Courts
The Sheriff’s Department functions at five justice centers. The five justice centers are: Central Justice Center, North Justice Center, West Justice Center, Harbor Justice Center, and Lamoreaux Justice Center. The Court Operations currently has 354 employees consisting of both sworn and professional staff.
Corrections
The Sheriff’s Department operates five county jail facilities. The Orange County Central Jail Complex provides safe and secure facilities for the processing and housing of inmates in the Intake and Release Center, Central Men’s Jail, Central Women’s Jail, and Transportation as directed by law. There are currently 690 dedicated men and women assigned to the maximum-security Central Jail Complex in the city of Santa Ana. The James A. Musick Facility is a 100-acre minimum-security jail facility located in the unincorporated area of Orange County. The Theo Lacy Facility is a maximum-security jail complex situated on the banks of the Santa Ana Riverbed in the city of Orange. There are currently 480 dedicated men and women assigned to this maximum security facility.
Airport Operations
The Sheriff’s Department has provided police services at John Wayne Airport (JWA) since 1978. The division works closely with airport management, the Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the 10 air carriers serving the airport.
Special Operations Division
Special Operations provides specialized police services to safeguard the community of Orange County against the threats of terrorism, criminal activity and major disasters. The components of the division include: Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Bureau, Air Support Bureau and Special Enforcement Bureau. The members of Special Operations are committed to the pursuit of a coordinated strategy of preparedness, which will ensure the readiness of our “first responders” who are ultimately entrusted with the mission of protecting all the citizens and visitors of our county.
Air Support Bureau
The Aviation Support Bureau is responsible for aerial support of law enforcement and fire/rescue ground units during routine and high-risk operations. The Unit provides coverage seven days per week and performs scheduled patrol flights and special assignments as needed. Flight crews are able to rapidly transport members of a Bomb Squad, SWAT, Dive Team and K-9’s to the scene of an incident or other emergency situations.
Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center (OCIAC)
As a multi-agency, multi-discipline task force, the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center (OCIAC) is a major urban fusion center and operates within the national network of fusion in accordance with the following priorities: National Strategy for information sharing, National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan, Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative, Fusion Center Guidelines and Baseline Capabilities for State Major Urban Area Fusion Centers.
Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)
The Sheriff’s Department SWAT team provides a variety of specialized law enforcement services to the unincorporated county areas, the Department’s contract cities, John Wayne Airport, OCTA, the Superior Courts, Probation Department, and the county’s harbors, parks and beaches. The SWAT team is also a critical member of the county’s Joint Hazardous Assessment Team (JHAT).
Investigator/Deputy Special Assignments
The Investigations Division is comprised of the Criminal Investigations and Special Investigations Bureaus. The Investigations Division is charged with the investigative and follow-up responsibilities of specific criminal action, which has occurred within the jurisdiction of the Sheriff’s Department.
Criminal Investigations Bureau (CIB)
CIB is designed and administered to investigate and suppress all violators of law relating to Homicide, Sex Crimes, Family Violence, Financial and Computer Crimes as well as various specialized units associated with county, state, and federal task forces. North Investigations conducts investigations of crimes that occur in the unincorporated areas of North Orange County, John Wayne Airport, the Orange County Fairgrounds, the Harbor Division, and Orange County Transportation Authority routes. In addition, crimes that occur in County Jails, the courthouses, the contract city of Villa Park, and at all county facilities.
Computer Forensics Detail
The Computer Forensics Detail conducts forensic examinations on all forms of digital media seized during criminal investigations. The primary role to this detail is to conduct examinations in support of other investigative details.
Financial Crimes Detail
The Financial Crimes Detail is responsible for investigating crimes associated with check and credit card fraud, grand theft, theft of public funds, embezzlement, theft by false pretenses, computer crimes, consumer fraud, a variety of business fraud, identity theft, as well as real estate and elder financial fraud.
Homicide Detail
The Homicide Detail investigates all murders, manslaughter (non-traffic related), and questionable deaths. The detail is also responsible for investigating officer-involved shootings, child abductions, kidnapping for ransom, adult missing persons reports and administrative criminal investigations.
Special Victims Detail
The Investigators assigned to this detail are responsible for the in-depth, follow-up investigation of any criminal allegation that is sexual in nature. These cases include rape, sexual assault or battery, sexual abuse and molestation of children.
Sexual Offender Notification and Registration (SONAR) Team
The primary mission of the SONAR unit is to identify, locate, maintain records and contact all registered sex offenders known to be residing in the Sheriff’s jurisdiction.
Special Operations / Dignitary Protection / Intelligence
Tasked with the responsibility of identifying, investigating and prosecuting suspected vice offenders, maintaining close working relationships with other agencies worldwide, assessing threat levels and providing security for visiting dignitaries to Orange County.
Fugitive Warrants Detail
This detail serves all warrants sent to the department from the courts including traffic, misdemeanor, felony, and fugitive warrants. The Fugitive Warrants Detail also handles all extraditions, renditions, and Governor’s Warrants for Orange County. Investigators are also responsible for the apprehension of inmates who have escaped from the Orange County Jail System.
Special Investigations Bureau (SIB)
The Special Investigations Bureau (SIB) is designed and administered to deter, investigate, and suppress all violations of law relating to narcotics substance abuse, suppression of street gangs, and vice activities. The SIB is divided into five separate components: Gang Enforcement, Narcotics, Specialized Task Forces, Special Operations and Vice.
Gang Enforcement Team (GET)
This unit is specifically structured to counteract gang activities by proactively engaging in street gang suppression operations. Through the use of directed patrol, and the gathering of gang-related intelligence, Deputies assigned to GET are able to focus on the gangs indigenous to, or routinely operating within, the Sheriff’s Department jurisdiction.
Tri-Agency Resource Gang Enforcement Team (TARGET)
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department North and South GET teams participate in a Tri-Agency Resource Gang Enforcement Team (TARGET) program. TARGET is a cooperative arrangement between law enforcement, the county Probation Department and the District Attorney’s Office designed to more effectively identify, prosecute and monitor known gang members and associates.
Regional Narcotics Suppression Program (RNSP)
RNSP is a multi-agency task force that combats high-level drug trafficking organizations through the identification, apprehension and conviction of high-level drug traffickers as well as the seizure of assets derived from drug trafficking. The program’s coordinated drug enforcement efforts throughout the county, state, and nation have resulted in successful large-scale seizures, arrests and prosecution.
Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force (OCHTTF)
A multi-agency task force designed to combat human trafficking through identification, rescue and assisting victims of all forms of human trafficking. The task force is a collaboration of law enforcement, non-governmental organizations, faith based organizations and the community.
Los Angeles Border Enforcement Security Task Force (LA BEST)
To enhance border security by fostering coordinated efforts among Federal, State, and local Law Enforcement to protect US border cities and communities from trans-national crime, including violence associated with drug trafficking, arms smuggling, illegal alien trafficking, smuggling and kidnapping along and across the international borders of the United States.
Orange County Child Exploitation Task Force (OCCETF)
A multi-agency task force which investigates Internet-related crimes against children as well as crimes involving the possession, production and distribution of child pornography.
Agencies include:
- Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD)
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE)
- Homeland Security Investigations (HIS)
- Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service
- Newport Beach Police Department
Airport Interdiction Team
The Airport Interdiction Team is a task force comprised of members from the division and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to include a narcotic trained K9. Team members conduct daily surveillance of airline flights, network with airline employees and other task forces throughout the country in their efforts to seize drugs and any narcotics related bulk currency.
Highway Interdiction Team
The Highway Interdiction Team program was established to curb the availability of illicit drugs and the harmful effects these drugs have within our communities. The unit’s goal is to disrupt and dismantle Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) through seizures of large quantities of drugs and bulk currency and to arrest and prosecute the offenders. The Highway Interdiction Team is located with the South Narcotics Unit.
Orange County Proactive Methamphetamine Laboratory Investigation Team (PROACT)
The primary mission of PROACT is to proactively seek out and eradicate methamphetamine labs by targeting, investigating and arresting methamphetamine laboratory operators. The Team is responsible for the investigation of all clandestine drug laboratories and for the safe dismantling and processing of all clandestine laboratory sites.
The Postal Interdiction Task Force
The Postal Interdiction Task Force was established in 2013 and comprised of personnel from the division, the United States Postal Service and Santa Ana Police Department. Their mission is to disrupt/dismantle drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and other criminal groups who utilize the U.S. Post Office to conduct their illicit activities. Typically, their investigations result in the seizure of large quantities of narcotics and bulk currency.
