Orange County Sheriff's Department (California)
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| Orange County Sheriff's Department |
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| Established | 1889 |
| Jurisdiction | County |
| Sworn | 1,900 |
| Non-sworn | 1,446 |
| Jails | 4 |
| Helicopters | 2 |
| Sheriff | Jack Anderson (acting) |
The Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) is the law enforcement agency serving Orange County, California. It currently serves the unincorporated areas of Orange County and twelve contract cities (Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Stanton and Villa Park).
The agency also provides law enforcement services to the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) system, and John Wayne Airport. OCSD also runs Orange County's Harbor Patrol, which provides law enforcement, marine fire fighting, search and rescue, and underwater search and recovery services along the county's 42 miles of coastline and in the county's three harbors (Dana Point, Newport and Huntington).
The department's helicopter uses the radio call sign "Duke" (after John Wayne) and, appropriately, uses the John Wayne Airport as its operational base.
The Orange County Marshal's Department was absorbed by OCSD on July 1, 2000. OCSD, under its Court Operations Division, now provides all security and law enforcement services (such as Bailiff services and prisoner custody) to the county court system.
From 1999 until January 2008, OCSD was led by Mike Carona.
Jim Amormino is the director of the Public Affairs Office of the department, who can be seen in nearly every television interview involving the OCSD.
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[edit] History
OCSD was founded in 1889.
Currently, OCSD has 1,900 sworn members and 1,446 civilian personnel.
[edit] Orange County Sheriff's Academy
The Orange County Sheriff's Academy is located in Tustin, California on the site of the former Tustin Marine Corps Air Station. The facility opened in late 2007 and replaced the old academy on Salinas Avenue in Garden Grove which was no longer adequate due to overcrowding. [1] Some training is also conducted at a Sheriff's facility on Katella Avenue in Orange, California.
There are 83 instructors on the academy and 46 percent are from OCSD, 39 percent from other agencies, and 15 percent are from non-law enforcement. The OCSD academy program is 26 weeks long and includes training on community policing, arrest control techniques, firearms, and scenario training. The OCSD academy places an emphasis on physical training and the ability to make decisions when placed in stressful situations.
Some law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles County utilize the OCSD Academy for training, including the Torrance Police Department and the Pasadena Police Department.
[edit] Corruption
In 2004, the son of then-Assistant Sheriff Don Haidl, Gregory Haidl, was convicted for his role in the videotaped gang-rape of a teenage girl. This case led to the resignation of Don Haidl.
Also, Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo was arrested for bribery and other offenses. Then-Sheriff Mike Carona removed Jaramillo as assistant sheriff after Jaramillo was indicted. Jaramillo pleaded "no contest" to the charges and served a six month jail sentence.
Recently, Carona was indicted on federal corruption charges. On January 14, 2008 Carona retired as Sheriff, one week after returning from a 60 day leave, to focus on his upcoming trial. Carona appointed Assistant Sheriff Jack Anderson to serve as Sheriff on an interim basis, pending approval by the County Board of Supervisors.
