Air Force Reserve Master Sergeant Katrina Faulkner, left, photographed in Afghanistan, has since returned to Department's Emergency Management Bureau.   

Veterans Day has long had a special meaning for those who serve in the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Again this year many of our colleagues are currently on active duty with the military and facing combat. So far this year, 39 members of the Department have served on active duty with the military. They include one Data Entry Technician, 15 Deputy Sheriff I's, six Deputy Sheriff II's, one Forensic Scientist, one Investigator, one Marine Mechanic, two Senior Emergency Management Coordinators, one Senior Institutional Cook, one Sergeant, three Sheriff's Special Officers I, and six Sheriff's Special Officers II. 

Recent overseas assignments have included such hotspots as Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan.

One of the best moments we can all experience is when one of our co-workers returns from duty in a combat zone.

One of the most recent to return is Senior Emergency Management Program Coordinator Katrina Faulkner.

In her words:

 

Sheriff's deputy to be grand marshal in July 4th parade

Sgt. Mike Dunham will retire in August after nearly 27 years with the department.

Gynnae and Ryan Scheffilea came to Sheriff's Headquarters today bearing platters of sandwiches, cookies and cake and more wishes of thanks than could fit on the Department Website.

The mother and son were international news last July 4 weekend, when she was shot and he was kidnapped and the subsequent Amber Alert sent every investigator and deputy who could be spared on the search. It ended with Gynnae's recovery and Ryan's safe return.

Ryan after his safe return last year

Today they were accompanied by relatives and they brought a few letters, some they wrote and some were written by friends.

To see Department Blog story on Ryan's safe recovery last year click here:

To see the letter that Ryan wrote to the Department click: Ryan's letter Scan001a.pdf (56.38 kb)

To see Gynnae's letter click: gynnae Scan001.pdf (40.13 kb)

To see a letter from friends click: Friend Letter a.pdf (37.58 kb)

To see the Medal of Merit Commendation to those most responsible for safe return of Ryan click:  medal of merit.pdf (295.01 kb)

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department and their contract city partners combined resources and sent out a unified message this Memorial Day weekend to holiday travelers, college graduates and communities enjoying local festivities: drunk driving will not be tolerated.

With funding through the National Highway Safety Traffic Safety Adminstration the Department took part in the "Avoid the 10 DUI Task Force."

A DUI Checkpoint was set up in Lake Forest and saturation patrols were mounted in 11 contract cities.

From 2006 to 2007, California witnessed a big decline in the number of people killed in alcohol involved deaths, down from 1597 to 1489. Last month the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported a significant decline in traffic deaths in California; traffic safety experts are hopeful to report a decline in alcohol impaired deaths for 2008 (NTHSA Statistical data won’t be available for several months) “Police, Sheriff and CHP Officers are doing more with less to remove drunk drivers from California’s streets and highways,” said Chris Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “Law enforcement everywhere is asking for the community’s help; if you see a Drunk Driver – Call 9-1-1.”

The enforcement campaign began Friday night with a DUI/Driver's License Checkpoint in the City of Lake Forest. Local DUI Saturation Patrols took place on Saturday night in the Cities of Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano & San Clemente.

Additional DUI crackdowns are planned for the Independence Day weekend.

To see the report on the DUI checkpoint click the video icon below.

At the Checkpoint, 1371 vehicles were observed and 536 were screened by the DUI Checkpoint crew.

A total of 22 vehicles were given secondary inspections and five drivers were given Field Sobriety Tests. Three drivers were arrested for DUI.

Nine vehicles were towed, including seven that were impounded. There were 12 arrests for offenses other than DUI, eight unlicensed drivers. one driver with a suspended license, one warrant, one marijuana possession and one for possession of alcohol.

The saturation patrol that covered Lake Forest, Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita netted one DUI arrest.  The patrol for Laguna Woods, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel and Aliso Viejo brought the arrest of one driver for DUI and one for an unlicensed driver. The patrol for Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente had one DUI arrest and one arrest for driving with a suspended license.

"Over all, the effort was one of the best in recent years",said Sergeant Jerry Brittain, commander of the Traffic Unit.

A recent letter received from a Colorado woman thanked Airport Operations Training Deputy Lionel Luna for helping her daughter. In her words, this is some of what she had to say:

He saved the day.

He was better than Santa

He saved Christmas for my little girl

To see the entire letter click: Thank you Deputy Luna001 (2).pdf (29.63 kb)

  
SHERIFF-CORONER DEPARTMENT
COUNTY OF ORANGE
CALIFORNIA

550 NORTH FLOWER STREET – P.O. BOX 449
SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92702-0449
(714) 647-7042 

SANDRA HUTCHENS 
   SHERIFF-CORONER    

                                                                                                                                 Dec. 30, 2008
PRESS  RELEASE
 
Orange County Law Enforcement To Crack Down On New Year’s Gunfire

There is no place in Orange County where it is safe or legal to fire a gun in the air to celebrate the New Year.

Even a small caliber bullet will go up to 2 miles in the air and come crashing back to the ground at a speed capable of penetrating a human skull.

Incidents of guns fired to celebrate the New Year have declined in Orange County in recent years but even one carelessly fired shot carries with it the potential to kill. We commend the media for getting out the word on how dangerous this practice can be but we still receive reports that guns are being fired without regard to who is endangered.

t least one child in Orange County has died due to a celebratory shot fired into the air and Orange County law enforcement agencies are united in their commitment to prevent any more such casualties.  On July 4, 2002, a shot fired in the air during a Buena Park fireworks demonstration killed 9-year old Xavier Morales of Anaheim.

To further thwart those who insist on shooting their guns to herald in the New Year, special teams are being deployed on New Year’s Eve to respond to any reports of gunshots. The District Attorney has assured us that his office will prosecute those arrested to the fullest extent of the law.

These teams are being deployed by the Sheriff’s Department and will assist other agencies when needed.

Some things to remember:

• If you shoot your gun in the air, you might be jailed for up to a year.

• If your bullet kills another person, you will be prosecuted for murder.
• A bullet fired into the air is traveling at a speed of 300 to 700 feet per second when it falls back to earth, it has enough force to penetrate a human skull.

• Call 911 if you see someone fire a gun into the air.

Section 246.3 of the California Penal Code outlaws the “Grossly negligent discharge of a firearm.”

The law says in part:

“any person who willfully discharges a firearm in a grossly negligent manner which could result in injury or death to a person is guilty of a public offense and shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by imprisonment in the state prison.”

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

Orange County Register Reporter Kimberly Edds spent Christmas morning at the jail and filed this report:

SANTA ANA -- The stockings and twinkling white lights were hung in the Module M guard station with care. Christmas carols were piped across the booking area and Christmas cards and family pictures lined a shelf inside a one-woman cell. The phones inside the inmate visiting booths at the county's Central Jail Complex dangled lifeless Christmas morning as thousands of inmates dozed in their bunks.

To read the whole story click here.

It was anything but a typical night along Rancho Santa Margarita Parkway near Buena Suerta in Rancho Santa Margarita.

In the space of a little more than five hours, five suspects were arrested for DUI, six vehicles were towed and six other people arrested, four for unlicensed driver and two for possession of marijuana.

It is the kickoff of the “Over the Limit, Under Arrest” campaign geared to deter holiday revelers from driving on the highways while drunk.

The Department’s Traffic Unit began the campaign with a Sobriety Checkpoint set up in Rancho Santa Margarita. The Checkpoint is funded by a grant from the State of California Office of Traffic Safety and targets drivers who are driving a vehicle without a driver’s license or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The ultimate goal is to reduce highway accidents, injuries and deaths.

In 2007, 12,998 people were killed in alcohol related accidents, Traffic Unit Sergeant Jerold Brittain told the Checkpoint crew; four times the number of members of the U.S. Armed Forces killed in Iraq.

A Sobriety Checkpoint is no simple operation.

The first task in setting up a Sobriety Checkpoint is to locate a road where there have been a high number of alcohol related traffic accidents and get approval to set up there.

Then you put down some signs, place 500 to 600 traffic cones in just the right places,  and position a portable booking station, a trailer equipped with floodlights and finally patrol cars with flashing yellow lights, a chase car, in case anybody attempts to flee, and a transport vehicle for those headed to jail. More...

More than 6,000 gifts were collected from Department employees this week and they were shipped off to Orange County's Operation Santa Claus. The annual campaign is aimed at helping youngsters and the needy.

The Deputies lined up in four straight ranks of seven, shoes shined brightly, creases crisp and seams as straight as an arrow.  The next group was made up of Community Service Officers and civilians but they were every bit as anxious to give a good impression as the Deputies.

The unit stood for inspection, some wearing commendations for extraordinary police work and others the accruements of special assignments, like the two motors and the K-9 officer.

The scene was in a restaurant parking lot on top of the Dana Point headlands, the city’s beautiful harbor far below.

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens had come to inspect the men and women of Dana Point Police Services.  She is in the process of inspecting each unit in the Department. 

Photos by Sheriff's Photographer Jerry Manson and Professional Services Responder George Ridley

“In addition to doing a good job, we need to look good,” she tells each of the units she visits.  She envisions the inspections as a new tradition in the Department.

First Assistant Sheriff Michael Hillmann, Captain Brian Wilkerson and Lieutenant Mark Levy came before the group.  Assistant Sheriff Hillman called the ranks to attention.

Next Sheriff Hutchens and Undersheriff John Scott walked in step before the group and returned the salute of Assistant Sheriff Hillmann.

She and Undersheriff Scott inspected Assistant Sheriff Hillmann, Captain Wilkerson and Lieutenant Levy. Then all five formed a line and approached the first rank of Deputies.

Assistant Sheriff Hillman gave the order, “second, third and fourth squads, Parade Rest.” More...

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens and the Command Staff helped greet 80 seriously ill youngsters who flew in from Canada to visit Disneyland as part of Dreamlift 2008.

There were 114 members of the Department who, using their own time, worked as escorts for the youngsters while at the park. The Sheriff's Advisory Council purchases park tickets for the escorts.

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens asks public to open their hearts and homes to pets at county animal shelter.

On Tuesday, December 9, 2008, 80 critically and terminally ill young people ages 7-18 from Canada’s Sunshine Foundation will arrive at Orange County’s John Wayne Airport for a dream come true one-day visit to Disneyland.  Known as “Dreamlift” this is the 35th year this group has traveled to the United States for this dream fulfillment trip.  Escorts for the day are employees of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department that take personal time to be the host for this event.  One hundred employees from throughout the Department will meet the plane when it lands at the airport.  Each volunteer’s ticket is provided by the Orange County Sheriff’s Advisory Council.  Volunteers will escort these special guests through the Magic Kingdom—some in wheelchairs, some on crutches; all with serious and in some cases life threatening illness.

The plane is expected to arrive in a restricted area of John Wayne Airport at 9:50 a.m.  The guests are met by the volunteers and then they board buses donated by Saddleback Valley Unified School District and their contract bus partner. Each child also receives a miniature replica of a Sheriff’s car, hat, shirt, camera to chronicle the day and bag full of treats. The buses then travel to Disneyland and both volunteers and guests enjoy a fabulous day until the very last moment the park closes.  All re-board the buses and then return to the airport where the Canadians board the return flight at 9:00 p.m. to Vancouver, Canada.