OCSD to deploy resources to Santa Barbara County in wake of mudslides
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is sending a 39-member Sheriff’s Response Team to Santa Barbara County to aid the community devastated by recent mudslides.
Thirty-three deputies, five sergeants and a lieutenant will provid eemergency mutual-aid to law enforcement in central California. They will learn their specific assignment when they arrive on scene.
The Sheriff’s Department’s deployment, which will later be reimbursed by federal emergency relief funds, will include providing security to areas damaged by heavy mud flow and providing deputies for traffic control and enforcement.
Laguna Niguel DUI checkpoint sees more than 700 cars screened and 11 arrests
A DUI and Driver’s License Checkpoint held Friday night in Laguna Niguel turned out two arrests for drunken driving and another nine for driver’s license violations.
More than 950 cars passed through the checkpoint on Crown Valley Parkway, west of Greenfield Drive, where deputies screened more than 700 vehicles.
Five field sobriety tests were administered, resulting in two DUI arrests. Seven unlicensed drivers were arrested, along with two drivers with suspended licenses. In addition, three vehicles were towed.
A grant provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety allows the Sheriff’s Department to host various checkpoints throughout the year.
While pulling impaired and unlicensed drivers off the road to keep the community safe remains one goal of these checkpoints, they also serve to educate the public on the dangers of drunken or drugged driving.
High-visibility enforcement using both checkpoints and saturation patrols have proven to lower the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol or drug-related crashes. Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized, proactive DUI checkpoints are routinely conducted.
OCSD to serve as NEWS RELEASE: Orange County’s primary Search and Rescue agency in remote areas
Investigators attempt to ID shoplifter
Investigators are seeking the public’s help in identifying awoman accused of shoplifting from two Ladera Ranch retailers on Dec. 7
The woman is suspected of stealing clothing and home goodsfrom two neighboring stores in the 25000 block of Crown Valley Parkway.
If you recognize this woman, please contact Investigator Marshallat 949-315-5871 or kvmarshall@ocsd.org.
VIDEO: Duke catches laser-strike suspect on camera, leads to felony arrest
A 41-year-old man was arrested after discharging a laser at Duke 1 pilots as they patrolled over San Juan Capistrano Wednesday night.
Duke 1 video captures a man standing outside his car firing the laser at Duke multiple times while the helicopter was overhead at about 7:30 p.m. Jan. 10.
Pilots kept tabs on the man, guiding patrol deputies to his location as he drove toward the 5 freeway. The suspect was contacted by deputies and taken into custody without incident.
Farhad Naghipour, 41, of Irvine, was arrested on suspicion of felony discharging a laser at an aircraft.
Although OCSD’s pilots are trained to avert their eyes and aircraft from a laser shot, as they did on Wednesday night, these devices pose a serious threat to pilots.
Some may think these devices appear too small to have a significant impact on an aircraft thousands of feet in the air, but the infrared beam from even a small laser expands as the light projects into the sky.
If the laser shot hits the glass of an aircraft in just the right way, the light refracts, illuminating the inside of the aircraft and potentially disorienting the pilots. Or, if the laser hits the pilot at the right angle, the beam can cause retina damage, headaches, and flash-blindness.
Pointing these devices at an aircraft is a felony in California and became a federal offense in 2012, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which tracks laser incidents across the country.
In March 2015, a man was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pointing a laser at a law enforcement helicopter in Fresno. The stiff penalty, officials said at the time, was handed down in an attempt to discourage others from engaging in the practice.
NEWS RELEASE: Body found in Borrego Park ID'd as missing 19 year old
National Blood Donor Month
January is National Blood Donor Month and we encourage you to help out those in need by donating blood. Did you know that every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood? According to Red Cross, around 36,000 units of blood are needed each day. To do our part, we are hosting the Red Cross Bloodmobile at two locations this month:
January 23 from 8am - 3pm
Red Cross Bloodmobile
20202 Windrow
Lake Forest, CA 92630
January 29 from 7am – 5pm
Red Cross Bloodmobile
Theo Lacy Facility
501 The City Dr S
Orange, CA 92868
Donors can walk-in, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) for availability, or visit redcrossblood.org/give to register.
NEWS BULLETIN: OC Sheriff's Department searching for missing 19-year-old
The Orange County Sheriff's Department is seeking the public's assistance in location 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein, who was last seen Jan. 2 in Lake Forest.
Saying goodbye to Explosive Detection K9, Sam
We are saddened to announce the passing of one of our Explosive Detection K9s, Sam.
Sam, a 9-year-old black Labrador, served with the Sheriff’s Department for more than three years with his partner, Investigator Mireles.
Before joining the Sheriff’s Department, Sam worked as an Explosive Detection K9 with the United States Marine Corps, completing two, four-month tours of duty in Afghanistan. Sam joined the Sheriff's Department through a military surplus program that allowed the department to put Sam's keen nose to good use.
Sam was best suited for sniffing out explosives thanks to his high energy and drive. He’d do anything for a quick round of fetch with his favorite tennis ball – a game that helped ensure some of Orange County’s most well-attended events and venues were safe.
Investigator Mireles and Sam, along with other K9 teams from the OCSD Hazardous Devices Section (commonly referred to as the Bomb Squad), were often called to sweep the Angel Stadium and the Honda Center before big games, or VIP motorcades and hotels housing high-profile clientele. The Huntington Beach Air Show, the US Open of Surfing, the Ohana Festival, and the Orange County Marathon also were among the many events Sam worked.
The energetic Lab didn’t care where his nose was needed, he simply loved being on duty.
When not working his various assignments, Sam lived with Investigator Mireles. He most loved a good game of fetch with a tennis ball or Frisbee, or cooling down in the swimming pool.
Every morning, Sam would greet Investigator Mireles, ready to work. And when the Investigator returned home from an outing without his K9 partner, the unmistakable sound of Labrador feet furiously pawing at the door was there to greet him.
“He was always moving, always jumping and happy, always raring to go,” Mireles said. “He loved what he did.”
Early in November, Investigator Mireles noticed a small mass growing on the side of Sam’s head, but it seemed nothing a trip to the vet and some antibiotics couldn’t fix.
A couple days after seeing the vet, Mireles woke up to give Sam his morning meal and didn’t hear the sound of Labrador paws scratching at the door that he was so accustomed to.
Instead, he was met with silence and Sam lying in his kennel.
Sam was too ill to work.
Mireles noticed the original mass on Sam’s head had grown and was accompanied by a second mass on the opposite side of his head.
After numerous examinations and tests over two months, veterinarians determined the masses were not cancerous but could not pinpoint the disease taking a toll on Sam’s health.
Sam’s condition worsened after several weeks of treatment. He struggled to walk without limping and was clearly in pain.
Sam was put to rest the morning of Jan. 3 with Investigator Mireles by his side. The veterinarians at Yorba Regional Animal Hospital, the facility that cares for the Sheriff’s Department’s K9s, came in one by one to say their goodbyes.
“It was heartbreaking,” Mireles said. “You wonder if Sam knew that day that something about that trip to the vet was different.”
We are grateful for Sam’s years of service to our department and to our country for his work as an Explosive Detection K9.
RIP, Sam.
