With holiday season quickly approaching and Black Friday and Cyber Monday around the corner, chances are you are starting to order presents over the phone, via the Internet, or by mail. Most people have packages delivered straight to their front porch. The majority of deliveries do not require a signature and are generally left at your door, even if no one is home to accept them. This time of year brings out those looking for a crime of opportunity as well as those thieves that actually target your delivery. Thieves will follow or watch for the UPS, Fed Ex or other delivery trucks and then target a home after a delivery is made.

Here are some tips you can follow to keep your presents safe from porch pirates:
• Install a security camera on your porch, put thieves on the defense by recording their every move
• Use your workplace as the shipping address
• Track your shipments by phone, on-line, or by carrier app so you know what day they should arrive
• Ask your neighbor to watch for your delivery and then hold the items until you arrive home
• Keep an eye on your neighborhood and report suspicious persons and vehicles sitting or cruising the area – See Something, Say Something!
• Request a signature delivery option, if available
• Have the shipment be held at the shipping facility such as a UPS office or an Amazon Pick Up Point
• Utilize a "mailbox" businesses in your town and see if they will accept shipment of your item for a fee
• If you do not receive your shipment on time, check with the company of origin and confirm the delivery. If the item was delivered and you did not receive it, then report the theft or loss to the original company, the shipping company, and your local police.

Have a safe holiday season!

November is National Child Safety and Protection Month, a nationwide effort to promote awareness for the potential hazards that children may face in everyday situations, as well as how to react to—or prevent—emergency situations.

Tips from the National Network of Child Care to prevent injury or death include:
• Use safety gates. Even before your baby crawls, install safety gates to match your home and protect curious children from harm. Hardware mounted gates should be installed at the top and bottom of the stairs.
• Prepare for bedtime: Remove all soft, fluffy and loose bedding from the baby’s sleep area. This includes pillows, blankets, quilts, bumper pads, sleep positioners, sheepskins, stuffed toys and other soft products.
• Be mindful of plants. Choose decorative plants that are nontoxic. Common household plants can often cause serious sickness.
• Update your exterior. Place a welcome mat outside your home or apartment. Pesticides and other toxins may be carried inside on the soles of people's shoes.
• Keep things tidy. Storage bins offer a great way to store toys and baby supplies, preventing anyone from tripping.
• Get creative. Hand paint electrical outlet covers to blend into walls. Install door knob covers as a means to keep little hands from opening doors.
• Lock it up. Put locks on anything and everything that can open.
• Be cautious of choking hazards. Be vigilant about coins, marbles, keys, jewelry, paper clips, water bottle tops, safety pins, removable rubber tips on doorstops, jeweled decorations on children's clothing, crayons, and hard and round foods.
• Check out your furniture. Use angle braces or anchors to secure large furniture to the wall. Place TVs, DVD players, and stereo systems on lower furniture, as far back as possible.
• Hot water: Set hot water heaters no higher than 120 degrees F. A lower water temperature reduces the chance of scald burns.

Even with the best planning, emergency situations do happen. Parents should make every effort to understand their child’s schedule, as well as any secret places he or she may go with friends.

Maintaining current photo identification, records, and other pertinent information will increase a family’s –and law enforcement’s - odds in locating a lost child.

Take advantage of this National Child Safety and Protection Month to create a plan and protect your child in an emergency.

TUSTIN, Ca. - A man was arrested at his residence in unincorporated Tustin on Wednesday for possessing explosive devices, fireworks and a large amount precursor materials to make explosive devices.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Mounted Enforcement Unit (MEU) is saddened to announce the tragic passing of Police Service Horse Cloud after he suffered a medical emergency during monthly training on Wednesday, Nov. 7 in Riverside County.  Cloud’s passing is the first on-duty MEU death in the nearly 50-year history of the unit.

Cloud was a valued member of the team, serving for the last three years in a variety of assignments including patrols in the canyons, the annual Air Show in Huntington Beach, Fourth of July celebrations in Dana Point, as well as crowd control for large protests.  Most recently, Cloud and his partner, Deputy Arnold Deedrick, participated in a Trunk-or-Treat event in Dana Point.  Deputy Deedrick and Cloud stood for several hours passing out candy and greeting children as they walked around in their Halloween costumes.

Cloud, an Arabian horse, proved to be a strong, loyal and dependable partner for several deputies throughout his career. He readily accepted any assignment he was given and was deployed more than 200 times during his tenure with the unit.

Cloud was owned and ridden by Deputy Deedrick, but he also has been a member of Sgt. Bruce Frazee’s family for the past 17 years.  Cloud will deeply be missed by Deputy Deedrick, Sgt. Frazee, their families and the men and women of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department who had the honor of working with him.  Cloud, we thank you for your service.

The Mounted Enforcement Unit is comprised of sergeants, investigators, regular, reserve and extra help deputies working collateral to their normal duty assignments to provide security to various events throughout the year. As a force multiplier, the Mounted Enforcement Unit is an integral part of effective crowd management for large events, while also serving in a more traditional patrol function by working the canyons, parks and beaches. The Unit has expanded its role in the community to include school education and community outreach programs and a Mounted Color Guard to honor the flag at special events, parades, and funerals throughout the year.

Two men are in custody after keen observation by an Orange County Sheriff’s deputy interrupted a commercial burglary in progress.

At approximately 2:45 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4, a deputy was conducting a patrol check in the business area of Lake Forest Drive and Rockfield Avenue in the city of Lake Forest when he noticed a woman sitting in a vehicle parked outside a business.  

As the deputy approached the vehicle, he saw the door to WaBa Grill was ajar and there were two men wearing masks inside. The deputy called for assistance and multiple units responded to surround the building.

The suspects attempted to escape by smashing the rear glass door of the business, but deputies were there to take them into custody.

Lavone King, 29, of Long Beach, was arrested on suspicion of felony commercial burglary and a parole violation. He currently is being held at the Orange County Jail and is not eligible for bail. Martin Peoples, 28, of Palmdale, was arrested on suspicion of felony burglary and is also being held at the Orange County Jail. His bail is set at $120,000.

Whitney Finlayson, 32, of Adelanto, also was booked into the Orange County Jail on suspicion of burglary and has posted bond.

“These arrests are a great example of proactive policing by our deputies,” said Cmdr. Dave Sawyer, who oversees field operations for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. “The Sheriff’s Department actively works to stop crime and arrest people who choose to break the law.” 

SANTA ANA, Ca. (November 9, 2018) - In June 2018, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) became aware of an issue with attorney-client privileged phone calls between inmates and their attorneys. In July 2018, the contractor who provides phone service to inmates in the OCSD jails, Global Tel Link Corporation (GTL), revealed that due to human error by a GTL employee, 1,079 inmate telephone calls to numbers that should have been designated as “do not record” were erroneously recorded by the contractor.

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SANTA ANA, Ca. (Nov. 7, 2018) – Please see the statement below from Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens. “I congratulate Sheriff-elect Don Barnes on a well-earned victory! He is the right person for the job and will be ready to lead the Orange County Sheriff’s Department on day one.”

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STANTON, Calif. (Nov. 6, 2018) – The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will step up bike and pedestrian safety enforcement operations in the city of Stanton on Monday, Nov. 12, with focused enforcement on collision-causing factors involving motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.

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SANTA ANA, Ca. (Nov. 2, 2018) - The Orange County Sheriff’s Department – OC Crime Lab has been awarded a $316,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for training and enhanced DUID testing.

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Across the nation, the opioid crisis continues to ravage communities and claim new victims every day, including here in Orange County.

The most dramatic change law enforcement has seen in this recent epidemic has been the introduction of fentanyl – a highly potent synthetic opioid that is strong enough to cause an overdose with as little as 2 milligrams.

Since January, OCSD narcotics teams have intercepted 12.5 kilograms of this deadly drug and arrested seven people attempting to sell and transport it. That amount is enough for roughly 6 million people – nearly twice the county’s population -- to fatally overdose.

Fentanyl does not discern whether the user is a first-timer or a long-time abuser.  It is impossible for an individual to know their limit with this drug, and there is no such thing as experimenting because one use could be enough to prompt the body to shut down.  

Fentanyl is that dangerous, and the numbers prove it.

According to the Orange County Crime Lab, from 2015 to 2016, the county saw a 100 percent increase in deaths attributed to fentanyl. Los Angeles County saw a 136 percent increase for that same time period.

In 2010, fentanyl was found in postmortem testing in 23 deaths. In 2017, that number jumped to 67 deaths, which could climb higher once all pending 2017 cases are cleared.  

For DUIDs: There were seven cases with fentanyl detected in 2016, but last year that number jumped to 44 cases.

Labeling this sharp increase in the use of opioids, specifically fentanyl, a crisis is not an overstatement.

The 12.5 kilograms seized by OCSD so far this year is from one division – albeit a very active one -- of a department that employs diverse programs to intercept illegal drugs and hold those trafficking them accountable.

In addition to narcotics teams and the Highway Interdiction Team, those responsible for the 12.5 kilograms seized, Operation Stonegarden tackles similar smuggling attempts on the water and the Regional Narcotics Suppression Program (RNSP) focuses on intervening in drug import attempts in a variety of ways, including by using air surveillance. Personnel working the airport and Orange County transit systems focus on catching any attempts to move narcotics in our county, while patrol deputies also make this effort a routine part of their shift.    

On the analysis side, the Orange County Crime Lab helps put the problem into context so law enforcement better understands the scope of the issue and can better deploy resources.

While the Sheriff’s Department actively and aggressively pursues those bringing fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the county, drug education in our community continues to be a critical prevention component.

The Sheriff’s Department is proud to partner with local schools through the work of Community Programs, Drug Liaison Officers, School Resource Officers and the Pepperdine Resource, Youth Diversion and Education (PRYDE) program. These programs are vital to educating youth and teens about the dangers of drugs, but these lessons must extend beyond the school campus.

Parents and community members can help by learning more about the dangers of fentanyl, and other opioids, and talking with children and teens about it. Start these talks early and have them often. Find valuable resources by visiting drugfree.org.