Orange County Sheriff’s Department Issues 

By SUPERVISOR PAT BATES
Ladera Times

Reporting at a recent meeting of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Acting Sheriff Jack Anderson recapped discoveries outlined in District Attorney’s Special Criminal Grand Jury Investigation Report on the murder of Theo Lacy inmate John Chamberlain in 2006. I was deeply troubled by the findings in this report, which uncovered a culture of widespread abuse in our jails, deputies failing to follow Sheriff’s Department policies and procedures, as well as a lack of concern for the welfare of inmates and fellow law enforcement professionals.

Clearly, supervising deputies failed to properly carry out their duties. Deputies identified as having been involved were immediately placed on leave, pending the Sheriff’s further investigation in cooperation with the District Attorney and Federal Bureau of Investigation. My Board colleagues and I are entirely committed to ensuring the current system is overhauled and despicable culture eradicated. Acting Sheriff Anderson will continue to provide weekly reports to the Board and public indefinitely. To that end, he has my full support for implementation of all necessary remedies.

On a separate note, the filing period to apply for the appointment of Sheriff-Coroner closed on April 18. I continue to receive letters, emails and phone calls from the public, providing input on issues of importance related to this appointment, which I will be sure to raise with each candidate during the interview process. Public input for the Sheriff-Coroner position will be heard at the May 6 meeting of the Board of Supervisors. To view the candidate names and resumes submitted for consideration to fill the vacant Sheriff-Coroner position, please visit www.ocgov.com.