Orange County Sheriff

Attorneys for former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona implored a federal judge Friday to dismiss most of the charges he is facing, contending that prosecutors from the U.S. attorney's office overstepped their authority in targeting him. Carona attorney John D. Cline said the federal government is obligated to allow states to set and enforce their own political corruption laws.

Acting Orange County Sheriff Jack Anderson has expressed disgust at the mess he's inherited at Theo Lacy Jail. "I can't think of a lower standard they were acting at," he told a Times reporter Tuesday. "I will take it as far as I can take it," he said about possible further disciplinary actions, "and termination will not be enough for me." I hope he's not talking about knee-capping people, but I get the point: He's tough. He's embarrassed. He's angry. And, might I suggest, he's thrilled.

The nine candidates competing to become Orange County's next sheriff have 263 years of law enforcement experience among them. They share the same views on what ails the department and how to fix it: strong leadership to force institutional culture change and restore the public's trust. The Board of Supervisors will embark Tuesday on an unprecedented process to choose a replacement for Michael S. Carona, who resigned this year after being indicted on federal corruption charges.

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.

The final connections to former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona's troubled administration were severed Tuesday when county supervisors agreed to go outside the department for a new leader. County supervisors chose as finalists Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters and retired Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Division Chief Sandra Hutchens to rebuild a department damaged by Carona's indictment and a series of other scandals that tarnished his nine-year administration.

Just after Orange County supervisors selected Sandra Hutchens as the first woman ever to lead the county's troubled Sheriff's Department, Santa Ana City Councilman Carlos Bustamante sidled up to a conservative blogger with a joke. "I kept telling the chief," he said, referring to Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters, who narrowly lost the sheriff's job, " 'Maybe we should get you some implants. Or a water bra.'

Newly appointed Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said Tuesday that she intends to review all the concealed-weapons permits that her indicted predecessor issued and revoke those of gun owners who can't prove a legal need to carry the weapons. When former Sheriff Michael S. Carona resigned in January to focus on his upcoming federal corruption trial, he had issued more than 1,100 active carry permits -- among the most issued by any sheriff or police chief in the state.

Newly appointed Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens was sworn in Tuesday on the steps of the Old County Courthouse, promising the public and her troops that she would lead by example and with integrity. "Yesterday is history. Today is the beginning of a new era in this department," Hutchens told a crowd of more than 1,000 gathered on the front lawn of the historic Santa Ana courthouse for the ceremonial event. She was officially sworn in last week in a private ceremony.

Former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona used racial and sexist slurs during secretly recorded conversations with a confidant and boasted that the benefits of public office included hobnobbing with billionaires and getting "phenomenal" sex. Carona's attorneys this week made public partial transcripts of the tapes in an effort to keep their client's words away from a jury.

Michael S. Carona's life has been flipped on its side since federal prosecutors accused him of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts from people who wanted favors from him. Once one of the most recognizable faces in law enforcement, the former Orange County sheriff now lives largely out of the public eye.