Systems Senior Developer Consultant Ramin Aminloo 

Systems Consultant Ramin Aminloo attended the Blackberry Developer Conference in San Francisco this month. Ramin gave a presentation on the use of the Blackberry in the Department's highly successful Tracking Automated Graffiti Reporting System.  TAGRS has won numerous honors, including a prestigious Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties.  

To listen to the presentation click the icon below:

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens recently recognized the National Association of Counties Awards given to the Department for excellence in the T.A.G.R.S. program and the DNA lab staff for their case management achievements.

    Sheriff Hutchens with T.A.G.R.S. Team

Sheriff Hutchens with DNA Case Management Team

In a related development, the City of Lake Elsinore just praised it's participation in T.A.G.R.S.

Here is an excerpt:

To do it right, the City’s Graffiti Task Force first studied what other cities have done to deter and reduce graffiti vandalism successfully. Increasing communication between the Lake Elsinore Police Department, Public Works, Parks & Recreation, Code Enforcement and Information Technology Divisions, and boosting cooperation with schools and local utilities, is the first lesson learned by the Graffiti Task Force. Proposing a graffiti action plan to guide the City's anti-graffiti efforts
was accomplished earlier this year.

The plan incorporates new technology in the fight against graffiti vandalism. For example, City crews will use new data devices to photograph, detail and submit incident reports electronically into a graffiti database.

This powerful database was developed by the Orange County Sheriff and Coroner’s Department for tracking and compiling evidence against taggers and
other vandals.

To view the Lake Elsinore article click: OutlookWebV9N2[2].pdf (753.76 kb)

To see the Department Blog story on the National Association of Counties award for T.A.G.R.S. click here.

For the Department Blog story on the National Association of Counties Award for the DNA Case Managment Program click here.

While nearby jurisdictions face criticism and controversy over growing backlogs for DNA testing, the Orange County Sheriff's Department's Forensic Science Services Division has received recognition with a 2009 Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties. The Award honors the effort that processes violent crime evidence without a backlog despite increasing numbers of requests and no increase in staff.

The award had not been reported in the press but a case in the news this week spotlights the importance of the work done by the Forensic Sciences Divison. An emergency room worker at Mission Hospital was arrested and charged with the rape of a patient.  The DNA sample was taken from the suspect just one week before the DNA test was completed and the subsequent investigation resulted in the suspect's arrest.

To see the Orange County Register's story on the case click here.

The National Association of Counties selected the Orange County DNA program for it's award based on the following representation:

While the DNA unit of OCSD-FSS has been successfully operating for many years and is well respected in the forensic community, OCSD-FSS anticipated and responded to the challenge of processing more cases and answered the rapidly increasing needs of the criminal justice community. The DNA Case Management System improved the efficiency and quality of all DNA evidence handling and processing in Orange County, California. OCSD-FSS serves over 100 police agencies in the County, several contract law enforcement agencies in neighboring counties, and other state and federal agencies. By improving case productivity, decreasing case turn-around time, and improving quality with minimal cost impact to the County of Orange, DNA technology can be utilized in as many cases as possible, directly and positively impacting the safety of the citizens of Orange County. OCSD-FSS is proud to be nominated for a 2009 Achievement Award.

To read the full entry for the award click: National Association of Counties 2009 Application DNA Case Management.pdf (236.19 kb)

The National Association of Counties also honored the Department's T.A.G.R.S. program this year. To see the Blog story on that award click: http://blog.ocsd.org/post/2009/06/11/TAGRS-Wins-Award2c-Now-Linked-to-Lake-Elsinore.aspx

The National Association of Counties has honored the Orange County Sheriff's Department with a 2009 Achievement Award.

A summary of the T.A.G.R.S. program will be posted on the Association's Model Programs database where it can be accessed by county officials nationwide.

The Award will be presented next month at a ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee.

To view the letter from the Association announcing the award click: National Association of Counties Award 0610144636 (2).pdf (87.83 kb)

To see the North County Times Article on the City of Lake Elsinore linking to T.A.G.R.S. click here.

The Orange County Register recently had a story about the Fountain Valley Police Department joining the regional T.A.G.R.S. network which was developed by the Sheriff's Department.   

Friday, May 29, 2009
Fountain Valley police launch anti-graffiti technology
New automated tracking system keeps track of the vandalism, streamlines procedures.
By SARAH LOPEZ
FOR THE REGISTER

Fountain Valley has implemented a new technique to help combat graffiti.

The Police Department launched Tracking Automated Graffiti Reporting System (T.A.G.R.S.) on Wednesday. The County Sheriff's Department created the system to document, link graffiti to aid in investigations, and recover clean up costs.

When graffiti is reported, a city public works employee will respond to the scene with a special camera phone designed to document the location, photograph the vandalism and provide cleanup cost information. The information is sent automatically to the police-monitored T.A.G.R.S. database, which will serve as an investigative aid in graffiti crimes.  

To view the full story click here:

To view the Department Blog coverage at the time T.A.G.R.S. began click here.

Deputy David Beeler began receiving reports in August of 2008 that Orange County Transit Authority buses were being vandalized with graffiti by a culprit who marked his work with the moniker “NAPR” or “NAPPER”.

Information about the case was placed into the Department’s TAGRS database, without which there was little chance of finding the suspect short of catching him in the act.

There were at least four cases where buses were vandalized using an etching tool to deface bus windows, arm rests and plastic seats.  Each time the graffiti vandal had defaced the property with his moniker and a distinctive arrow and circle.

The TAGRS database itemizes elements of the graffiti incidents, such as style of design and monikers across several law enforcement jurisdictions.   To read more about TAGRS click here for an earlier Blog story.

In January of 2009, a Deputy from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, a TAGRS participant, called with information that an 18 year old man with a Fullerton address had been arrested for possession of vandalism tools.   A search of the suspect’s backpack by LASD Deputies had yielded numerous stickers with the moniker “NAPR” written on them.  The suspect, LASD reported, was on probation and was subject to search and seizure without a warrant as a condition of his probation.

A few days later Orange County Deputy David Beeler went to the Fullerton address and ultimately tracked the suspect to a house in Lakewood.  Assisted by Deputy Mark Mraz, Deputy Beeler questioned the owner of the house and she let them look around. They found a folder on a desk marked “NAPR”.

When the Deputies questioned the suspect, after advising him of his rights against self-incrimination, he admitted the folder was his but denied he was the graffiti vandal. He claimed it was a man named “Chris” who lived in Norwalk. During further questioning the Deputies confronted the suspect with pictures of the bus graffiti and noted that the distinctive arrow and circle were similar to designs on the folder marked “NAPR” that they had found in his home.

The suspect stared at the pictures for a full minute and admitted he was NAPR. He confessed to being the graffiti vandal who had defaced the four buses.

He said he came up with the moniker from looking at napkins and he defaced the buses with his moniker to signal others that he had been there.

He was charged with vandalism causing in excess of $400 in damage. He pleaded guilty to four counts in late March. His sentence included three years on probation, a $300 fine and 200 hours doing something no graffiti vandal ever wants to do: cleaning graffiti.

The graduates are Lieutenant Adam Powell, Sergeant Daniel Elsner and Sergeant Gary Strachan.   

From the Police Officer Standards and Training Website:

Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute  

The Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute (SBSLI) is a program designed to stimulate personal growth, leadership, and ethical decision-making in California law enforcement front-line supervisors. Designed and implemented in 1988 through the efforts of California law enforcement professionals and top educators and trainers, the SBSLI is an intense program based on experiential learning techniques. Students are challenged to learn new ways to resolve issues through group and individual work.

The curriculum takes students through an analysis of management (planning, organizing, directing, etc.) and leadership (inspiring, challenging, developing, etc.) and how each discipline compliments the other. The course progresses from self-evaluation, to interpersonal evaluation, to organizational relationships.

During the program, a typical successful student develops the ability to:

Correlate the relationship between personal and organizational principles and values

Exercise greater leadership in personal and professional activities

Increase personal influence with individuals and groups to accomplish organizational goals

Analyze issues from multiple perspectives

Develop increased self-confidence and confidence in the ability of others

Provide support and development for peers and subordinates

Recognize and address areas for personal improvement

Effectively integrate management skills and leadership qualities

A typical successful student is willing to learn, open to new ideas, and able to engage in deep self-examination of values and beliefs. The program is not a "how-to" course and should not be viewed as a fix for problem individuals. The curriculum provides a forum for personal growth and development of qualities necessary for effective public safety leadership.

Graffiti Tracking Program Reduces Costs, Solves Cases

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department conducted a survey last year to estimate the annual graffiti removal expenses incurred by Orange County communities, and the figure exceeded $5 million.

In response, the department worked with its law enforcement contract partners to create a system that would address their individual needs. Together with the Orange County Transportation Authority and the cities of Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Stanton and Villa Park, existing shortcomings were identified and the team began to develop a tracking system to serve as a clearinghouse for graffiti-related regional crimes.

By September of 2008, the Tracking Automated Graffiti Reporting System (TAGRS) was introduced to enable law enforcement and public works agencies throughout the state to accurately capture and share incidents of graffiti. The program allows personnel to quickly gather and input graffiti data from out in the field using smart phones with custom-designed applications and global positioning systems.

When graffiti is initially found, a photograph of the vandalism is taken on the employee’s smart phone. He or she then enters the type, location, size, labor and material costs, which are sent wirelessly to the public works graffiti portal with a copy to law enforcement. The reviewing officer has the capability to conduct various field searches for suspect names, monikers, associates and geographical trends. Such features save countless investigative and administrative hours.

“In the past, I typically expended approximately 40 hours investigating a single graffiti incident,” said Deputy David Beeler with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. “Since the inception of TAGRS, we have experienced a 20 percent increase in cases cleared and a graffiti removal cost reduction of $50,000. Agencies using the system have also reported a 90 percent reduction in related administrative project time.”

The City of Lake Forest’s Police Services division has made 35 arrests and cleared 87 vandalism cases after implementing TAGRS. As of November 2008, graffiti cleanup costs were lowered by 70 percent with a projected annual cost savings of $85,000.

Click here to see slideshow. (If a security window appears, select “allow.”)

There is alot of bad news out there: from war in the Middle East to financial carnage on Wall Street stretching to Main Street and lots of other awful things we'd rather forget.

Here is our list of stories from 2008 that will make you glad you're with the Orange County Sheriff's Department.  

10. Women’s Running Team Places First in Baker 2 Vegas Run, inspired by the untimely death of their coach, Retired Sheriff's Lieutenant Darrell “Guy” Poncy.

Click: Sheriffs-Womens-Team-is-Tops-at-Baker-2-Vegas-Run

Click: County-Supervisors-Honor-Departments-Womens-Running-Team

9.   The Department Crime Lab Won Prestigious Accreditation and a special acclaim from the Department of Justice.

Click: Coveted Accreditation

Click: Justice Department Kudo

8.  A search team made up of Deputies, Reserve Deputies and Professional Services Responders found a woman who had been missing for three days in Tijeras Creek. 

Click: Searchers Find Woman in Tijeras Creek.

7.  TAGRS Program developed by Department personnel helps nab Taggers across jurisidictions.

Click: TAGRS

6.   Deputies Rescue Woman from Overpass

Click: Rescue 

Click: Heroism Cited

5.  Immigration and Customs Enforcement applauded Department for the Cross-Designation Program that helped prevent illegal immigrants jailed for crimes from returning to further victimize our community.

Click: ICE Credits OCSD Cross Designation Program 

Click: ICE Cross Designation Program Thrives

Click: Five Deputies Join ICE Program

4.  The Saddleback Presidential Forum was the first joint public appearance by Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama. It drew hundreds of protestors from both sides but the OCSD kept all peaceful and safe.

Click: Demonstration

3.    Crime rates are lowest in cities policed by Sheriff’s Department.

Click: Sheriff's Jurisdiction Safer

2.  Kidnap victim Ryan Ramos found safe In Juarez, Mexico after all-out effort by OCSD.

Click: Amber Alert for Kidnapped Boy

Click: Aero Squadron Pilot, OCSD investigators retrieve Kidnapped Boy

1. Sandra Hutchens sworn in as Orange County Sheriff

Click: Swearing in Video

Click: Hundreds Witness Swearing In

Click: OCSD Welcomes Sheriff Hutchens

Investigators with the Orange County Sheriff's Department use new database to track down 11 suspected taggers.

LAKE FOREST – Eleven teenagers accused of tagging public property were arrested this morning in a sweep by the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the latest effort to curb vandalism in the city through the use of a new electronic database.

Deputies served four search warrants in two South County cities this morning, as well as one in Los Angeles County, in an effort to rub out vandalism in Lake Forest, which officials say has been experiencing an increase the dollar amount of costs associated with graffiti in the last three months.

Using an electronic database called Tracking Automated and Graffiti Reporting System, or TAGRS, sheriff's investigators tracked down the 11 minors, who are believed to be responsible for 68 cases of vandalism on public property, causing about $10,000 in damages, said Lt. Don Barnes.

"We want to significantly reduce the number of incidents of graffiti," Barnes said.

To read the rest of the Register's story click here.

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens along with officials of the Orange County Transportation Authority and the City of Stanton briefed the press on Monday on a new tool being used in the fight against graffiti.

The Department press relase follows.

To read the Orange County Register's news story click here.  

For many people, graffiti’s presence suggests the government’s failure to protect citizens and property and control lawbreakers. There are huge public costs associated with graffiti; an estimated $12 billion a year is spent cleaning up graffiti in the United States. Graffiti contributes to lost revenue associated with reduced ridership on transit systems, reduced retail sales and declines in property value. In addition, graffiti generates the perception of blight and heightens fear of gang activity.

U.S. Department of Justice report on Graffiti, August 2004

Tracking Automated and Graffiti Reporting System (TAGRS )

TAGRS is used to store and track graffiti incidents. It is designed to help law enforcement identify and prosecute graffiti suspects.

Data is received from two main sources. City graffiti abatement teams use a cellular telephone outfitted with a camera and equipped with a Global Positioning System to record a picture, location and data of graffiti and the cost of removal. Once the data is recorded, the abatement crews clean up the graffiti. Data is also obtained from crime reports. Law enforcement uses the database to help identify graffiti vandals by name, moniker and gang or tagging crew. Once a vandal is identified the data base is used to determine if that individual committed other graffiti crimes and for the possibilities for cities to seek restitution.  Graffiti data and photos can be compared for similarities to link known taggers to other defacements in the system.

The beauty of the system is that it allows for data sharing between law enforcement officers throughout the county. The city of LaMirada has also joined and other cities in Los Angeles County are considering joining the network. The data sharing makes it more likely that law enforcement officers can put together comprehensive cases against taggers who strike widespread areas without regard to city lines. 

TAGRS is now available to all cities in Orange County and interest in participation has come from several cities outside of the county.

TAGRS has already become a useful tool in the campaign against graffiti. Even in this early stage of deployment, TAGRS has been responsible for solving dozens of cases of graffiti related crimes. The recent law to make parents pay to clean the property defaced by their children, coupled with innovation like TAGRS gives law enforcement hope that graffiti will soon be removed as a crime that appears to go  unpunished. 

The system was developed by Department personnel, including computer programmer Ramin Aminloo, with assistance from Sergeant Dan Elsner of Stanton Police Services and Deputies Dave Beeler and John Murray of the Orange County Transportation Authority.