Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs
January 29, 2016
Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, Orange County Sheriff’s Department
Sheriff Hutchens,
There has been much discussion regarding the way inmate counts are conducted in the Central Men’s Jail which you yourself told the press you found “extremely troubling.” I recently obtained information that deputies and Sergeants assigned to the Central Men’s Jail were ordered by your management to completely ignore Department policy on conducting inmate Counts nearly a year ago, thereby putting their safety, the safety of other inmates and the safety of the public in jeopardy. Given the current security breach and the significant safety risk, I felt it was imperative to bring this information to your immediate attention.
It is my understanding that previous attempts to voice concerns by my members regarding the discrepancy between the way inmate counts were being conducted and Department policy on how inmates should be accounted for received push back from jail management with the justification that “this is the way we have always done it.” Continue reading
