer to dress like the deputies," she said. "In terms of the day-to-day, I'm another deputy."

Read  it all right here.

Sandra Hutchens was sworn in as Orange County Sheriff on Thursday. A ceremonial swearing in will take place on Tuesday.

Chairman John Moorlach of the Orange County Board of Supervisors had this to say of the swearing in:

On March 17, 1995, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to appoint me to the vacant position of Treasurer-Tax Collector.  I was sworn in immediately following the vote.

We appointed Sandra Hutchens with the provision that she successfully pass the required medical and psychological tests.  Consequently, she was not sworn in at the June 10 meeting after our 3-2 vote.  Not knowing how long the process would take, we scheduled a public swearing-in ceremony for the June 24 Board meeting.  You should have already received my personal invitation.  If the e-mail failed to reach you, please consider yourself invited.   

We extended an offer to Sandra Hutchens to swear her in earlier, after the successful conclusion of the tests, if she so desired.  She did.  The Board offices were invited to the meeting three days prior.  Several of them sent representatives, including Supervisor Norby’s office.

I had the pleasure, as Board Chair, to perform the swearing in.  Judge Kirkwood was in the Hall of Administration for a Commission meeting and dropped into my office.  I invited her to stay a few minutes in order to meet Ms. Hutchens and Judge Kirkwood stayed to attend the meeting.

To read the newspaper accounts of the swearing in click More...

From the Register's Peggy Lowe:

Q: You have said you see yourself as an agent of change. What do you see as the first concerns in that department?

A: Certainly, the jail operations has been in the news of late and so that is a place where I’m going to start to do an audit of that. The other area is the culture. There’s concerns about the culture in the department, that would allow something like that to occur and I’m certainly going to take a look at that. I also want to do a internal and external assessment of the department. The internal where I meet with every deputy, every employee and hear from them what the issues are and what they need to do their job better and to hear from me what my vision is. The external assessment is with the city managers, the community, the board of supervisors, the district attorney, the entire law enforcement community of Orange County because I want to work very closely with them. That has not occurred in the past. It will occur while I am sheriff.

Q: Any concerns that you were not the candidate of the union?

A: No, I’m confident that I’ll be able to work with the union. I recognize the union’s role. I’ve talked with (union president) Wayne Quint. They will have a seat at the table and we will work through our issues.

Q: What is your vision?

A: My vision is to make this the best sheriff’s department in the nation and a model for the other law enforcement agencies to look at. I think we have the people and the skills to do that and that is where I’m going.

Q: Is the department corrupt? (referring to Supervisor Janet Nguyen’s characterization during the debate that the department is corrupt from top to bottom) More...

A news story in the Los Angeles Times four weeks ago regarding Department overtime issues has triggered a county audit and an internal change on how overtime is tracked by Division Commanders.  

Meanwhile another news organization in the county continues the examination of Department overtime that they began in February.  Overtime expenses were recently reviewed by the Orange County Grand Jury.

The grand jury report was made public last week and on the issue of overtime, there was no adverse finding or recommendation and the Department was not required to respond.  The grand jury conclusion was this:  

Deputy Overtime in the OCSD Jail System

The Grand Jury examined the Sheriff-Coroner Department overtime costs for the last five fiscal years. Although overtime costs have increased during this timeframe, the increases have been proportionate to salary increases averaging 9% of salary and employee benefit costs. The Sherriff-Coroner Department has been under total budget for each of the last five fiscal years.

Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson recognized the need for Deputies to work overtime in order to fulfill our obligations. He thanked staff members who volunteer to work it in accordance with Department regulations. During the Santiago Fire and the subsequent flooding, over 1,300 individuals from the Sheriff’s Department worked overtime to protect the public. More...

Five family members found dead in San Clemente: Sheriff's Lt. Erin Giudice said the bodies were discovered by a relative who  went to check on the family this afternoon. The person called 911 at about 3:50 p.m. Anderson, holding a news conference outside the neighborhood's gates, described the victims as an elderly woman, a man and woman ages 40-50, and two women in their early 20s, all related. No names were released. [Photo by Eugene Garcia, Orange County Register]

Sheriff says he's ready to put mattresses on jail floor: Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson on Friday said he may be forced to come up with unpalatable alternatives to ease jail crowding during an expected spike in arrests over Memorial Day Weekend. "I'll put mattresses on the floor if I have to," Anderson said after he and two high-ranking members of his command staff met behind closed doors with Assistant Presiding Judge Kim Dunning.The meeting was arranged by Orange County Counsel Benjamin DeMayo less than a day after Superior Court Judge Thomas Borris, the presiding judge of the court's criminal division, rejected Anderson's request for authority to release some inmates from their sentences early to relieve crowding.

Am I Going To Die?: Oksana Grishuk, 36, an Olympic gold-medal skater from Aliso Viejo believed a business dinner with an aquaintance last month at the St. Regis Monarch Beach resort was for all the right reasons. Instead, she found her head swirling, her stomach aching and wondering "Am I going to die?"

Secret cameras found in former Sheriff's office: Evidence of cameras that fed video to computers spirited away in a "secret compartment" in a "clandestine" room within former Sheriff Mike Carona’s old office have been turned over to federal prosecutors. Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson made the discovery recently and notified the five members of the Board of Supervisors in a confidential memo The Orange County Register obtained through a public records request.

Suspects ID'd in Marine Shooting Death: Two fellow Marines, including an Iraq veteran, are believed to be responsible in the shooting of another Marine who was found shot dead in a San Clemente ditch last week, authorities said. One suspect is in custody and another is being sought by authorities, said John McDonald, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

The Orange County Emergency Operations Center is currently monitoring the situation. 

The Register reports:

Torrential rain falling in the canyon areas this afternoon has created mud and debris flows with unconfirmed reports that people are trapped in homes and at a park.

Modjeska, Williams, Live Oak and Trabuco canyons are under mandatory evacuation order as rain continues to fall. About 1,000 people are reportedly affected in these areas. Large animals are to be moved to the Orange County fairgrounds.

"The first reports of mud flows in Modjeska Canyon began at 12:25 p.m.," Orange County Fire authority Capt. Mike Blawn said.

"Williams Canyon is unpassable," Blawn said, "with reports of residents trapped in their homes. Debris is reported to spread from canyon wall-to-canyon wall, but people will be fine if we can get a grader in there."

Read the story and updates here.

The Acting Sheriff's request for court authority to release Orange County inmates up to five days early appeared to take many by surprise. What has become a routine procedure to manage our nearly constant jail overcrowding caught many individuals off guard, if only because of the current approach we are being forced to pursue -- that of obtaining a temporary court order authorizing the department to release inmates early.

There are several issues related to jail overcrowding that affect us and we believe it is important for all to understand these challenges in the context of jail operations:

·We previously had a federally ordered legal authority to manage inmate population through a system of early releases resulting from the Stuart v. Gates decision. That authority was eliminated when the court order was vacated.

·The Sheriff has no immediate plans to release inmates early from our jails.

·We are seeking this order to allow us the flexibility to manage inmate population as circumstances beyond our control dictate.

·Failure to properly manage inmate population could lead to another federal mandate that could have a more significant negative impact on the community than the early release of certain inmates.

·The Cross Designation Program adds to our overcrowding problem. The ICE agents do not pick up detainees on weekends and this can add an additional 50 inmates to our population on the weekend until they are picked up Monday morning.

·Many events, both planned and unplanned lead to an increase of arrests resulting in spikes to the jail population such as concerts, the OC Fair, demonstrations, civil unrest, natural disasters, etc.

·Title 15 of the California Code of Regulations regulates adult correctional facilities, but does not address issues such as overcrowding.  It does, however,  require attention to safety, security, basic human needs, etc. which can be affected by overcrowding.

·Jail overcrowding leads to increased jail violence as more inmates are housed in smaller spaces.

·Jail overcrowding places an unreasonable burden on our classification system. An alarmingly increasing number of inmates require special handling (separation, protective custody, etc). The additional inmates reduce the number of available single person cells available to house special handling inmates.

·Jail overcrowding creates health and sanitation problems. When the system exceeds 90% capacity we are unable to move inmates out of housing areas to complete routine maintenance.

·Housing juveniles at the Theo Lacy Facility reduces available housing for adult arrestees.

Although we missed the printing deadline for the Orange County Register, the Acting Sheriff spoke to the Register's Tony Saavedra yesterday afternoon -- the online version of his story is here and it is probably significantly different from the story in print. Here's a cut of what's online:

Members of the Orange County Board of Supervisors – the panel that will appoint a new sheriff – said Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson erred by not telling them that he was seeking to release inmates early to ease crowding, but it was unclear how it would affect his candidacy.

Supervisors were diplomatic in their criticism, but stressed that the sheriff needs to keep the board and county prosecutors apprised of such actions.

"He does have the authority, but it's best that all of us know what's going on, especially under the circumstances," said Supervisor Chris Norby. "We all want to be kept in the loop."

Anderson is one of nine finalists vying for the two-year, unfilled term vacated by former Sheriff Mike Carona, who resigned in January under federal indictment on corruption charges. The finalists will be interviewed publicly by the board on May 27.

Supervisor Bill Campbell said he didn't know about Anderson's early-release plan until he read it in the newspaper.

"I was surprised…especially since I met with him on another subject," Campbell said. "Sheriff Anderson has got a lot of balls in the air and made a miscue."

Campbell added that being acting sheriff "can be a plus, but it can also be a minus (for his candidacy). But he has done some good things."

Anderson explained Wednesday that he is not asking to do something new. The department has released thousands of inmates over the last 20 years, under a court order that recently expired. Anderson said he is asking for a new, temporary court order.

"To us, it's just routine stuff," said Anderson, who will now make regular reports to the board and other county officials on the jail crowding problem.

Additionally, the Acting Sheriff explained our early release process to the Board of Supervisors in a memo last evening. Here's the contents: 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.

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.

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...

This photo was taken by Los Angeles Times photographer Karen Tapia-Andersen. Christian Berthelsen, Christine Hanley and Stuart Pfeifer contributed to this report:

In an interview, Anderson said he had launched what would become the largest internal affairs investigation in the history of his department. The investigation will likely involve interviews with dozens if not hundreds of current and former Theo Lacy employees, he said.

"I've given orders to find everybody identified in the grand jury report and move forward," he said. "I can't think of a lower standard they were acting at. This is clearly a case of supervisors not doing their jobs and deputies who felt it was OK to behave this way."

Click the photo to be taken to the Los Angeles Times story

The Register's Peggy Lowe and Tony Saavedra report:

The report opened a window into a jail system that is most often closed off to the public and the press, reporting that deputies didn't perform routine patrols of the jail barracks and instead focused on watching their favorite TV programs or used their cell phones to text friends.

The picture below was taken by Register photographer Michael Goulding. Click the picture to be taken to the Register story.

The Register's Peggy Lowe reports: 

Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson has called in the FBI to investigate any possible civil rights violations within the county's jails -- a day after a grand jury report found a disgraceful jail system that is run by bullying inmates, lazy deputies and a command staff who tried to cover it all up.

Anderson told the Orange County Board of Supervisors today that he contacted the FBI on Monday, inviting the U.S. Justice Department in to "partner" with him on an internal investigation that has already been launched by an independent watchdog.

Six sheriff's personnel have already been placed on paid leave and more will be identified as he digests the grand jury report, Anderson said, who added that those people may ultimately face criminal charges.

"I will take it as far as I can take it," Anderson said. "Termination will not be enough for me."

Asked how many people will be reprimanded, Anderson replied, "It will be more than it took to carry Chamberlain's casket."

Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson gave brief remarks to the media today. Tomorrow morning he will address the Board of Supervisors.

Here's a rough transcript of his remarks to the media:

“I’d like to start by thanking the District Attorney and the Special Grand Jury for their work and the time they put into this investigation.

Just like the District Attorney, I am outraged by the actions of some members of this Department. Not all though. Remember this and I have to remind those who work every day that this is not representative of those who work hard every day and provide an ethical days work.

As you are aware, we only received this document today and we’re taking our time to go through it thoroughly so we can be accurate in our review of the investigation. However, let there be no mistake. I will take firm and appropriate action wherever necessary. 

I can assure the members of the public, the media and our Board of Supervisors that a new culture has arrived at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, starting today. 

Tomorrow I will be speaking before the Board of Supervisors for what I believe will be a series of times I will speak keeping them apprised of what’s happening as we move forward in this investigation of our own on this matter.  I want to try to make this effort so we can reassure the public that they can have confidence in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

The Acting Sheriff also answered a few questions. One member of the media asked if it was unfair to characterize any of our personnel as "lazy". Here's his repsonse:

"I am offended by what I read in this document. This is behavior that I’m not familiar with.  Coming up through the organization,  I worked with men and women who did an honest day’s work everyday and went home with pride knowing they made a difference in the community. What’s being revealed to me in these pages in regard to people being remiss and not doing their duty I find offensive .  I truly do. That’s why I’ll be moving forward with the investigation and take firm action regarding those actions.  I disapprove of those who were engaged in that type of behavior. 

From the Register's Erika I. Ritchie:

The character, qualities and leadership skills that now make sheriff's Lt. Steve Bernardi "America's Top Cop" were already there when he started in law enforcement 33 years ago.

Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson – who worked for Bernardi in San Clemente – remembers how his onetime sergeant led by example rather than words.

Anderson got a call to take a collision report at a nearby gas station. When he arrived, Bernardi was standing near a car he'd hit. There was no damage and the car's driver didn't want a report, but Bernardi insisted Anderson take the report.

"He set the example," said Anderson. "No matter how miniscule something may be, he always does the right thing. Integrity should lead in decisions. He doesn't just say it, he does it. I'm not surprised this honor was bestowed on Steve."

Read it all right here.

Acting Sheriff Anderson's rebuttal was published in the Orange County Register Sunday, March 30. Here's what the Acting Sheriff submitted:

As the Acting Sheriff, I believe it is paramount that there be a full public airing of the special grand jury proceedings that investigated the 2006 jail death of John Chamberlain at the hands of fellow inmates. No one is more aware than I of our society’s right to full disclosure of the actions of our law enforcement officials. I have been and continue to be an advocate of transparency in all aspects of Sheriff’s Department’s operations, having placed video cameras in our patrol cars a decade and a half ago. I also recently recommended, and the Board of Supervisors approved, the expenditure of $4.4 million to increase the number of cameras in our jails.

In order to retain the public’s confidence in their government, and specifically their public safety officials, I believe that we should pull back the drapes, shedding daylight on our operations. It is important not only to spotlight the men and women of the Sheriff’s Department and their first-rate accomplishments but to candidly acknowledge the areas where we can improve.

Accusations of “secrecy” from the media continue to focus on the past administration. These assertions fail to acknowledge that the actions we have recently taken are principled, and for the sole purpose of ensuring, to the extent possible, that legal protections for individual and public safety are appropriately applied prior to the release of the special grand jury’s transcripts and exhibits.

The Register’s editorial stated that the Sheriff’s Department, “moved secretly to bar release of documents.”  In actuality, our motion, along with the District Attorney’s response, was filed under seal because grand jury proceedings are legally required to be confidential.  The proceedings were not opened until Judge Stotler’s order earlier last week.  When the Judge asked if any party objected to opening the proceedings, my attorneys, as well as the District Attorney and the attorney for the press, all agreed that opening the proceedings to the public would be beneficial.

The Sheriff has a responsibility to protect the innocent and to ensure the safety of everyone involved in law enforcement investigations. We must do this to the best of our ability, even for those who are by definition criminals.  Our legal motion was filed to protect information that could not be disclosed without endangering lives and public safety.  This information would never be disclosed to the public as it is specific to certain jail polices, security procedures, witnesses and peace officer personnel files. I am gratified that Superior Court Judge Stotler carefully reviewed this matter and has ordered a prompt release of the grand jury transcripts and exhibits with very limited redactions of material that would have compromised public safety or violated statutory protections.  This will allow the full public debate that I, the Register and its readers welcome. 

The “culture of secrecy” your editorial refers to will never be tolerated under my watch. It is my expectation that the grand jury transcripts will be made available to the public and all the facts leading up to, during and after John Chamberlain’s death will be revealed.

As the facts of the Chamberlain case are fully revealed, I can assure our residents that the Orange County Sheriff’s Department will continue to move toward increasing transparency in our operation. Such an evolution is no longer a choice for us – letting in the sunlight is essential to restoring confidence in our organization.

The public can rest assured that a new era has dawned at the Sheriff’s Department. We welcome the exposure of our humanity, illuminating our strengths, blemishes, hopes and potential.

Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson was responding to this Register Editorial, published Wednesday, March 26th.

This video was featured at the Medal of Valor luncheon last Friday. The Register covered the ceremony here.

Eugene W. Fields and Ellyn Park write:

Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson disputed the city of Orange's claim that housing 292 state inmates at the Theo Lacy Facility would see hardened criminals paroled directly to the streets of the city.

The bid to house state prisoners at Theo Lacy is part of a $100 million plan to expand the James Musick jail near Irvine that was approved by the county Board of Supervisors on March 11 over objections from city officials in Orange. Orange contends that the proposed arrangement would violate an agreement the city has with the county that any changes at the jail would require city approval.

In a letter to Orange Mayor Carolyn Cavecche and on his blog at www.blog.ocsd.org, Anderson said that the state inmates would be the same classification as inmates already being released from Lacy. In a phone interview, Anderson said housing state inmates at Lacy as part of the state's Re-Entry Program would not violate the city-county agreement.

Read it all here.

The Aliso Viejo City Council honored Deputy Cruz Alday on Tuesday as the city's Deputy of the Year. The honor was well deserved. This blog reported Deputy Alday's achievement last month and to see our account click here.

The Orange County Register profiled Deputy Alday in today's paper. The Register story can be accessed by clicking here.

Superior Court Judge James A. Stotler ruled today that information on jail security and deputy personnel files will remain sealed but transcripts and non-confidential evidence in the Chamberlain grand jury probe will be made public.

The Department went to court to block the release of information that would endanger the lives of staff and inmates and personnel information that is protected by law.

Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson’s statement on the decision:

Superior Court Judge James A. Stotler should be commended on today’s ruling. The court spent several days carefully examining the numerous legal issues involved in this proceeding. Today the court recognized that if certain limited information is released to the public it could cost human life and that security and confidentiality of certain jail records is critical to the safety and security of inmates in the jail.

Although we have been the subject of unwarranted criticism by members of the media for acting to protect these limited records, today’s decision reaffirms our responsibility to legally protect information regarding the safety and security of our inmates as well as personnel records.

It has always been our expectation and desire that these transcripts would be released promptly. I welcome the disclosure of these transcripts and look forward to a full public review of John Chamberlain’s death and the investigation that followed.

The Orange County Register has a story online about the decision. To read it click here.

A federal jury took just 20 minutes to reach a verdict in favor of Deputies Mark Kent and Adam Moore in a case in which they were accused of using excessive force on an jail inmate on February 28, 2001.  The case was on trial for more than three weeks before U.S. District Court Judge Alicemarie Stotler.

For the Orange County Register's story on the verdict click here.

For the Register's story on the beginning of the trial click here.