The Orange County Crime Laboratory recently was recognized by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors, Inc., positioning Orange County as operating at above 90 percent peak efficiency among other crime laboratories.

Of the 15 labs bestowed the honor, Orange County was the only California lab to earn the distinction.  Crime labs in Texas, Colorado, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Montreal also made the list of high-performing crime labs.

The honor looks to highlight excellence in how crime labs handle their case work from start to finish based on a metrics system called FORESIGHT.   

The FORESIGHTprogram is a business-guided evaluation of how labs function by standardizing metrics to effectively assess work tasks and processes. The FORESIGHTmodel allows participating crime labs to implement business practices that create more productive operations, including ways to effectively manage caseloads, staffing and budgets.

This was the first year ASCLD recognized excellence in crime laboratory management based on this model with its FORESIGHTMaxiumus Award, which evaluated 150 crime laboratories, including international labs.

“While we never sacrifice quality for quantity, the OCCL was recognized for operating at 90 percent of peak efficiency for crime laboratories, which is quite an accomplishment,” said Bruce Houlihan, Director of the OC Crime Lab. “Our personnel are extremely committed, and this award is a reflection of their dedication.”

The OC Crime Lab serves every law enforcement agency in Orange County, the District Attorney’s Office, other agencies operating in Orange County, and the legal community in general. Its personnel process more than 55,000 pieces of evidence and work more than 30,000 cases every year.

The lab was established in 1948 following the famous Overell case, which involved a girlfriend and boyfriend accused of killing the girl’s parents by planting a bomb on a boat. When dynamite was found in the couple’s car, the need for forensic work was emphasized.

Today, the Crime Lab has more than 145 employees and is billed as one of the 25 largest labs in the country. OCCL houses a variety of departments to handle crime-related investigations, including: toxicology, forensic alcohol, controlled substances and clandestine labs; DNA; ballistics and firearms; trace analysis, including explosives, paint, ignitable liquids and fibers; CSI; identification, including photography, fingerprint processing and documenting crime scenes; impression evidence; latent fingerprint comparisons; and CAL-ID, the state-funded fingerprint database and biometrics.

For more information on the OC Crime Lab visit: www.occl.ocgov.com.

Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigators believe there may be more victims of a suspect they arrested who exposed himself to female bus riders on at least three occasions in Orange County.

Deputies at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 19, responded to a report of indecent exposure aboard an Orange County Transportation Authority bus near Highland and Bristol streets in Santa Ana.

A male suspect had positioned himself near a 16-year-old bus passenger and exposed himself to the victim multiple times before proceeding to masturbate in front of her.

As the deputy handling the case investigated, he reviewed bus surveillance footage and recognized the suspect as a man OCSD arrested in February for a similar indecent exposure case aboard an OCTA bus traveling in Anaheim.

The suspect had exposed himself to a 22-year-old woman on Feb. 20 while riding the bus near State College Boulevard and La Palma Avenue.

Carlos Alberto Tirado, 49, of Costa Mesa, was arrested March 17 on suspicion of indecent exposure.

He was released on bail and had been awaiting a court date when the June incident occurred.

While investigating the June 19 case, OCSD personnel recalled a third indecent exposure incident aboard a bus possibly involving the same suspect.

In that incident, the suspect exposed his genitals multiple times and masturbated while making eye contact with a 22-year-old female victim on an OCTA bus in Anaheim. The incident was reported to law enforcement four days later. The investigating deputy went back and reviewed surveillance footage of the Dec. 10, 2017 incident and was able to identify the suspect as Tirado.

Tirado was arrested June 29 on suspicion of indecent exposure and child annoyance. He was booked into the Orange County Jail, where he remains in custody. His bail is set at $25,000, and he is expected to appear in court for a pretrial Aug. 8.

“The victimization of those confronted by the perpetrator is very upsetting and very significant,” said J.D. Hoskins, sergeant for the OCTA Right of Way unit. “We have seen, in some cases, perpetrators like this get progressively more brazen and, if not stopped, graduate to higher-level sex crimes. This was great work by our deputies and investigators to track down and apprehend this suspect.”

Given the nature of Tirado’s activity, OCSD investigators believe there could be more women who were victimized.

Anyone who may have more information or believes they were a victim of such a crime are urged to contact the Sheriff’s Department at 714-265-4340. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.

Trust between the public and law enforcement is continually evolving. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) believes it is important to bring to the attention of the public an unfounded mischaracterization by the Orange County Register that attempts to erode that trust, and was not corrected despite numerous requests.

SANTA ANA, Ca. (June 25, 2018) - The care and custody of inmates is one of the top priorities of the Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD). OCSD operates one of the largest jail systems in the nation while processing more than 50,000 bookings each year and housing more than 6,000 inmates each day. The staff of our jails, both OCSD and healthcare personnel, go to great lengths to ensure the complex health needs of each inmate entrusted to us are met.

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SANTA ANA, Ca. (June 14, 2018) - California Senate Bill 54, which took effect on January 1, 2018, placed restrictions on collaboration between local custody operations and federal law enforcement authorities. These communication restrictions have resulted in 45 criminals with federal detainers re-offending following their release back into the community.

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SANTA ANA, Ca. (June 8, 2018) - Residents in Orange County Sheriff’s Department contract cities and unincorporated areas will be able to better track public safety issues in their neighborhoods with a recently launched software program that allows them to monitor and analyze criminal activity in their area.

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San Clemente, Ca. – Members of the Orange County Sheriff’s DUI Enforcement Team will hold a DUI and Driver’s License Checkpoint this weekend to stop and arrest alcohol and drug-impaired drivers as part of the department’s ongoing traffic safety campaign. 

Orange County Sheriff’s Department and law enforcement agencies across the county, along with members of the community, will gather to commemorate the dedication and service of the county’s fallen officers.

Irvine Police Chief Mike Hamel, president of the Orange County Chiefs’ of Police and Sheriff’s Association, will deliver the keynote address.

SANTA ANA, Ca. (May 16, 2018) - Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigators, in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), continue to investigate the cause of an explosion at an Aliso Viejo business that killed one female and injured two others.

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Sheriff Sandra Hutchens is encouraging the community to participate in a countywide drive to collect baby essentials for families in need.

From now until June 8, HomeAid Orange County, in partnership with the Children and Families Commission of Orange County, will be collecting basic baby essentials such as diapers, wipes and food, which will be distributed to families in our community.  

“The average family needs 3,000 diapers a year for one child,” said Hutchens, who serves as the Honorary Chair for the HomeAid Essentials Campaign. “For homeless families, this means choosing between diapers or food, and that’s no choice any family should have to make.”

HomeAid Orange County will be collecting items at the Builders for Babies event June 8 underneath the “Big A” at Angel Stadium.

In addition, residents can set up their own essentials drive or make an online donation by visiting homeaidessentials.org.