REBUILDING TRUST . (with ccw holders, yeah right)

[Gladiator]

San Clemente Times - Local News You Can Use

Rebuilding Trust

October 09, 2008

Vol. 3, Issue 41, October 9–15, 2008

By Nathan Wright
San Clemente Times

Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens gives her 120-day report to the county Board of Supervisors

Four months ago Sheriff Sandra Hutchens promised county leaders she would serve as a change agent for a department in turmoil. On Tuesday, October 7, she came back before the Board of Supervisors after 109 days in office to reassure county leaders and the public at large that changes are being made. She also spoke high praise for the deputies and employees who remained after the Michael Carona fallout.

“I am absolutely convinced that we have a fantastic department,” said Hutchens, a 13-year Dana Point resident. “I will state publicly that the issues with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department were with the leadership and not the men and women who do the work every day and who you’ve heard about today.”

Former Sheriff Carona resigned January 12 to focus on his defense against federal corruption charges. The long list of grievances against Orange County’s once popular sheriff included allegations that he accepted money and gifts in trade for political favors, including appointments to high-ranking positions in the department and the reserve unit, and even concealed weapons permits.

That, said Hutchens in June, was going to change. In her 120-day report on Tuesday, she presented her efforts at reform including internal and external audits on the jail system, leadership training, policy revisions and a strong focus on accountability.

In a separate media event on October 6 she spoke specifically on the lack of accountability that existed under the former sheriff. “There were individuals who weren’t doing their jobs,” she said. “They were individuals who weren’t being held accountable, and they are now.”

Even so, she maintained that the level of service in contract cities including San Clemente was not in question when she was sworn in. “I did not get one complaint about the service we were providing,” she said.

San Clemente City Manager George Scarborough spoke highly of the new sheriff and her changes to staffing in the South County. “I’ve been very impressed,” he said, “both by her restaffing of the gang unit—which quite frankly I was very disappointed with [ex-Sherrif Mike] Carona when he reduced that team—and her decision to add an additional captain for South County.”

While restructuring staffing, she’s also worked at improving morale within the department. She detailed at the media event her discovery that many deputies and employees suffered from low morale in the aftermath of Carona’s indictment, which included constant media reports of corruption and challenges faced in the department. “There was turmoil at the very top levels of this organization,” she said. “The men and women of this department felt beat up by the news reports.”

To set the department right, Hutchens restructured her command staff, ordered training, audits and demanded accountability. “I have conducted an internal and external assessment of the department, and this process continues,” she told the Board of Supervisors on October 7. “I have met with city managers, councilmembers, community groups and our law enforcement partners.”

Much of her presentation was delivered by her command staff, including Under Sheriff John Scott and assistant sheriffs John Scott, Michael Hillmann, J.B. Davis, Jack Anderson, Mike James, and Executive Director Rick Dostal. Each presented overviews of their departments and, as Hillmann put it, “the relentless focus on crime reduction.”

After finishing her presentation, Hutchens was confronted by three public speakers who questioned, and even challenged, the department’s stance on concealed weapons permits, known commonly as CCWs (Carry Concealed Weapons). The sheriff contends that she’s upholding the law, while critics said she has broad latitude in granting or denying CCWs and worried that she might deny many who had been granted permits by Carona.

Supervisor Chris Norby asked that she consider an appeals process for those who are denied and that she report back on her decision at a meeting in November.

Hutchens also discussed her decision to recall volunteer badges that she believed looked too similar to the badges carried by sworn peace officers. Instead of badges, she explained that professional service responders are now given polo shirts embroidered with the department seal and official identification cards used by all department employees.

She also voiced her thanks for their service. “They are some of the most wonderful people you’d ever want to meet,” she said. “Publicly, I want to state, that I value them very much. The fact that I looked at the badges was not a reflection on their character or their worth to the organization.”

With the 120-day State of the Department presentation in the books Hutchens will give another important presentation at the November 18 Board of Supervisors meeting which will include the external jail audit and an update on the CCW situation. She also noted that the 120-day presentation was a report on the beginning of departmental changes, not the end.

“This is not the end, this is the beginning of many, many improvements we will make,” she said.



How San Clemente is Affected by the Changes at the Top
By Norb Garrett

As one of the 12 cities with a contract with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for police services, San Clemente is directly impacted by changes that occur at the top of the OCSD ladder. Four months into new OC Sheriff Sandra Hutchens’ tenure, a series of initiatives has already been implemented that, according to San Clemente’s Chief of Police Services Lt. Paul D’Auria, are all for the better. The SC Times sat down with D’Auria to discuss the changes:

SC Times: Sheriff Hutchens has been on the job for four months. What are your thoughts on her first months on the job?

Lt. Paul D’Auria: I believe her assessment that leadership needs to be strengthened at the top so as to have more accountability is correct. There might have been [other candidates for sheriff] that would have come in and had an opinion of their own and not wavered. But we are solid down here at our level and she recognizes that. The problems weren’t at our levels and below; the problems really were at the upper levels.

SCT: One change that impacts you directly is you have a new boss. Who is he, and how did that come about?

D’Auria: I now report to Captain Brian Wilkerson, who is based out of the South Sub Station in Aliso Viejo along with the other captain, Ron White. [D’Auria formerly reported to White.] I think splitting up South County was a good move. It’s a huge area and too big for one captain to worry about, so splitting I think is a good thing.

SCT: What do you know about Captain Wilkerson?

D’Auria: What I know is he has strong credentials, and I like how we’ve interacted. We’ve talked more than a dozen times already. He’ll bring a strong organizational sense to South County. He’s actually coming down this Thursday [October 9] so that I can show him around San Clemente.

SCT: Have you met directly with Sheriff Hutchens?

D’Auria: Several times. In fact, not long after she started, she came down and spent time with me one on one, asking questions about San Clemente and wanting to learn all she could about the community.

SCT: Has that ever happened before, where the sheriff of Orange County came down just to rap with you?

D’Auria: That was a first that I know of here. She’s already taken a big interest in the communities and helping make our department more involved with the communities. That’s really a nice change.

SCT: How, if at all, will the average citizen see any of the changes taking place within your department?

D’Auria: What they’ll see is more accountability, but also some immediate changes such as adding four more deputies to the GET unit [Gang Enforcement Team] which has been undermanned. And Sheriff Hutchens seems to be very pro contract city, so I think you’ll see more effort put into them as a whole.

SCT: Have you hired your new deputy yet as part of this year’s budget?

D’Auria: Not yet. We have the position for deputy in place, but have not yet hired our new deputy. A new academy class is coming out in two weeks, but right now the position is being manned through overtime.


2008 OCSD Timeline

January 12 Sheriff Michael Carona resigns so he can focus on his defense against federal corruption charges.

May 27 Sandra Hutchens is interviewed by the Board of Supervisors for the appointment as Orange County Sheriff.

June 3 Hutchens is named by the Board of Supervisors as one of two finalists for sheriff.

June 10 Hutchens is selected by the Board of Supervisors as Orange County Sheriff, beating out opponent Paul Walters, Santa Ana’s police chief.

June 19 Hutchens is sworn in as Orange County’s 12th sheriff, the first woman in history to take the office. She’s also the first in county history to be appointed by the Board of Supervisors.

October 7 Hutchens gives her 120-day “State of the Department” presentation to the Board of Supervisors. She’s actually only been in office 109 days, but no one seems to mind.

Future: November 18 Hutchens is expected to report back to the Board of Supervisors after the jail audit is completed. Supervisors have asked her to look into an appeals process for citizens who are denied a concealed weapon permit, the topic of much controversy and debate in Hutchens’ first months in office.

[PirateQueen]

[quote=Gladiator;95878]San Clemente Times - Local News You Can Use

Rebuilding Trust

October 09, 2008

Vol. 3, Issue 41, October 9–15, 2008

By Nathan Wright
San Clemente Times

Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens gives her 120-day report to the county Board of Supervisors

Four months ago Sheriff Sandra Hutchens promised county leaders she would serve as a change agent for a department in turmoil. On Tuesday, October 7, she came back before the Board of Supervisors after 109 days in office to reassure county leaders and the public at large that changes are being made. She also spoke high praise for the deputies and employees who remained after the Michael Carona fallout.

“I am absolutely convinced that we have a fantastic department,” said Hutchens, a 13-year Dana Point resident. “I will state publicly that the issues with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department were with the leadership and not the men and women who do the work every day and who you’ve heard about today.”

Former Sheriff Carona resigned January 12 to focus on his defense against federal corruption charges. The long list of grievances against Orange County’s once popular sheriff included allegations that he accepted money and gifts in trade for political favors, including appointments to high-ranking positions in the department and the reserve unit, and even concealed weapons permits.

That, said Hutchens in June, was going to change. In her 120-day report on Tuesday, she presented her efforts at reform including internal and external audits on the jail system, leadership training, policy revisions and a strong focus on accountability.

In a separate media event on October 6 she spoke specifically on the lack of accountability that existed under the former sheriff. “There were individuals who weren’t doing their jobs,” she said. “They were individuals who weren’t being held accountable, and they are now.”

Even so, she maintained that the level of service in contract cities including San Clemente was not in question when she was sworn in. “I did not get one complaint about the service we were providing,” she said.

San Clemente City Manager George Scarborough spoke highly of the new sheriff and her changes to staffing in the South County. “I’ve been very impressed,” he said, “both by her restaffing of the gang unit—which quite frankly I was very disappointed with [ex-Sherrif Mike] Carona when he reduced that team—and her decision to add an additional captain for South County.”

While restructuring staffing, she’s also worked at improving morale within the department. She detailed at the media event her discovery that many deputies and employees suffered from low morale in the aftermath of Carona’s indictment, which included constant media reports of corruption and challenges faced in the department. “There was turmoil at the very top levels of this organization,” she said. “The men and women of this department felt beat up by the news reports.”

To set the department right, Hutchens restructured her command staff, ordered training, audits and demanded accountability. “I have conducted an internal and external assessment of the department, and this process continues,” she told the Board of Supervisors on October 7. “I have met with city managers, councilmembers, community groups and our law enforcement partners.”

Much of her presentation was delivered by her command staff, including Under Sheriff John Scott and assistant sheriffs John Scott, Michael Hillmann, J.B. Davis, Jack Anderson, Mike James, and Executive Director Rick Dostal. Each presented overviews of their departments and, as Hillmann put it, “the relentless focus on crime reduction.”

After finishing her presentation, Hutchens was confronted by three public speakers who questioned, and even challenged, the department’s stance on concealed weapons permits, known commonly as CCWs (Carry Concealed Weapons). The sheriff contends that she’s upholding the law, while critics said she has broad latitude in granting or denying CCWs and worried that she might deny many who had been granted permits by Carona.


I believe it was four. No I'm not counting myself twice.