Orange County supervisors near decision on sheriff
The board begins interviewing nine candidates in public and could make its selection as soon as tonight.
Nine law enforcement veterans competing to become Orange County's next sheriff appeared before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday in an unprecedented public interview session to determine which one should replace the top cop who left office under indictment.
The candidates were allowed an hour each to make a brief statement and then field questions from the five supervisors, with the session stretching into the night.
Supervisors asked a range of questions, from the candidates' philosophy on broad law enforcement policy issues, such as checking immigration status in the jails and possession of marijuana for medical purposes to more obscure issues, such as jail staffing methods and DNA lab management.
Supervisors rebuffed a request by board member Chris Norby to bring the matter to a vote Tuesday night and decided to continue their deliberations Tuesday. It was not clear when a final decision would be made.
Several candidates said the biggest challenge for the department was a lack of strong leadership that had allowed problems to fester and created a lax culture in which poor performance was tolerated. Most said they had detailed plans to fix problems and bring their strengths to bear on improving the department's reputation.
"To restore this beleaguered department to greatness, half measures and timid steps will not be sufficient," said Paul Walters, the Santa Ana police chief. "I believe we must fundamentally change the culture of this department."
For decades, Orange County's sheriff has been elected by voters. But after Sheriff Michael S. Carona stepped down in January to focus on his upcoming federal corruption trial, the board was given the task of picking his successor. A federal grand jury indicted Carona in October on charges that he sold access to his office for tens of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts. His trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 26.
The winning candidate will supervise the second-largest sheriff's department in California, with a budget of more than $700 million and more than 4,000 employees -- about 1,700 of them sworn deputies. The candidate hired by the board will serve the remainder of Carona's term, which runs through 2010, and would then have to run for election to keep the job.
