After Todd Spitzer took office as district attorney, he took a starkly different approach towards the same prosecutors he criticized as a candidate.
Tag: Jailhouse Snitch Scandal
Posted inCountywide
Report Prompts Questions on Why DA Spitzer Kept Snitch Scandal Prosecutors Despite Accountability Promises
A new report confirms and expands on an appeals court’s 2016 findings of misconduct.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Top Stories
Sheriff’s Department Helps Vet the Grand Jurors Who Investigate It
Sheriff officials conduct the official background investigations as part of the selection process for grand jurors who later investigate the department. The reviews include sheriff officials reporting to the court whether each applicant appears “competent to serve as a Grand Juror.”
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Rackauckas Secretly Cleared Deputies Accused of Lying About Informants
Former District Attorney Tony Rackauckas quietly decided last year to not have prosecutors tell defense attorneys about 10 sheriff deputies suspected of lying about or concealing records about jail informants.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Grand Jury Finds Lack of Sheriff’s Department Oversight in Illegal Jail Phone Recordings
A lack of oversight allowed the illegal recording of more than 30,000 phone calls between inmates and their attorneys inside county jails, according to the Orange County Grand Jury.
Posted inCountywide, Investigative, Top Stories
OC District Attorney Launches Internal Investigation Into Snitch Scandal
District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced April 24 that he’s launching an internal investigation into the jailhouse snitch scandal while seeking clarification from the state Attorney General if the state probe is finished or not.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
CA Attorney General Ends OC Jailhouse Snitch Probe
The California Attorney General ended its probe into the jailhouse snitch scandal that rocked the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s office, which was first uncovered in a mass murderer’s trial over four years ago.
Posted inInvestigative, Norberto Santana Jr.
Santana: New OC DA Wants To Make a Deal with Feds Ending DOJ Jailhouse Snitch Probe
District Attorney Todd Spitzer is calling on federal authorities to end the DOJ probe into use of jailhouse snitches in Orange County and instead make a deal to institute reforms.
Posted inGovernment, Investigative, Politics & Elections, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Sen. Kamala Harris Left It to OC to Handle Jailhouse Snitch Scandal
U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, former state attorney general, defended her refusal to launch a large investigation into the Orange County District Attorney for the jailhouse informant program and said the county could handle it, reported the New York Times.
Posted inNorberto Santana Jr.
Santana: We Made It! Top Issues to Watch in 2019
Thanks to an outpouring of reader support, we exceeded our $75,000 fundraising goal this year and our newsroom enters 2019 on a solid fiscal footing, with renewed vigor to keep Orange County informed and alert on the key issues impacting quality of life from the public dais this next year.
