Stephen J. Connolly was selected by the Board of Supervisors to head the Orange County Sheriff's Department Office of Independent Review.
Connolly, 44, is a former school teacher who graduated from Loyola University Law School and joined the California Bar in 2000. He served on the Rampart Independent Review Panel before joining the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Office of Independent Review.
He said that his role will be to review the Sheriff's Department internal review procedures and make recommendations for improvements, as well as to look at individual cases that are being reviewed. He serves the Board of Supervisors and will make quarterly reports to the Board on his activities. Some of those reports will be in closed session but he said that his goal will be to provide transparency to the Sheriff's Department will providing individual sworn officers with all of the protections provided under California law.
They approved his being hired as an independent contractor for a 3-year term at $210,000 a year. He will oversee an operation with an annual budget of $750,000 and may include two other attorneys and an investigative analyst. The investigative analyst will likely be a retired law enforcement officer with knowledge of internal investigations and credibility with the Department personnel.
Sheriff Sandra Hutchens gave these remarks to the Board of Supervisors about the selection of Mr.Connolly.
Good Morning Chairman Moorlach and Honorable Board Members: I am here to let you know that the men and women of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department welcome this new level of oversight and transparency in our operation and the services we provide our residents each and every day.
There is a perception by some in our community that much is broken in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. I can tell you that this perception cannot be further from the truth. The majority of the men and women on the department are hard working, ethical and professional employees dedicated to serving out our mission with the highest standards. But events of the past have sullied their reputation and cast a shadow on their extraordinary work.
The Office of Independent Review will assist all of us in once again restoring public trust in our words and deeds, while serving as a catalyst to improve performance so that we can become a better, stronger department – the best law enforcement agency in the nation.
I met with Mr. Connolly last Friday and I assured him that he would have access to every resource available to assist him as he sets up his office and transitions into his new role as the Executive Director. We look forward to working with Mr. Connolly and his office as we move the Orange County Sheriff’s Department into a better and brighter future for our employees and the residents we serve. Thank you.
To view Stephen J. Connolly's bio on the Los Angeles Office of Independent Review Website click here:
The Orange County Office of Independent Review will be patterned after the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Office of Indpendent Review. To view samples of the Los Angeles office's reports click here.