LAKE FOREST, Ca. (Oct. 16, 2020) – Distracted driving is a dangerous and illegal behavior the Sheriff’s Department is working to deter drivers from doing.

On Monday, October 19, deputies will focus their efforts on drivers that are talking, texting, using an app or any other action on their phone that is not hands-free and violates California’s cell phone law. A violation is subject to a $162 fine for the first offense, and at least $285 for a second offense.

VIRTUAL MEDAL OF VALOR: Four deputies who rescued a man inside a burning assisted living facility in Mission Viejo were awarded the Medal of Courage and the Medal for Lifesaving at this year’s ceremony.

On Nov. 30, 2019 at about 2:45 p.m., Deputies Grumbles, Santo and Tomasko were dispatched to a structure fire at an assisted living facility in Mission Viejo.

Upon arrival, the deputies noticed thick black smoke billowing out of the windows and could hear the smoke alarms sounding. An employee approached them and said there were elderly people trapped inside.

The deputies immediately ran to the front door and could hear people screaming from inside the facility. Deputies Grumbles and Tomasko entered the front door with minimal visibility in search of the victims, while Deputy Santo went to shut off the gas to prevent an explosion.  While shutting off the gas, Deputy Santo heard additional screams from inside, so he entered the facility through a sliding glass door.

With less than two feet of visibility and no breathing apparatuses, the three deputies met up inside the home and made their way to an elderly victim’s bedroom.  Since she was unable to get out of bed, they picked her up and placed her in a wheelchair, which they carried outside the building.  While exiting the house, they came across two additional victims who were both employees and safely evacuated them.

After moving everyone away from the fire, the three deputies entered the home once more to make sure no one else was trapped inside.  The deputies were transported to Mission Hospital for excessive smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning.

VIRTUAL MEDAL OF VALOR: Every year the Sheriff’s Advisory Council recognizes a member of the Sheriff’s Department for their distinguished service. This year’s honoree, Sgt. Randy Sterett, was recognized for his exemplary service leading the Hazardous Devices Section, also known as the Bomb Squad, for 25 years.

Sergeant Randy Sterett has demonstrated unparalleled commitment and dedication to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD).  He is nationally and internationally recognized as a premier bomb technician in the bomb disposal community.

During Randy’s 33 years with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) and his 25 years with the Hazardous Devices Section (HDS) a.k.a. the “Bomb Squad,” he has displayed an unrelenting passion for educating public safety professionals.  He is not only a POST instructor, but also an adjunct faculty for local colleges.  His interest in course design and presentation led to the development and certification of several different bomb/explosive incident response courses over a decade ago, some of which are still delivered to this day.  Randy was instrumental in developing a three-day POST-Certified Active Bomber Course (ABC), numerous introduction to homemade explosives manufacturing courses, and the nationally recognized Tactical Bomb Technician certification course, which is currently delivered by the FBI.

Randy served as the HDS sergeant from 2000 to 2019.  As a nationally recognized Bomb Commander, he was elected by his peers in 2013 to sit on the prestigious National Bomb Squad Commanders Advisory Board (NBSCAB).  His responsibilities included representing the regional Bomb Squad community at the national level.  In 2015, he was elected as the NBSCAB Chairman.  As the Chairman, he maintained close working relationships with the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators (IABTI), the United States Bomb Technicians Association (USBTA), FBI, Homeland Security and ATF.  These connections, in turn, resulted in the OCSD’s Bomb Squad being exposed to national level equipment, testing, training and research initiatives, which kept them on the cutting edge of emerging threats, techniques and technology.

Randy has not only served OCSD in his official capacity, he also acted as a principal partner with almost every Orange County law enforcement, fire and public health agency over his tenure on the Bomb Squad.  He is one of the founding members of the Orange County Joint Hazardous Assessment Team (JHAT).  JHAT was one of the first collaborative multi-disciplinary response teams in the nation, blending bomb squad, fire, SWAT and hazardous materials teams together to provide the multidisciplinary approach to the region with “all hazards” response capability.  Prior to the team’s inception, the capability was simply non-existent.  Randy has served the JHAT program for over a decade and it has proven to pay dividends in areas that extend well beyond the team’s original response model.

As a related project, Randy spearheaded the formation of the Orange County Clandestine Laboratory Emergency Action Network (OCCLEAN).  This combined investigative task force consists of resources from the Orange County Crime Lab, the Orange County Regional Narcotics Suppression Program, Orange County Environmental Health, and the Bomb Squad.  In addition, he was instrumental in advancing the Department’s acceptance and utilization of Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) platforms as a Bomb Squad piloted reconnaissance tool.  His vision has evolved into a department wide SUAS program being managed by the OCSD Air Support Bureau.

During his tenure with HDS, Randy actively sought out ways to promote OCSD’s HDS on the national stage, as he helped develop it into the most advanced, best-equipped and trained bomb squad in the country.  He never lost sight of his public safety mission and the importance of collaboration, representation and education. In addition, his hard work and dedication not only benefited OCSD, but more than 450 accredited public bomb squads in the United States. 

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad serves as a model for others around the world and simply would not exist without Randy’s leadership and vision.  Sergeant Randy Sterett is a fine representative of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and excellent caretaker of the title, “Distinguished Deputy."