SmartSheriff

Maddox For Sheriff

2008-02-04T08:41:00.000-08:00

Former Assemblyman Ken Maddox is a new name in the run to be appointed Sheriff. A facebook page dedicated to this role has been created. Ken Maddox For Sheriff is the Facebook page. There is also a blog with some info on Maddox...

www.kmforsheriff.blogspot.com

It is interesting to see new mediums used to disseminate info.

Craig's List Hitman

2008-01-28T06:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.kcra.com/news/15142548/detail.html

Apparently, Craig's List isn't just for selling stuff and finding roomates.

Beauty Queen Gone Crazy

2008-01-25T13:43:00.000-08:00

Beauty contestant has wacky moment with hostage boyfriend. Hear the 911 tapes here...

http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/blogs/policebeat/7469/

New Candidate

2008-01-19T07:51:00.000-08:00

Former Assemblyman Ken Maddox has announced his interest in becoming OC's next Sheriff. His candidacy is clearly different than the other names in the mix. Maddox has roughly 17 years in law enforcement. He also understands taxpayer accountability. This might be just what is needed.

Supervisors will need to set aside their preconceived notions about who they are looking for. We will continue to watch this closely. A new perspective could be just what is needed.

Robber shoots himself

2008-01-15T14:04:00.000-08:00

Armed dude rolls into store and leaves with cash and smokes. He shoots himself on the way out. Classic.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,322848,00.html

Working at What?

2008-01-14T14:14:00.000-08:00

Posted on Mon, Jan. 14, 2008
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DC mayor to fire 6 child welfare workers
By KAREN MAHABIR
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON -- At least six child welfare workers will be fired for failing to properly address complaints about a woman's care for her four daughters, who were later found dead in their home, the mayor said Monday.
The decomposing bodies of the girls - ages 5 to 16 - were found Wednesday when deputy U.S. marshals served an eviction notice at the rowhouse. Their mother has been charged with murder.
A social worker at the school where the oldest girl was a student tried twice in April to get city agencies to investigate.
At a news conference Monday, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty played tapes of two calls the social worker, Kathy Lopes, made after the girl, Brittany Jacks, stopped going to school in March.
Lopes called the city's child welfare hot line and said that she had visited the home, but that she was not let in by the mother, Banita Jacks. Lopes said Jacks told her she did not want Brittany going to school because she was afraid the girl would run away. Lopes reported seeing two or three younger children who also were not in school.
In a second call - this time to police - Lopes expressed frustration at being transferred among several city departments and said she was concerned about Banita Jacks' mental state.
"It seems that the mother is suffering from some mental illness in which she is holding all the children in the home hostage," Lopes said.
Jacks later told investigators the children were possessed by demons and died in their sleep.
The six employees being fired work for the District of Columbia's Child and Family Services Agency, and include a division director. More workers could lose their jobs as an investigation continues, Fenty said.
Sharlynn Bobo, the agency director, said that workers were "grieving just like the rest of the community."
"We deeply regret - I deeply regret - our failures in responding effectively and rapidly to this family," Bobo said.
Fenty praised Lopes, who works at the Booker T. Washington Public Charter School.
"Unfortunately, she stands out really because so many other people didn't do their job in the way they're supposed to," Fenty said.
Lopes' call was not the first time someone had tried to alert the city about the family's situation.
In July 2006, a nurse who had been treating the father of Jacks' youngest two daughters called the child welfare hot line to report the family was living in a van and that the parents were struggling with substance abuse, officials said. The nurse couldn't provide an address for the family so social workers did not follow up.
City officials also outlined several policy changes to prevent a similar tragedy, including establishing a system that better tracks students who are withdrawn from school to be taught at home. Cases involving child abuse or neglect allegations will not be closed until the child is found and determined to be safe.
An investigation into Jacks' family was closed weeks after Lopes' visit because child welfare officials thought the family had moved to Maryland - even though the family was never located.
Authorities have said the girls died at least 15 days before they were found. Jacks' statement to police indicated they had been dead for months. The medical examiner's office has said there is evidence that Brittany was stabbed and that Tatianna Jacks, 11; N'Kiah Fogle, 6; and Aja Fogle, 5, had other signs of trauma.
Court documents initially identified Brittany Jacks as being 17 years old; however, her 17th birthday would have been Jan. 5.
(This version CORRECTS the age of the oldest daughter to 16, instead of 17.)

Gardena Officer Shot

2008-01-09T17:02:00.000-08:00

A Gardena police officer was involved in a running gun battle. He was shot twice in the leg and is in stable condition. For those of you who see this kind of thing in TV, just know gunshot wounds are serious. You don't keep running with a limp etc...

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-officer10jan10,0,1893614.story?coll=la-home-center

Weekend at Bernie's Redux

2008-01-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

Two rocket scientist wheel a dead "friend" to a check cashing store and attempt to cash his social security check. Curiously, the employees at the store caught on. Imagine had they gone to the DMV instead.

http://www.star-telegram.com/462/story/398918.html

New Light

2008-01-09T09:19:00.000-08:00

Security camera footage provides some substantiation for the shooting involving two La Habra police officers and a UCLA student named Cho. Sometimes young people have "moments". Regrettably, these "moments" don't end well when they are armed (a tire iron in this case) and confronted by police.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/cho-officer-police-1956156-toward-car

Another Wackadoo

2008-01-08T17:27:00.001-08:00

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,320944,00.html

Boyfriend accused of murdering girlfriend and eating her.

Mom of the Year

2008-01-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

A Katrina evacuaee leaves her several offspring in a roach infested room without food to move to Africa.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5435192.html

Let's hope she can't get the money together to return.

Free Mumal

2008-01-07T12:56:00.000-08:00

It's a shame so celebrities have glommed on to this nogoodnick. Sometimes things have a way of taking on a life of their own. The celebrity of Mumal is one of them. This story about the wife of the slain police officer is worthy of a read.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-faulkner7jan07,0,7970144.story?coll=la-home-center

La Habra Shooting

2008-01-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

Police in La Habra reportedly shot and killed a college student named Cho.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/cho-chi-police-1953922-walnut-memorial

The Korean community held a press conference today looking for answers as to why this tragedy occurred. We agree there remain a lot of questions. Orange County has seen some shootings that while justified might have been avoided had more seansoned officers been handling the call.

We will withhold judgement pending the outcome of the investigation.

Day Labor Troubles

2008-01-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

The O.C. Register featured the City of Orange's efforts to curtail their problem of day labor lingering. http://www.ocregister.com/news/laborers-rocha-says-1953259-day-private

I appreciate the efforts of these independent entrepreneurs. But they are negatively impacting the City. This has become a quality of life issue for the people of Orange. The City should be applauded for being proactive in their attempts to deal with this nuisance issue.

Pension News

2008-01-03T16:32:00.001-08:00

The Gov.'s Pension Commandos are about to release their report. Here is a link to the Capitol Weekly story.http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?xid=wsvmzzj28qorj5

Governments are strapped funding pensions let alone public safety pensions which are a sweet deal. However, not funding them is even worse. There is a shortage of willing and qualified people who can become peace officers. Cutting their pay and benefits is shortsighted.

Education Rankings

2008-01-02T14:32:00.001-08:00

It is no secret that a poor education system can breed criminals. The "Smartest State Award" is out for the 2006-7 year. Factors such as funding, school attendance, and subject proficiency were used to evaluate the schooling provided. Factors like diversity awareness were not.

California ranked 47 out of 50. Vermont was number 1 for those keeping score.

Just for giggles I checked on states most heavily impacted by illegal immigration. Here is how they stacked up:

California 47
Arizona 50
New Mexico 43
Texas 25

I will let you draw your own conclusions.

EZ Crooks

2008-01-01T14:47:00.000-08:00

EZ Lube has reached a 5 million dollar settlement stemming from cheating customers out of their money with phony claims of auto needs. Kudos to our D.A. for cracking down on these mechanical miscreants.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/lube-shops-repair-1952065-state-orange

Anyone who has been to these quicky oil change places has found themselves on the receiving end of a laundry list of recommended auto repairs. It is amazing how the poor customers managed to get their poor tired cars into the shop for an oil change.

Consumer protection is an area of public safety that doesn't get enough attention. Let' hope some of this penalty goes to putting more inspectors on the street.

Crackin Down

2008-01-01T14:40:00.000-08:00

California's Legislature has passed many new laws. Oooh, to make us safer. These include bans on smoking in cars and talking on your cell phone while driving. The CA. Highway Patrol says not to expect a grace period. Clearly, crime is no longer a problem. Aren't we lucky.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-newlaws1jan01,1,5376313.story?coll=la-headlines-california

Politico Robbed

2007-12-29T20:47:00.000-08:00

State Senate President was carjacked by an armed crook and relieved of his state vehicle. He met this nogoodnik in Oakland. Let this be a reminder to all those bleeding hearts of how dangerous California is because of their policies.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/oakland-say-red-1951340-gun-robber

Garden Grove Crime

2007-12-29T17:10:00.000-08:00

Cool website giving crime stats.
http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=Garden+Grove&state=CA

San Juan Homies

2007-12-22T08:17:00.001-08:00

Criminals with houses are outraged over a gang injunction served on fellow family members. It ain't fair yo!
http://www.ocregister.com/news/injunctions-gang-san-1946462-juan-community

Here is a thought...crooks don't get to decide what's fair. Instead, let's let the people victimized by their intimidation, violence and theft decide.

http://thecapistranodispatch.com/uploads/pdfs/2007/Dispatch-11-30-07.pdf

End of Watch

2007-12-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

Sac Sheriff's Deputy Vu Nguyen was gunned down by a suspected asian gang member. Dep. Nguyen engaged in a foot pursuit of the suspect and was subsequently shot in the neck. Law endforcement locked the area down but the suspect managed to escape.

This is sadly another example of how dangerous it is to engage in foot pursuits solo. We look forward to the adam henry that did this to be brought to justice.

Bail Bond Bonanza

2007-12-15T09:43:00.001-08:00

The son of a former SB Sheriff has been caught up in yet another bail bond scheme.

http://www.sbsun.com/sanbernardino/ci_7727645

Tasers

2007-12-15T09:33:00.000-08:00

There is nothing today in the news re: taser use but that doesn't mean Orange County shouldn't address a trend in its use. Tasers can be a very valuable tool. A well trained law enforcement officer can use a taser to quell aggressive behavior and its use can avoid the use of deadly force.

However, I fear younger officers are seeing tasers as a compliance tool and not an alternative to deadly force. The "Don't taze me bro" incident is a classic example. Tasers should not be used on someone for being obnoxious.

Think about it. Hundreds of volts surging through your body because you are doing nothing more than speaking. I have yet to find someone who can explain to me why this isn't considered torture.

Law enforcement in California needs to take a good look at how it trains its officers.

Janet Nguyen

2007-12-12T08:52:00.000-08:00

There has been recent debate about who should be the next Sheriff. Perhaps we should wonder who should be the next Supervisor from the First District. Janet has been caught double dipping. She has had her Deputy Chief of Staff paid for by the the County's health care agency.

Earlier Janet got the Board to approve a special satellite office for her District despite its overall small geographic size.

Janet needs to start living within the taxpayers' means and stop asking for special treatment.

Another Corruption Case

2007-12-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

A high ranking Stanislaus Sheriffs Department employee is the subject of a federal investigation.

http://www.modbee.com/local/story/145170.html

Other Stuff

2007-12-08T07:53:00.001-08:00

The Mayor of Emeryville hit and killed a pedestrian.

Parole Board Commissioner Rodriguez was arrested for DUI. Also in the car was the duece (drunk) ED for the Board.

Chriss Street Stands Alone

2007-12-08T07:28:00.000-08:00

Ethically challenged O.C. Treasurer Chriss Street is back in the news. He is making investments with your money that other government agencies avoid. He says "no worries". Of course, he is accused of enriching himself with other peoples' money during a shaky business arrangement. See the O.C. Register story here for more:

http://www.ocregister.com/news/county-investment-structured-1937816-treasurer-vehicles

Orange County's ruling class needs to get a handle on who they let join the club.

Crime Report

2007-12-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

A cool crime update site is:

http://startelegram.typepad.com/crime_time/2007/12/third-mexican-m.html

Check out the story on the wave of murders happening to mexican singers!

Galinsky

2007-12-05T08:44:00.001-08:00

Mickadeit does a quick profile of the "acting" sheriff, Galinsky. Her lack of education is a focal point. Galinsky is a smart cookie but why did she never seek a college education? Many would like to have risen as far as her in the chain of command but she certainly didn't demonstrate leadership to her subordinates by choosing not to better herself.

Plotting Catholics

2007-12-04T05:10:00.001-08:00

Frank Mickadeit at the Register has done a great job at exposing how the Catholic Church was selling graves multiple times at their cemetary. Of course, this is but one more secret they wish to keep. I suspect had a private business done this they would have been prosecuted for fraud.

I wonder when O.C. Catholics are going to have enough of the criminal antics of church leaders. How many lives have to be damaged before Catholics take back their faith.

You Asked For Help

2007-12-03T20:54:00.001-08:00

Garden Police shot and killed a 46 year old man who was fighting with his mother. The family said he was schizo. Not being there, I won't pass judgement on the shooting. However, this is one more case where a family has called law enforcement out to help with a problem member of the family only to see that family member shot. As is the case with most things...the government will only dissappoint.

Priest goes to jail

2007-12-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

Former Priest Michael Baker just plead guilty to child molestation. Cardinal Mahoney call this case the one that "troubled" him most. But sadly it didn't trouble him enough to cooperate with law enforcement. Instead, he thru up roadblocks to their investigation.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-priest4dec04,0,2297246.story?coll=la-home-center

Cool Stat

2007-12-02T07:46:00.000-08:00

Texas is celebrating their 25th anniversary of the death penalty. In that time they have executed 405 dirtbags. Sweet.

Janet Nguyen

2007-12-02T07:34:00.000-08:00

Mark Bucher continues to be hyper-critical of Mike Schroeder on OC Blog. His chief complaint is Schroeder pursuit of OC Sup. Janet Nguyen on behalf of Janet's rival Trung Nguyen.

We aren't sure where Janet is going to stand on matters important to AOCDS. Janet lacks conviction or ideology. She will test the winds and try to figure out where she is most likely to raise money.

Trung Nguyen may launch another race against her. Challenging an incumbent is tough. But Janet is weaker than most incumbents and those of us who have witnessed Janet's performance up close welcome a spirited race.

Crime in Baja

2007-12-01T07:24:00.000-08:00

I friend was recently telling me of their plans to vacation in Mexico. I commented on how I choose not to go Mexico because of the crime and corruption. My friend chuckled at my reluctance.

Locally, the Shops at Mission Viejo have been hit hard by SUV thefts. Some of these vehicles ahve been found in TJ. The L.A. Times has a good story about how dangerous it truly is to go to Mexico.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tijuana1dec01,0,1161225.story?coll=la-home-center

GGPD

2007-11-30T09:27:00.000-08:00

Garden Grove Police Department (rife with the cowboy mentality) has been ordered to return seized pot used for medicinal purposes. They told the courts they couldn't respect the will of California voters when medicinal marijuana was legalized because it violated federal law.

However, their Police Chief told the GG City Council he didn't want to screen for illegal immigrants in the city jail because that was the feds responsibility.

It is time for GGPD to quit picking and choosing what federal laws it wants to uphold.

Hunt is a dick

2007-11-28T19:18:00.000-08:00

Bill Hunt has opened a private investigation business. One of the specialties listed is opposition research on political candidates. Any political consultant could write the hit pieces in their sleep on this guy.

An open letter to Bill Hunt.

Move on dude. Plenty of small cities are looking for a Chief of Police. Have you applied? It is time for you to get a grip. You are not going to be Sheriff. No shame bro' but you need a reality check.

Bill Hunt (dope)

2007-11-27T17:19:00.000-08:00

Bill Hunt has announced him candidacy for Sheriff. Hunt narrowally lost to Carona the last go round. He even had the endorsement of the Deputies union. But he lost and faced a serious demotion from the Sheriff for challenging him. Hunt resigned rather than being demoted from Lieutenant to Deputy.

We know more about Mr. Hunt now. We learned about his part in the marijuana bust coverup involving for Assistant Sheriff Haidl's son. We also learned he doesn't think before engaging his mouth. Hunt testified before the Board of Supervisors calling for them to remove Carona from office. He even acknowledged such an act might be unconstitutional. Hunt demonstrated a lack of appreciation for due process and the rule of law.

Hunt has said some irresponsible things since the Sheriff scandal broke. O.C. needs a Sheriff that engages his brain before his mouth. Hunt isn't that guy.

It would be interesting to learn what his ballot designation would be. Did Hunt retire as a Lieutenant or did he retire after his demotion? That is a big difference when it comes to putting together his ballot designation.

Mr. Hunt needs to pick up an application from Home Depot and leave law enforcement to the adults.

Paul Walters

2007-11-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

Republican Board of Supervisor Members should think twice about appointing the Democrat endorsing Walters to the important post of Sheriff. Walters has a track record of supporting Democrats against the Republicans endorsed by members of the Board.He endorsed Lou Correa for Senate, Lockyer for Treasurer and made commercial spots for Loretta Sanchez. This is only a sample.

Doug Storm

2007-11-25T06:44:00.001-08:00

I found this little morsel earlier. Potential Sheriff appointee, Doug Storm, is the lead against Sup. John Moorlach on the pension boost for retirees issues.

http://www.koce.org/realorange/stories/RO%20Wed/1107Retirees.rtf

Where doth thou stand?

2007-11-24T12:57:00.001-08:00

Here are some potential questions for those aspiring to be Sheriff:

Do you favor a citizen's review panel?

Will you respect the will of the voters when they passed Prop. 215?

Should Newport P.D. or the Sheriff's Harbor Patrol have the responsibility for Newport Harbor?

Would you conduct a review of the current command of the department?

Will you tighten up the current CCW policy as recommended by OC Chiefs?

Are you pro-life?

This is just a start.

Feel Good v Get Done

2007-11-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

I thought getting a read on where potential next Sheriffs are on the O.C. Human Relations Commission might be interesting. This is the taxpayer funded, self congratulatory, feel good committee to make us more sensitive.

They love to give out awards to those who sit in their living rooms and "dialogue" on race relations. I doubt many race haters of any color participate in these.

The Committee likes to give out awards to law enforcement so there might be a reluctance to be honest about the Committee's efficacy.

Where does Hunt et al stand on the O.C. Human Relations Committee?

http://www.ochumanrelations.org/

Mickadeit on Martin

2007-11-24T06:59:00.000-08:00

I pulled this one up from the last campaign for Sheriff. Frank interviews candidate Martin on the issues.

It was Martin's regular day off from his job as an L.A. County Sheriff's commander, but he took intermittent cell-phone calls from L.A., where his division was coping with the immigration protests. ("Are they taking the Vincent Thomas (Bridge) yet?") With the prospect of my own little insurgency imminent because of my Coto "reality" columns, I empathized with Martin's desire to have the latest field intelligence.

The main thing I wanted was to get Martin on the record with some specifics. Among other things, he talked about three permanent countywide units he wants to establish:

•A gang unit that incorporates existing city units to share information and resources across city lines.
•A proactive sexual-predator unit that looks for child molesters by, among other things, monitoring chat rooms and porn sites.
He points to recent success by Laguna Beach police in such a sting and thinks the effort should be larger.
•A full-time county SWAT team. The time has come, he says, for a county of more than 3 million to eliminate part-time SWAT units that have to be scrambled from their various regular assignments "like a volunteer fire department" when a crisis arises. The unit would train 50 percent of the time - what it takes to stay razor sharp, he says - and spend the other 50 percent helping agencies on high-risk assignments, like serving felony warrants.

If there's an overarching message Martin is trying to send with regard to countywide policing, it's that he doesn't see the sheriff as separate or above the city police chiefs. The sheriff, he believes, should be the coordinator of a wide range of law enforcement resources that can best be shared. Carona, he believes, strained relationships with the city chiefs early on by not attending joint meetings of top brass.

"He for a long time sent (Assistant Sheriff George) Jaramillo to meet with them, as if they weren't his equal," says Martin, who has met with 10 of the county's 21 chiefs. "Then Jaramillo irritated the hell out of them, and it was downhill from there."

Martin is smart to make the chiefs his allies, but he will have to walk a tightrope to enact one of his other reforms: reducing the time deputies work in the jails before they go to patrol.
Jail work - getting to know the criminal mind - is considered essential to becoming a good street cop. But the thinking is that too much time in the jail is bad for the psyche. O.C. deputies might spend 10 years as jailers before there are enough retirements to open up patrol slots. Martin wants that halved.

"I'm legitimately concerned that the length of time they spend is causing an increase in (confrontational or violent) incidents (with prisoners)," Martin says.

The tricky part is that the easiest way to make that happen is to increase the number of patrol deputies. And the easiest way to make that happen is for the Sheriff's Dept. to take over policing in more O.C. cities.

That is a very touchy subject, both among politicians and cops. Martin knows this and says his tack would be to simply better market his agency.

"That doesn't mean I'm going to be knocking on all these cities' doors trying to get them to eliminate their police departments. But if they are interested in reducing municipal costs, one way is to look at whether they want to contract (for police services)."

Well, I know of one cul de sac that might want to.

Dimitru For Sheriff

2007-11-24T06:15:00.000-08:00

Councilman Dimitru accompanied by his trusty sidkick, Denis Bilideau, are pressing forward with city ordinances against nuisance issues created by illegal immigration. Of course, loitering, drinking and/or urinating in public are done by college students as well as some illegal immigrants. But college students don't congregate on street corners flagging down potential jobs on a daily basis.

Sadly, Chief Walters doesn't believe immigration officials should be screening those in his jail. It is strange to find he is on record supporting it in the county jail but not his own.

You can't have it both ways. Either someone who committed a crime in addition to being here illigally should be deported or why have a border. Don't expect others to take our national borders seriously if we don't respect them either.

Gov. Jerry Brown (eeeek!)

2007-11-23T17:06:00.000-08:00

Attorney General Jerry Brown is rumored to run for Governor. Look, if this guy can convince California he should be Attorney General than anything is possible.

A Republican controlled BOS needs to be careful about unintentionaly helping him or other Dem candidates by appointing a Dem. to the position of Sheriff.

Doug Storm (poor choice)

2007-11-23T09:07:00.000-08:00

I don't know Doug Storm but I do find it interesting to see he endorsed Bill Hunt for Sheriff. Hunt hasn't demonstrated the kind of qualities we need to see in the next Sheriff. His comments in the media have been less than responsible.

Sheriff Doug Storm might bring Hunt back and make him a Captain. And then Assistant Sheriff in two years. Payback central.

Bob McDonell (stay retired)

2007-11-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

Former Newport Beach Police Chief Bob McDonell's name came up as a potential candidate for Sheriff.

Two words...Endorsed Capizzi

http://www.smartvoter.org/2000/03/07/ca/or/vote/capizzi_m/endorse.html

Paul Walters (double dipping daddy)

2007-11-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

Paul Walters retired from Santa Ana Police Department with a pension the average mortal can only dream about. He was hired back at the same pay. This means he gets two paychecks for his efforts. A great job if you can get it.

SAPD Chief Paul walters double dipped his 205k dollar salary "retiring" yet never leaving his office only to be "rehired" years later and hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars later. http://www.worldfreeinternet.net/news/nws116.htm

Paul Walters (loves them taxes)

2007-11-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

Santa Ana has never been that great of a place to do business unless you are Crevier BMW (another story).

But now, their Police Chief wants to make it just a little more difficult to own a market in town. He supports a new tax on small markets in Santa Ana.

Do you really need another anti taxpayer official?

http://www.tobaccochina.com/englishnew/content.aspx?id=26340

Paul Walters (loves them Dems)

2007-11-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

Republican Board of Supervisor Members should think twice about appointing the Democrat endorsing Walters to the important post of Sheriff. Walters has a track record of supporting Democrats against the Republicans endorsed by members of the Board.

He endorsed Lou Correa for Senate, Lockyer for Treasurer and made commercial spots for Loretta Sanchez. This is only a sample.

http://www.lockyer2010.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=38

http://www.loucorrea.com/endorsements1.htm

Paul Walters (say it ain't so)

2007-11-23T07:51:00.000-08:00

Santa Ana's Police Chief is being considered as a potential appointee by the Board of Supervisors to fill the position of Sheriff should it come open. Walters is the long time Chief of Santa Ana's Police Department. Consequently, he is well respected is certain circles. But then again, so are long term councilmembers who favor big government.

In 2005, the O.C. Register did a well researched story into the quality of law enforcement throughout the County. Santa Ana scored one star out of four. The O.C. Register found Santa Ana has one of the slowest response times to emergency calls in the County. It also has a poor rate of crime solving, bad community relations and a host of other issues like letting victim's families slip through the cracks.

Consider Norma Diaz, whose husband was fatally shot outside their Camille Street home Aug. 17, 2002. Diaz’s husband, Antonio, was a crucial witness against a man convicted a day earlier of attempted murder.

Antonio Diaz Palacios’ death is one of the unsolved cases contributing to Santa Ana’s status as the worst among the county’s largest cities for solving homicides. Half of the killings here remain a mystery.

Spanish-speaking Santa Ana homicide detectives talked with Diaz once, the day of the shooting. But they stopped trying to contact her after being told she had moved to Mexico.
Actually, Diaz and her seven children had gone to bury her husband. They were back within a month, unbeknownst to investigators.

For years, Diaz, who works in a factory making labels, has been scratching her head wondering what happened to the detectives and the investigation. She keeps a creased Santa Ana police business card in her wallet, behind a family picture. Diaz, 35, called the number on the card three times, but each time got an answering machine. She was too shy to leave a message.

Before his death, Antonio Diaz Palacios, 38, had fretted that he would be killed for testifying against Saturnino Centeno, who was convicted of shooting at his wife. Diaz’s family believes his fears came to pass.

But the case has gone cold. There are no leads, police say – and that makes Norma Diaz nervous.

"It’s hard because I don’t know if one of my family is going to get hurt, not knowing who it is," she said.

Santa Ana homicide investigators acknowledge the misstep that has put them out of touch with the family.

"I feel there was a misunderstanding between the family not being able to get a hold of us and us assuming they were gone. I feel bad," detective Frank Fajardo said. "Nothing sucks more than having an unsolved case on your desk."

Detective Louie Martinez said despite the city’s low rating in solving homicides, no one can tell him that he is not dedicated or working hard.

Overall, Santa Ana is safer now than it was five years ago, but not by much. The rate of violent crimes per 10,000 people has dropped by 1 percent in Santa Ana.

Chief Walters didn't like the sunshine of the Register to be shown on his leadership. Walters took umbrage at things like response times, crime solving rates and other quantifiable measures being used to rate his agency.

Chief Paul Walters said the statistics capture only a small part of his department.
"There’s a whole host of police services that aren’t measured in your report," Walters said.

See link for more info.

http://www.ocregister.com/investigations/policereport/index.php

Editorial Note: Santa Ana police officers are some of the best around. They have a tough city to police. They do what they can with what they have.