Dana Point, Ca. (January 30, 2022): – The Sheriff’s Department will take part in a bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement operation aimed at educating bicyclists, drivers and pedestrians on traffic laws, rules and responsibilities.

On Tuesday, February 1, deputies will be looking for violations made by bicyclists, drivers and pedestrians that put roadway users at risk. These violations include drivers speeding, making illegal turns, failing to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, failing to stop for signs and signals or any other dangerous violation.

Deputies will also look for pedestrians who cross the street illegally or fail to yield to drivers who have the right of way. Bike riders will be stopped when riding on the wrong side of the road, not complying with stop signs and signals, or other violation of the same traffic laws that apply to them as drivers.

Bicycle and pedestrian fatalities are rising at an alarming rate. In 2016, 138 bicyclists and 867 pedestrians were killed on California roads. Pedestrian fatalities are up nearly 33 percent from 2012, and the number of bicyclists killed are up nearly 25 percent over the past five years.

People walking should only cross the street using crosswalks or intersections, preferably with a stop sign or signal. People on foot should also look for cars backing up and avoid darting between parked cars, make eye contact with drivers and wear bright clothing during the day and reflective materials or use a flashlight at night.

Drivers should wait for pedestrians to cross the street, avoid distractions like using a cell phone, and be courteous and patient. All bike riders are reminded to always wear a helmet; helmets are required by law for those under 18. Bicyclists must travel in the same direction of traffic and have the same requirements as any slow moving vehicle.

The Sheriff’s Department supports the new OTS public awareness campaign, “Go Safely, California.” To find out more about ways to go safely, visit gosafelyca.org.

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

###

SANTA ANA, Calif. – Orange County law enforcement agencies are warning residents about an elaborate scheme thieves are using to steal vehicles from members of the Latino community under the guise of hiring them to transport money using their own vehicles. Most of the victims were targeted through ads posted on Facebook Marketplace and other social media platforms and the transactions were mainly conducted in Spanish.

In more than 50 cases across Orange County, unsuspecting victims were left without the exorbitant sums of money they were promised to be paid for the job and without their vehicles after the criminals left in the vehicle after telling the victims they needed to take it to another location to load it with the money to be transported. The victims were left waiting on the street for their vehicle to return and the thieves never came back.

The Orange County Auto Theft Task Force (OCATT) has investigated more than 50 of these cases occurring in cities across Orange County since July 2021.

Because of the nature of the theft, some victims have been hesitant to contact law enforcement.

“These criminals are preying on those who may be struggling financially through advertising get-rich-quick schemes,” Sheriff Don Barnes said. “The Sheriff’s Department and our regional law enforcement partners are working to educate our communities about these criminal enterprises and how to protect themselves. Do not fall prey to these scams.”

“Members of the Latino community are being specifically targeted by these thieves in the hopes that they are too afraid to come forward out of fear that they too may be implicated in a criminal enterprise or have deportation issues,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “Many people have to rely on a single vehicle for transportation for their entire family to go to work and school and having that vehicle stolen is devastating. We will not allow these predators to continue to target vulnerable victims just to make a quick buck.”

 “Through collaboration with our partnering Orange County law enforcement agencies, the Tustin Police Department has continuously worked to limit the impact of these crimes on our Latino community,” said Tustin Police Chief Stu Greenberg. “We will continue to thoroughly investigate any type of crimes reported to our Law Enforcement Officers while seeking to identify and arrest all individuals operating under this false pretense.” 

If you have been a victim or have been solicited regarding this scheme, please contact your local police agency. Anonymous tips can be submitted to OC Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227) or at occrimestoppers.org.

SANTA ANA, Ca. (Jan. 26, 2022): Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Don Barnes announced today that he has commissioned the County’s first Homeless Death Review Committee to review deaths of people experiencing homelessness in Orange County.

Sheriff-Coroner Barnes is commissioning the committee through the Orange County Coroner’s Office, a division of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The Homeless Death Review Committee, consisting of technical experts from both the public and private sectors, will explore the root causes of the reviewed deaths and determine what, if any, factors contributing to the deaths were preventable.

While the Sheriff’s Department and Orange County Coroner’s Office have tracked deaths of people experiencing homelessness for many years, the Homeless Death Review Committee will provide an extensive and in-depth review. Based on this review, the committee will develop an independent report with recommendations to Sheriff-Coroner Barnes and policymakers to find solutions that assist in reducing the number of preventable deaths of people experiencing homelessness.

“Addressing the impacts of homelessness remains a top priority for the Sheriff’s Department and our County partners,” said Sheriff-Coroner Barnes. “This Review Committee presents an opportunity to make data-driven policy decisions that will ultimately result in lives saved and an enhanced quality of life for our community.”

A Mortality Review Committee is a recommended best practice by the National Health Care for the Homeless Council. Several jurisdictions have employed the use of these committees to assist in developing policies aimed at reducing preventable deaths.

The Orange County Homeless Death Review Committee will be comprised of representatives from the Orange County Coroner’s Office, the Orange County Health Care Agency, the County of Orange Social Services Agency, the Hospital Association of Southern California, the Orange County Medical Association, multiple experts in providing direct service to individuals experiencing homelessness, and at least one municipal law enforcement agency. The committee will hold its first meeting in the spring of 2022.

YORBA LINDA, Ca. (February 8, 2022): The Orange County Sheriff’s Department will be conducting a DUI/Driver’s License Checkpoint on Friday, February 11, from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. at an undisclosed location in the city of Yorba Linda.

DUI Checkpoints are placed in locations based on collision statistics and frequency of DUI arrests. Deputies will be looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment, with deputies checking drivers for proper licensing.

The Sheriff’s Department reminds drivers that “DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.” If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you might be impaired enough to get a DUI. Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI.

In 2019, 1,066 people were killed in alcohol-involved crashes on California roads.

The Sheriff’s Department offers these reminders to ensure you have a safe night of fun that doesn’t involve a DUI:

• Always use a designated sober driver – a friend who is not drinking, ride-share, cab or public transportation – to get home.
• See someone who is clearly impaired try and drive? Take the keys and help them make other arrangements to find a sober way home.
• Report drunk drivers – Call 911.
• Hosting a party? Offer nonalcoholic drinks. Monitor who are drinking and how they are getting home.

Getting home safely is cheap, but getting a DUI is not. Drivers caught driving impaired and charged with DUI can expect the impact of a DUI arrest to be upwards of $13,500. This includes fines, fees, DUI classes, license suspension and other expenses, not to mention possible jail time.

Funding for this checkpoint is provided to the Sheriff’s Department by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

LAKE FOREST, Ca. (Jan. 20, 2022): A deputy-involved shooting occurred the evening of Jan. 19, 2022, inside the Walmart on Towne Centre Drive in Foothill Ranch, wounding one man who was armed with a gun and a knife.

Deputies responded to a call of suspicious circumstances at Walmart at 9:40 p.m. Multiple subjects inside the store were believed to be attempting to commit fraud by returning items they had not purchased. Deputies contacted the subjects inside the store. According to witness statements, a male subject was uncooperative with deputies’ commands and produced a weapon. A deputy-involved shooting occurred and a male subject was struck. 

Two additional subjects fled the scene, one male and one female. A deputy followed the fleeing subjects and observed one leave the scene in a vehicle. The deputy provided the license plate information to Dispatch and a countywide broadcast was initiated. 

The injured subject was transported to the hospital. He is undergoing surgery and his condition is unknown at this time.

A handgun and a knife believed to belong to the injured subject have been recovered at the scene.

The vehicle that fled was located by deputies in Midway City, approximately 20 miles away, and a male and female subject matching the descriptions of the subjects at Walmart have been detained. At this time, there are no additional suspects and no immediate threat to the community. 

Per protocol, the investigation of the deputy-involved shooting will be handled by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Deputies in Lake Forest are equipped with body-worn cameras. Footage from the incident will be released in accordance with the law and in consultation with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

###

SANTA ANA, Ca. (January 19, 2022): The Orange County Crime Laboratory, a division of the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department, was nationally recognized as a “Registry Implementer” for its high-quality standards and practices in forensic science by the National Institutes of Science and Technology-sponsored Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC).

OSAC recognizes crime labs that meet rigorous standards as defined in their Registry. The Registry is a repository of technically sound standards and best practices for forensic laboratories, and covers a broad spectrum of forensic disciplines including DNA, Toxicology and Digital Evidence.

According to OSAC, these standards can “improve consistency across forensic science disciplines, ensure confidence in the accuracy, reliability, and reproducibility of laboratory results, and positively increase the impact of admissibility and expert testimony in courts of law.”

The Crime Lab is one of 70 labs across the nation recognized as a “Registry Implementer” for adopting standards as outlined by OSAC.

"The OSAC standards process is critically important for the national forensic community, and this collaborative approach involved a significant amount of work by our personnel over the last few years,” said Bruce Houlihan, Director of the Crime Lab. “As a laboratory with many diverse disciplines and services, our goal was to implement all Registry standards applicable to these disciplines."

Implementation of the OSAC standards involved building on the lab's current accreditations with the American National Standards Institute National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). 

“Our personnel worked hard to meet OSAC’s standards while maintaining high quality and productivity,” Houlihan said. “Applying sound scientific principles to the collection, evaluation and interpretation of physical evidence is the core of our mission, and we remain committed to providing excellent service to the residents of Orange County.”

                                                  ###

UPDATE Jan. 15, 2022, 8:30 p.m.- The Tsunami Advisory has been lifted for Orange County. Beaches, harbors and piers have reopened. Although no significant coastal flooding occurred there is a high likelihood of strong currents and waves dangerous to persons in or near the water.  These strong currents may be hazardous to swimmers, boaters and coastal structures and may continue for several hours. Residents are encouraged to exercise caution when in the water. Thank you to the community for your patience during this event.  

SANTA ANA, Ca. (Jan. 15, 2022): A Tsunami Advisory has been issued by the National Tsunami Warning Center for the U.S. West Coast, including the San Diego County and Orange County coast. A volcanic eruption near the Tonga Islands of the South Pacific has generated a tsunami. 

The first waves are expected to arrive in Orange County at approximately 7:55 a.m. Orange County beaches, harbors and piers are closed at this time until further notice, please check with your local city regarding closures. 

Although no significant coastal flooding is expected, some areas could experience dangerous currents and tidal surges due to this tsunami along beaches and in harbors and marinas. The impact of this tsunami will be stronger than normal currents and possible higher than normal tidal surges along the beaches. Residents are encouraged to stay out of the water. 

There will be strong outgoing tidal currents at the same time the tsunami arrives. The combined effect could produce very strong currents in harbors and bays. A Tsunami event is a series of waves that can last for several hours. The first wave is usually not the strongest. 

Local Coastal Officials are monitoring the situation and directing all persons in the coastal areas to: 

• Stay off the beaches and out of the harbors and marinas
• Do not go to the shore to observe the tsunami.
• Do not return to the coast until local emergency officials indicate it is safe to do so.
• Boat operators, where time and conditions permit, move your boat out to sea to a depth of at least 180 feet
• Local officials will determine when areas are safe to open
• Contact your local jurisdiction for more specific information

Do not call 9-1-1 unless you have a life-threatening emergency.

The Orange County Emergency Operations Center has been activated to a level three to monitor conditions and assist affected jurisdictions.

In July of 2015, a deputy was involved in an officer involved shooting in the City of Laguna Woods. No injuries resulted from the OIS, the shooting was determined to be within policy. The case was investigated and criminal charges were filed.

https://cpraazlrshotprod1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/cpraprod1/Mediazip/OIS/OIS.15-161289.zip

Please note that due to the size of the files, and depending on download speeds, it could take several minutes for the files to open.

In December of 2007, a deputy was involved in an officer involved shooting in the City of Aliso Viejo. The case was investigated by the Orange County District Attorney's Office and no criminal charges were filed.

https://cpraazlrshotprod1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/cpraprod1/Mediazip/OIS/OIS.07-252765.zip

Please note that due to the size of the files, and depending on download speeds, it could take several minutes for the files to open.

In September of 2021, deputies were involved in a use of force in the City of Yorba Linda. The Use of Force was determined to be within policy.  

https://cpraazlrshotprod1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/cpraprod1/Mediazip/UOF/UOF.21-030459.zip

Please note that due to the size of the files, and depending on download speeds, it could take several minutes for the files to open.