In my experience of 22 years in corporate security management preceded by a 20 year career as a military officer I learned about threats and being prepared for and how to deal with them when necessary. I learned that many people not in the security profession prefer not to think about threats and how to deal with them since it’s not a pleasant subject. Therefore it is ultimately up to the security and law enforcement professionals to be well prepared, alert, and capable of protecting us.
Based on my experience and careful research, I am completely convinced that the person who should be our next Orange County Sheriff is Don Barnes. This nonpartisan position is extremely important to the protection and safety of the 3.1 million residents of Orange County. So it takes a special person with exceptional experience and capability to be able to successfully and efficiently run a department which is the fifth largest sheriff’s department in the nation with 24 divisions, 3,900 personnel, 700 volunteers, and a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Don Barnes is that person, without doubt. He has 29 years of experience in the department and on the streets throughout Orange County keeping us safe and building a team of law enforcement and officials across the county. He has demonstrated competency and leadership by being promoted through the ranks to now Undersheriff and he knows the intricacies of this huge organization having worked in all parts of operations and administration.
His extensive and impressive education in law enforcement outside of the department, including an advanced degree, and graduation from the prestigious FBI National Academy, and the FBI Executive Institute, among many other similar high level schools and courses also make him well prepared.
Don also has an extensive and impressive list of community organizations in our county that he is involved in as a representative of the sheriff’s department. Those organizations address a broad spectrum of issues in our county and therefore allow Don to be much attuned to important interests and needs of our communities.
Most impressive to me is the long list of endorsements that Don has. I recommend the residents of Orange County go the website www.barnesforsheriff.com and view the long list of endorsements to get an appreciation for the respect and support Don has throughout our community. As someone who has worked closely with law enforcement over the years, I am particularly impressed that all those who work closest to Don have endorsed him, including all the police chiefs in Orange County, the prosecutors, the deputies, his boss the current sheriff, as well as many local sheriffs and statewide justice related organizations he works with. Also there is a long list of business organizations and elected officials who endorse Don for sheriff.
For the person who has demonstrated he can best keep us safe – let’s elect Don Barnes Sheriff.
Larry Wright moved to Orange County before his high school years and graduated from California State University, Fullerton. After a career in the military and then twenty two years in corporate security management he retired in 2017 having spent the last ten years as a director of corporate security. He and his wife have lived in Orange County the last twenty-two years.
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