Barnes declined to discuss specific cases, citing laws protecting police officers’ privacy. But he laid the evidence booking problem squarely on individual staff members and “gaps” in evidence booking protocol.
Tag: Orange County Sheriffs Department
Posted inCountywide, Government, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
DA Says He Was Told in May of Decision to Not Prosecute Deputies Over Evidence Handling
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Wednesday he was informed four months into his administration about a decision days after he was sworn in to not file charges against a sheriff’s deputy found to have made 74 false reports about evidence booking.
Posted inGovernment, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Questions Mount for Sheriff and DA About Systemic Errors in Preparing Criminal Cases
On Tuesday, it was publicly disclosed in Orange County Superior Court that sheriff officials kept a deputy in the field doing investigations months after they learned he made numerous false statements in police reports about evidence booking.
Posted inTop Stories
Secrecy Battle to Resume Over Deputy’s Evidence Booking Misconduct Records
The records would show what officials knew – and when – about a sheriff’s deputy found to have falsely stated in 74 different reports that he had booked evidence.
Posted inTop Stories
Secrecy Around Sheriff Evidence Misconduct Records Heads to Court Thursday
A judge will decide whether to unseal records about a deputy who was found to have made false statements about evidence in 74 different reports.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Safety, Security & Justice, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Santa Ana Residents Say They’re Tired of Being Dumping Ground of OC’s Homeless
Residents said the county was moving forward with its Yale St. shelter plans without spreading the burden to south county cities that don’t host any shelters. County officials said the shelter would be an improvement over the existing Courtyard shelter that’s being replaced.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
OC Supervisors Stay Silent on Evidence Misconduct Revelations While Authorizing More Sheriff Spending
While authorizing new spending this week for the Sheriff’s Department, county supervisors continue to remain silent about mounting revelations of Sheriff’s Department evidence booking misconduct that could weaken thousands of criminal cases.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
At Least 91 Convictions Involved Missing Evidence, DA Says, Casting Doubt on Sheriff’s Statements
An ongoing review by prosecutors – as well as court documents – are prompting questions about whether Orange County’s top law enforcement officer has been telling the whole truth.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
OC Supervisors Accused of Failing to Hold Sheriff’s Department Accountable
The Sheriff’s Department has faced controversy in recent weeks over revelations that an internal audit found hundreds of cases where deputies failed to follow policy in booking drugs, cash, photos, and videos in criminal cases by the end of their shift.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Investigative, News Briefs, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Sheriff Officials Buried Misconduct Reports, Ex-Sergeant Testified
And audit found that more than 60 reports alleging misconduct or crimes by sheriff officials had not been not investigated, Sgt. William West said in testimony reported by the Orange County Register.
