The public's confidence in their law enforcement services is an absolute necessity. Every day, members of the Orange County Sheriff's Department interact with tens of thousands of our residents and visitors either on the streets, or in our jails. By and large, these interactions are professional, and the communities we serve consistently voice their confidence and appreciation. But more can be done to ensure that the law enforcement community is adjusting to contemporary cultural shifts and the desire of the public to look inside our operations.
For many years the call for openness and transparency in government and its agents has been voiced from kitchen tables and town halls all the way to our nation's capital. This desire has impacted law enforcement in a positive way. The public not only wants to know what we do each day, but they want to see that we're fulfilling our duties in an ethical and responsible manner.
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider an ordinance establishing an Office of Independent Review for the Sheriff's Department. We believe the ordinance will move forward with the full support of the board, and we look forward to working with the county to provide an additional resource for oversight and openness for the people we serve.
I have been a longtime advocate of transparency. As an example, in 1992, following the Rodney King incident, as a deputy serving in patrol I was charged with conducting research on the feasibility of installing video cameras in sheriff's patrol cars. After I identified several vendors and oversaw a pilot program, the department installed video cameras in every patrol car.
Today, over 15 years later, every patrol car still carries a camera, and every patrol deputy wears a wireless microphone. The Sheriff's Department is currently upgrading the technology into the digital arena.
Since its inception, the presence of these video cameras led to a large drop in the number of internal-affairs investigations related to patrol operations. With every incident being recorded, the county and the department have saved untold tens of millions of dollars in legal claims because these videos have vindicated our deputies many times over. Patrol video systems also significantly cut down on the criminal courts' trial load as the system provides irrefutable evidence, leading to more defendants concluding it is more advantageous to engage in plea bargaining.
Such transparency also gives us the opportunity to continually evaluate our policies and guidelines, improve our training and, when necessary, take appropriate corrective measures.
The patrol video cameras were initially met with much ambivalence. However, these cameras and the incidents they record have served as both a great tool and an extraordinary defense for the department and the county. We are proud of the men and women of the Sheriff's Department and the quality professional work they do, and we have no hesitation of recording their activities.
Such transparency has been one of our greatest resources, and we must be willing to continue to invest in opportunities for openness, regardless of any temporary apprehension such changes may bring about.