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Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Tag Archives: sheriff

O.C. Sheriff’s Department receives grant for countywide DUI enforcement effort

Posted on by Posted in Alcohol, Crime, Orange County, Santa Ana Leave a comment

OCSD Badge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS: Lt. Jeff Hallock (714) 647 7042/Gail Krause (714) 647-1840

Orange County Sheriff’s Department Receives Grant for County-Wide DUI Enforcement Campaign 

SANTA ANA, CA – (October 18, 2013) – Drunk and drugged driving remains the number one killer on our roadways with 774 deaths and over 24,000 injuries. The “Avoid the 13” DUI Task Force will be combating this deadly problem through DUI enforcement efforts in Orange County. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will be administering a recent $114,232 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to cover DUI enforcement operations within the department’s 13 contract cities.  Continue reading→

Orange County DUI Task Force announces DUI crackdown

Posted on by Posted in Alcohol, Orange County, Public Safety, Santa Ana 1 Comment

dui checks in santa ana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Lt. Jeff Hallock, (714) 647-7042 and Gail Krause, (714) 647-1840

Orange County DUI Task Force Joins National Crackdown to Reduce Drunk Driving Fatalities

‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ Campaign Will Target Drunk Drivers

SANTA ANA, California (August 15, 2013) – From mid-August through Labor Day, sheriff, police and CHP officials will be out in force as part of the annual nationwide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” crackdown on drunk driving.   The crackdown in Orange County will run from August 16 through September 2, 2013.  Continue reading→

O.C. Sheriff’s Deputy accused of pepper spraying a teen’s pizza

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Orange County Leave a comment

Tabasco pizza

Orange County District Attorney  Press Release

For Immediate Release, Case # 13HM05257: August 2, 2013

ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTY TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR PEPPER SPRAYING TEEN’S PIZZA DURING TRAFFIC STOP

NEWPORT BEACH – An Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) deputy will be arraigned Monday for pepper spraying a teen’s pizza during a routine traffic stop. Juan Tavera, 30, is charged with one misdemeanor count of assault or battery by a public officer and faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail if convicted. Tavera is scheduled to be arraigned Monday, Aug. 5, 2013, at 8:30 a.m. in Department H-8, Harbor Justice Center, Newport Beach.

At the time of the crime, Tavera was a 6-year veteran of the OCSD assigned to the South Operations Division/Contract City of Laguna Hills. Tavera is currently on paid administrative leave.

On Sept. 8, 2012, the defendant is accused of arriving on-scene after 19-year-old John Doe was pulled over by a different officer for a traffic infraction in Laguna Hills. Upon arriving, the defendant is accused of finding a pizza on the backseat of the victim’s car and pepper spraying the pizza without the victim’s knowledge. Continue reading→

O.C. Sheriff announces Memorial Day weekend DUI crackdown

Posted on by Posted in Alcohol, Bars, Crime, irvine, Orange County, Public Safety, Santa Ana Leave a comment

DUI Checkpoint

SHERIFF-CORONER DEPARTMENT, COUNTY OF ORANGE, CALIFORNIA
NEWS RELEASE, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gail Krause, (714) 623-8940

Memorial Day Weekend DUI Crackdown
High Visibility DUI Campaign Set for Holiday Weekend

SANTA ANA, CA – (May 23, 2013) – The Orange County DUI Task Force is deploying officers this holiday weekend at DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoints and DUI Saturation Patrols countywide to arrest impaired drivers and to keep the public aware of the dangers of driving while impaired by alcohol and drugs. Continue reading→

Hugo Godinez, Santa Ana sex offender, convicted for violating probation

Posted on by Posted in Courts, Crime, Orange County, Public Safety, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Hugo Godinez

Tony Rackauckas, Orange County District Attorney Press Release

For Immediate Release, Case # 09CM11069, 11CM12772: March 26, 2013

REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER CONVICTED OF SEXUAL BATTERY AND FAILING TO REGISTER SENTENCED TO 197 DAYS IN JAIL FOR PROBATION VIOLATIONS

*Defendant has a pending case in the Courts of Appeal for a conviction for being a sex offender in a County park

SANTA ANA – A registered sex offender convicted of sexual battery and failing to register, and who has a pending case in the Courts of Appeal for violating the County ordinance barring registered sex offenders from entering County parks, was sentenced for violating his probation. Hugo Godinez, 30, Santa Ana, was sentenced March 21, 2013, at an arraignment on probation violations. The defendant admitted to the violations and was sentenced to 197 days in jail by the Honorable Peter Wilson. Continue reading→

St. Patrick’s Day DUI enforcement throughout Orange County

Posted on by Posted in Alcohol, Bars, Crime, Orange County, Public Safety, Santa Ana 1 Comment

SAPD DUI Checkpoint

SHERIFF-CORONER DEPARTMENT
COUNTY OF ORANGE, CALIFORNIA
NEWS, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Gail Krause, (714) 647-1840

St. Patrick’s Day DUI Enforcement Throughout Orange County

SANTA ANA, California (March 15, 2013) – As St. Patrick’s Day approaches, the Orange County ‘Avoid
the 38’ DUI Task Force is urging motorists to plan a safe ride home and never get behind the wheel drunk
or drugged. During this holiday period, law enforcement agencies throughout Orange County will be on
high alert, cracking down on drunk drivers as part of its Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over public safety
campaign. Continue reading→

O.C. Deputy Sheriff arrested for accepting bribes at the County Jail

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Orange County, Public Safety, Santa Ana 2 Comments

David Cass

SHERIFF-CORONER DEPARTMENT, COUNTY OF ORANGE, CALIFORNIA
SANDRA HUTCHENS, SHERIFF-CORONER

PRESS RELEASE: February 7, 2013

On Thursday, February 7, 2013, at 9 a.m., David Lloyd Cass, 38 years of age and an employee of
the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, was taken into custody by investigators from the Orange
County Sheriff’s Department for two counts of CPC 68(a) – Officer Asking and Receiving a Bribe.
These activities occurred from September 2010 through March 2012. Continue reading→

O.C. Deputies paid more than SAPD police officers are

Posted on by Posted in Crime, Labor, Orange County, Public Safety, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana’s police officers are not among the highest paid cops in Orange County, according to a new study commissioned by The Association of California Cities of Orange County.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which provides service to a dozen cities as well as the unincorporated areas of the county, came in number two on a list ranking O.C.’s police departments — in order of total compensation, according to the O.C. Register.  The top base monthly salary for sheriff’s deputies was $7,308, with total comp of $13,968.

The top base monthly salary for Santa Ana’s cops is $7,039 per month and their total compensation comes to $12,348. Continue reading→

Councilwoman Martinez asks why not study outsourcing the SAPD?

Posted on by Posted in Business, california, Michele Martinez, Politics, Public Safety, Santa Ana 14 Comments

Santa Ana Council Member Michele Martinez did a very brave thing at tonight’s Santa Ana City Council meeting.  At the end of the meeting, during public comments, she spoke up and asked the question that has been on everyone’s minds – why isn’t the City of Santa Ana looking at outsourcing the Santa Ana Police Department?

The City of Santa Ana is looking at a minimum $30 million dollar annual deficit.  Of that, $25 million is paying for retirement funds for public employees.  And about half of the city’s general fund is spent on our police department! Continue reading→

County of Orange to conduct a nuclear decon exercise tomorrow at the OC Fairgrounds

Posted on by Posted in Costa Mesa, Orange County, Public Safety Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 2, 2010

Contact: Howard Sutter 714.834.6203 office

ORANGE COUNTY TO CONDUCT RECEPTION AND DECONTAMINATION CENTER EXERCISE AT THE OC FAIR AND EVENTS CENTER

(Santa Ana, CA) — On Wednesday, March 3, 2010, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Emergency Management Bureau, in coordination with the Orange County Health Care Agency and the City of Costa Mesa, will conduct a San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) Reception and Decontamination Center Exercise at the OC Fair and Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. The three hour exercise will begin at approximately 9:00 a.m. and is not open to the public.

The exercise will test the County’s ability to manage individuals relocating from the 10 mile radius SONGS Emergency Planning Zone. On-site activities will include registration, monitoring, and simulated decontamination procedures. The exercise is a “dress rehearsal” for a federally graded exercise that will be conducted on Tuesday, March 23, 2010. Continue reading→