Restore Integrity and Trust to the Sheriff's
Department
A blueprint for a professional Sheriff's
Department
and a safer
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Institute
a Sheriff's Total Accountability Reform (STAR) program
Make
Orange County safer by implementing my Zero Tolerance Crime Program
Enhance and provide local Homeland Security
solutions
Address the illegal immigration problem
Institute my Officers Investment Program
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Institute a Sheriff's Total Accountability Reform (STAR) Program
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I will implement a Sheriff's Total
Accountability Reform (STAR) program to
restore public trust, rebuild confidence and reform the department. My STAR program will ensure total access and accountability
to the public, Media and department members.
• My first day in office, I will eliminate the PSR program that has been a political and functional failure. I will insist upon maintaining a successful volunteer program that will earn the public's confidence. This can be accomplished by adhering to a clearly stated purpose and the integration of service minded men and women whose desire is to genuinely augment the public safety goals and objectives of the Sheriff's Department. No badges and guns will be given to anyone, under any circumstance, who fails to meet state mandated hiring and training standards.
• I will issue concealed weapons permits (CCW) to any applicant
who is a law abiding resident of the county, meets state mandated requirements
and is not prohibited by law from possessing a firearm. There have been less
than 1200 issued CCW's in a county of 3 million. The majority have been given to reserve
police officers, judges, prosecutors and to reward political supporters. I will depoliticize the process and establish
an annual audit to review each application to ensure the process is unbiased,
non-political and equitable.
• I will establish an Independent Auditing Team, similar to a military Inspector General that has authority
to audit financial, operational and ethical practices of any unit at anytime.
The IA Team will report directly to the Sheriff and will be required to
audit every component of the department at least once every three years. The team will issue reports to the Sheriff,
Board of Supervisors, and Media describing their findings and
recommendations.
•
I will eliminate the department's current
wasteful spending
• My first day
in office, I will eliminate the Sheriff's personal protection detail that
costs taxpayers more than $1 million per year. Deputy Sheriffs should be
protecting the public not the Sheriff.
Institute a Sheriff's Total Accountability Reform (STAR) Program
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• My first day
in office, I will eliminate the current policy of allowing high-ranking
administrators to spike their pensions by turning in county vehicles and
incorporating the cash equivalent into their paycheck for retirement. Administrators are well compensated. They may retire at 50 with more than 100
percent of their base salary.
• I will end
the current taxpayer funded contract with private attorneys that cost $100,000
to $700,000 per year. As your Sheriff,
public safety dollars will only be spent on public safety!
• I will
establish a business advisory committee that will identify ways to maximize
taxpayer dollars. Since 1998, spending
has nearly tripled from the $214 million to $582 million.
• I will establish an 800 number so citizens can report
corruption, mistreatment or other allegations of
inappropriate conduct by department personnel and dedicate an area of the department
website as a community forum to register comments and complaints. I will establish a confidential email for employees so they can notify me directly of problems and
recommendations for improvement.
• I will publicize accomplishments of our men and women in the field. I will disclose discipline or reprimands
to assure the public knows the department will take appropriate action against
impropriety or misconduct.
•
I will improve communication
with the public, disclosing information on sexual
predators, wanted persons, crime trends and other threats to the community as
they become available. The police must collaborate with the community to better
serve and protect.
• I will
establish an open door policy with the Media. I will not use a political
spokesperson or attorneys to speak on my behalf. As your Sheriff, my comment will never be,
"No comment."
Make
Orange County safer by implementing my Zero Tolerance Program
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As your Sheriff, my primary focus will be
on public safety. I want to make our neighborhoods, schools and businesses safe. I will reform the department by putting more
deputies on the streets and in the jails.
I will keep gang members, drug dealers, and illegal guns off our
streets.
• I will put more deputies on the streets. The
current department staffing is mismanaged.
The jails, law enforcement contracts and county unincorporated areas are
understaffed. The current practice of
running vacant positions throughout the department, including positions that
are paid for by contract, is a failure. The
current mismanagement has resulted in slower response times and poor service. As your Sheriff, I will fill positions that our
tax dollars pay for and guarantee that unincorporated areas receive an
equitable level of service.
•
I will end the "stand alone" culture of the department. The department is responsible for patrolling
about 30 percent of the county. 70
percent is patrolled by cities with their own police departments. Law enforcement is becoming regional. I will work with, rather than through, our
public safety partners to explore opportunities for cooperative efforts in
attacking regional crime problems, such as gang violence, narcotics and
identity theft.
•
I will implement aggressive crime analysis and crime-mapping
programs. These programs will identify
crime trends as they occur so we can deploy resources to disrupt and prevent
criminal activity. The department will
share information with our law enforcement counterparts to combat crime on a countywide
scale.
My first day in office, I will end
the current refusal to join the Integrated Law and Justice network. This program is a vital component of public
safety. It will allow all county law
enforcement databases to communicate with each other. It will provide timely information to field officers. Similar programs have been in neighboring
counties for years. Virtually every
other public safety entity has agreed to participate. There is no excuse to delay this any
longer. It is in the best interest of
public safety and it will be a top priority in my administration.
Make Orange
County
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• I will fully
staff gang enforcement that has been cut by almost 50% since 2002. 300 criminal gangs prey upon our neighborhoods. Total gang membership in 2004 of more than
13,000. Gang homicides are on the rise,
30 in 2004 compared to 20 in 2003. The highest
was 36 murders in 2002. There were 120 gang
murders in a five-year period. As a former
Gang Enforcement Supervisor, I know first hand how devastating these cuts have
been to our community. I will be
relentless in the enforcement of gang related crime and pursue gangs operating in
our community.
• I will
create an Identity Theft Unit.
It will identify, target and arrest those engaged in identity
theft. It is currently ignored and is
among the fastest growing crimes. It is increasingly
being orchestrated by sophisticated criminals and street gang members and costs
millions of dollars annually. I will
work closely with the District Attorney and businesses to develop ways to
prosecute criminals perpetuating this crime.
I will lobby our elected officials to pursue legislation that makes
Identity Theft a felony and call for mandatory sentencing enhancements for
those who prey upon the elderly.
• I will
institute long overdue jail reform to ensure safe, secure and efficient jails.
Each year, the Grand Jury reports
that jail overcrowding continues. The
jail system operated 21% over capacity in 2002-03 and 17% over in 2003-04.
• No inmate
early releases. Roughly, 1,500 criminals
were let out early in 2005. I will
ensure we keep sentenced inmates in-custody for the duration of their sentence. I will evaluate the way inmates are
classified and housed. I will maximize
our jail space and find creative alternatives to housing inmates in our
jails.
• I will correct
the 30-1 inmate to officer ratio in our jails, which is double the national average.
•
I will implement an accountability program that
evaluates performance in the jails.
It will report timely information on jail crimes, use of force and
assaults, set objective and quantifiable goals for reducing these activities and
hold managers responsible.
Make Orange
County
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• I will
increase jail safety and security inspections to eliminate illegal
contraband threatening the safety and welfare of Sheriff's personnel and inmates.
• I will
insist upon the strict enforcement of jail rules that control
inmate movement and communication which will reduce inmate-on-inmate assaults and
assaults on jail personnel.
• I will
charge a fee for inmate initiated medical visits. Penal Code section 4011.2 provides the authority
to charge inmates for medical services.
49 of the 58 California Sheriff Departments have adopted this practice. It discourages unwarranted medical visits,
limits inmate movement, reduces assaults and ensures higher quality medical
services for inmates with legitimate needs.
• Inmates will
be fed in their cells. Inmates
will be served one hot and two bag meals per day. By feeding inmates in their cells and
providing two sack meals, we will increase jail capacity, eliminate early
releases, lower operating costs and reduce the need to build new jail facilities.
The existing chow halls in the central
jail complex will be turned into inmate housing areas to maximize the use of
jail space. Deputies will be free for
essential jail functions rather than monitoring inmate feeding. This measure will save taxpayers millions of
dollars annually.
• I will
eliminate pornographic magazines; reduce TV options to educational programs, and
increase work, vocational, educational programs for sentenced inmates.
• I will eliminate the current failed and mismanaged "Best
Choice" drug treatment program. This
program was the subject of an internal investigation into mismanagement,
funding irregularities and exaggerating results to justify the programs existence. The jails are overcrowded and dangerously
understaffed and the department continues to dedicate needed jail space
specifically for a failed drug treatment program. This program is better suited for the private
sector.
Enhance and provide local Homeland Security
solutions
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In
the post 9/11 world, it is essential that public safety entities work
together. We must end the current inter-jurisdictional rivalries and
ensure the county anticipates plans and trains for all threats. I am committed
to working with our partners to ensure that we have the planning, personnel,
equipment and training to respond quickly and efficiently to hazards and
threats from criminal activity and terrorism to natural disasters.
•
I will rely upon my years of experience working
with local, state and federal agencies on disaster preparedness to educate
citizens on what to do in the event of a major incident or disaster. I will
enhance the success of the Disaster Preparedness Academies being taught in partnership
with the Fire Authority and ensure they are prepared for a major criminal
incident or natural disaster.
•
I will post information on the website to inform
the public about what actions to take in advance of potential disaster,
including an explanation about shelter in place, evacuation routes and other
pertinent information.
•
I will develop a tsunami, earthquake, and
natural disaster plan. There is currently no such plan. We must have an
all-hazard plan in place that addresses any potential threat. It is not enough to focus on current event
hot topics and leave other potential threats unaddressed.
•
I will seek additional Homeland Security funding to ensure
the resources to provide safety and security and to respond quickly and
efficiently to any hazard.
•
I will expand the Terrorist Early Warning Group and invite
other local law enforcement agencies, health and the fire authority to better
prepare.
•
I will change the part-time SWAT team to
full-time Crisis Preparedness: In an
era of random violence in our schools and businesses, there is no excuse for
not having our best-trained assets available 24/7 to respond to emergencies,
serve high-risk needs, such as warrants prisoner transports and other tactical
operations. The best-trained and equipped personnel are the ones to deal
with high-risk tactical operations leaving other specialty units free to focus
on their area of responsibility. I will
approach the Chiefs of Police about forming a regional SWAT team outfitted with
state of the art training and equipment to serve around the clock with a
significant reduction in overall costs.
Address the
illegal immigration problem
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Comprehensive Illegal Immigration Enforcement Policy
There is mounting pressure on
local law enforcement leaders to take action in what is a federal law
enforcement responsibility. Law
enforcement leaders have been reluctant to enforce illegal immigration law because
of a very real fear that it will alienate the police from immigrant
communities, which will drive up crime and tax the already thin resources to
take on the additional responsibilities of illegal immigration enforcement.
• FIRST THINGS
FIRST: Current mismanagement has
created a staffing crisis where we can no longer fulfill our primary
responsibly of protecting our homes, schools, businesses and communities. We are unable to provide staffing paid for by
the 12 cities, the harbors the airport and OCTA that contract law enforcement
services with the department. Taking on the additional role of enforcing
federal immigration law will prevent us from fulfilling our primary
responsibility and taking gang members, drug dealers, sex offenders and career
criminals off the streets and out of our communities.
• REGIONAL PROBLEMS REQUIRE REGIONAL SOLUTIONS: The current plan has no support from his local law
enforcement counterparts. The Sheriff's
Department is only responsible for patrolling about 30 percent of the county. The remaining 70 percent is patrolled by
cities with their own police departments.
Unlike many of the communities in central and northern
Address the
illegal immigration problem
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• HUNT PLAN: I will develop a comprehensive illegal immigration enforcement plan that
clarifies the jurisdictional responsibilities for illegal immigration
enforcement, identifies the specific role of county and local law enforcement,
and creates a comprehensive plan that will make a difference to our residents.
• LEADERSHIP: As your Sheriff, I
will be the leader and form a commission of experts, from law enforcement officials
to activists groups on both sides of the debate, to develop a comprehensive
plan that will be embraced and implemented countywide. The Sheriff must use his influence to further
the public safety interests rather than pursue his own political survival. I will not play politics with public safety!
• TEAMWORK: I will create an Illegal Immigration
Enforcement Policy Commission comprised of members of all of our
public safety partners including, the chiefs of police, the courts, probation
and state parole, the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs
Enforcement and Border Patrol, along with community activists on both sides of
the issue to:
• Identify and articulate the role of county and local law enforcement concerning illegal
immigration enforcement.
• </