Teachers and administrators aren’t the only ones hard at work in the summer months in preparation for the upcoming school year. 

Every summer, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department School Resource Officers participate in specialized training that helps keep campuses and students safe.

This year, for the first time, the 16 SROs engaged in a SRO Summer Summit – a 40-hour training course that covers a variety of topics including behavioral threat assessments, updates on laws pertaining to juveniles, how to handle suspected child abuse, how to gauge whether a student is under the influence, and how to ensure campuses are safeguarded against threats.

The training culminated with a scenario-based active shooter drill that included student volunteers from the OCSD Explorer program and several administrators from local school districts.

Administrators were encouraged to participate in the training to better understand what the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s response looks like during a critical incident, such as an active shooter.

Following the SRO Summit, law enforcement personnel, along with teachers, administrators, school counselors and school nurses, participated in a joint training focused on addressing school violence and how to manage threats.

The thorough and dynamic training helps ensure Orange County schools are not only prepared for a critical incident, but also that school officials and law enforcement are equipped to recognize pre-incident indicators and effectively manage various types of threats.

Thanks to an engaged community and quick work by investigators, a man suspected of vandalizing a San Clemente middle school with hate-inspired graffiti is in custody.

Deputies at about 9:45 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 19, responded to reports of graffiti on multiple buildings at Shorecliffs Middle School in the 200 block of Via Socorro. When deputies arrived, they found eight areas had been tagged with white supremacist symbols and monikers.   

Investigators released screen shots taken from surveillance footage and posted it to the San Clemente Police Services Facebook page to solicit the community’s help in identifying the suspect.

Multiple residents who saw the post helped in providing tips to investigators, which eventually led to identifying 20-year-old San Clemente resident Kyle Hackett as the suspect.

Hackett was arrested Monday, Aug. 20, on suspicion of felony vandalism and a misdemeanor hate crime.

SAN JUANCAPISTRANO, Ca. (August 20, 2018) – Anin-custody death of a male subject occurred today following an altercation between the subject and deputies. At approximately 4:40 p.m. deputies were called to the 32000 block of Camino Capistrano in the city of San Juan Capistrano regarding a male who was acting erratically and entering and exiting businesses in the area. Deputies contacted the subject, who is a man in his twenties.

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SANTA ANA, Ca. (Aug. 20, 2018) - As we enter the final stretch of summer spending time at the pool or barbequing with friends and family, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department is driving home the importance of celebrating responsibly by not driving, or riding a motorcycle, impaired.

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MISSION VIEJO, Ca. (August 15, 2018)  - The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) and Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) released today an operating plan for Air Search and Rescue that outlines how air operations will be coordinated between the two public service agencies.

 

Air search and rescue responsibilities are, by California government code 26614 and the Cal-OES Model Operating Plan, the primary responsibility of the Sheriff with authority for the Sheriff to request assistance from any public safety organization for search and rescue activity.  For the past several months, leaders from OCFA and OCSD have worked cooperatively to develop the operating plan and have been successfully operating under the principles of the agreement. 

 

“Much of the credit for today’s agreement goes to the leadership of OCFA’s Fire Chief Brian Fennessy,” said Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens. “The goal of our collaboration is not to duplicate efforts, but to compliment capabilities, fill in gaps, and serve as a force multiplier during catastrophic events. Ultimately, cooperation between our agencies makes Orange County safer.”

 

“Today marks an important milestone in the relationship between the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Orange County Fire Authority,” said OCFA Chief Brian Fennessy, “it sets a framework and a course forward for both of these elite agencies to work together to serve the people of Orange County and provide the very best public safety services to our communities.”

 

The vision of Chief Fennessy and Sheriff Hutchens is for the operating plan to focus on patient-centered care and service delivery, and that safety is never compromised. The goals and objectives outlined in the plan include short, medium and long-term plans with delineated responsibilities and increased communication between the two agencies.

 

The newly adopted operating plan enhances public safety for all Orange County residents and ensures that taxpayer resources are used in a manner that is both efficient and effective. Used as a guideline, the operating plan will allow both agencies to operate seamlessly with maximized collaboration.

 

The operating plan will be updated annually, or more frequently as needed, to provide operational guidelines to Air Support Operations, Incident Commanders and rescue personnel. A copy of the OCFA/OCSD Air Support Unit and Air Operations Operating Plan is available at ocfa.org and ocsd.org.

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The Orange County Sheriff’s Department on Friday, Aug. 3, arrested a 27-year-old-man suspected of jumping off Newport Beach’s Lido Bridge and landing on a passing vessel, injuring a 66-year-old woman.

OCSD Harbor Patrol responded to the incident at approximately 2:10 p.m. on July 24. A video capturing the incident was posted to YouTube July 25.

The case was assigned to OCSD investigators July 31, and their diligent work led to Friday’s arrest. Costa Mesa resident Cody Green was taken into custody outside his home at approximately 12:15 p.m. He was booked in the Orange County Jail on suspicion of assault and felony vandalism

                       

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SANTA ANA, Ca. (July 26, 2018) - An investigation by a multi-agency operation to intercept narcotics and hold drug traffickers accountable has resulted in the arrest of three men and the confiscation of 184 pounds of illegal narcotics and five guns.

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A quick response Sunday afternoon from the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol led to the rescue of 13 passengers on a quickly sinking vessel about a half-mile off the coast of Newport Beach.

At approximately 2:20 p.m., the Harbor Patrol crew was dispatched to a location about a half-mile south of the entrance to Newport Harbor after a boat owner reported his 30-foot fishing boat, the Bonnie Mac, was smoking and taking on water.

The Bonnie Mac was a new addition to an Irvine family that had purchased the fishing boat just five months earlier.

Having just paid for maintenance on the boat approximately a week earlier, the abrupt alarm signaling the Bonnie Mac was taking on water shocked the 51-year-old boat owner.

He and his 18-year-old son, who had invited friends out for a cruise on the ocean, tried to find the source of the problem but were unable to identify the issue.

The owner turned the Bonnie Mac back toward Newport Harbor and continued to drive the boat in an attempt to use engine power and forward momentum to slow the flooding.

The owner called the United States Coast Guard for aid, but the USCG contacted the OCSD Harbor Patrol as the best option to quickly pull the passengers from the sinking fishing boat to safety.

An OCSD patrol boat was first on scene and a deputy evacuated 12 adults and teens onto his boat.

A short time later, two OCSD fire boats and a Newport Beach City Lifeguard vessel arrived and aided in the rescue. The passengers boarded the lifeguard boat while the Harbor Patrol crews set their focus on attempting to save the Bonnie Mac.  

Tying a rescue boat to the vessel, the crew used three pumps in an attempt to dispel water more quickly than the damaged fishing boat was taking it on, but the flooding outpaced the power of the pumps.

The weight of the sinking Bonnie Mac put so much tension on the rescue lines that the Harbor Patrol boat started to tip and the crew eventually had to cut the fishing boat free.   

The Bonnie Mac sank in under a minute at about 2:45 p.m.

 “Although we never like to lose a boat, we are very grateful that we were able to rescue the 13 passengers and nobody was injured,” said Sgt. Isaac Felter. “The deputies did an outstanding job.”

OCSD Harbor Patrol responds to approximately 4,000 calls for service every year between Orange County’s three harbors, with Newport Harbor fielding more than 2,000 of those calls.

Last year, deputies in Newport Harbor responded to 86 rescues. Sunday’s rescue marked No. 41 so far this year in Newport.

“We respond to a significant number of rescue calls every year, but this one was somewhat unique,” Felter said. “Being out of the harbor and in choppy seas presented an added challenge, but our deputies are well-trained for these kinds of situations.”

Members of OCSD Harbor Patrol assisted in pulling the Bonnie Mac from the ocean  to de-water it Monday night.

Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested two men suspected of robbing one victim and attempting to rob another Sunday night in Lake Forest.

Just after 9 p.m., deputies were dispatched to the 23000 block of Orange Avenue after a caller reported a man approached him, pulled a handgun and demanded his cell phone and wallet.

The caller described the suspect as a Hispanic male in his 40s wearing a green shirt, shorts and a black backpack.

Eight minutes later, while on the way to the initial call, deputies at 9:11 p.m. were alerted to a second robbery outside a bar near El Toro Road and Muirlands Boulevard.

The victim reported two suspects approached him outside, pulled a gun and demanded his watch. The victim did not turn over his property, and the suspects ran from the scene.

The description of the weapon and one of the suspects matched the first victim’s report. The second suspect was described by the second victim as a Hispanic male his 30s wearing a white polo shirt.

Deputies responded to the area of the robberies and detained two men who the victims later identified as the suspects.  

The first victim’s wallet and cell phone were recovered and returned. In addition, deputies recovered a black pellet gun that matched the victims’ description of the weapon used in the crimes.

Lucio Martinez, 38, of Lake Forest, was arrested on suspicion of robbery and attempted robbery. Osman Cano, 29, of Lake Forest, was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery. Both men were booked into the Orange County Jail.

Martinez is in custody and is being held on $50,000 bail. He is expected to appear in court Tuesday, July 17. Cano, who was on probation at the time of his arrest, is ineligible for bail. Cano also is expected to appear in court Tuesday, July 17.

Thanks to the prompt and thorough reports by each victim, our deputies were able to swiftly and effectively respond to this call. Remember: If you are ever a victim of a crime or a witness to a crime, call 911 and report it immediately.