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.