Supe Chris Norby just publically read the release from Sheriff Mike Carona that he will be stepping aside for 60 days.
It’s an amazing change of direction just 24 hours after Carona said, “I am not resigning because I am not guilty.”
By using 60 days, Carona sidesteps the ordinance that says if an elected official vacates his or her office for 90 days, they can be formally removed. So this way, the sheriff gets to keep his job.
Click below for the entire “message to the department” Carona sent this morning.
– Peggy Lowe
A Message to the Department
From Sheriff CaronaThis week I promised to provide the community with an operational plan for my department while I deal with the false allegations I am facing. Here are the parameters of that plan.
Yesterday was my first opportunity to enter a “not guilty” plea. Today I must look to the near future as I defend myself against the false allegations and also address my responsibilities in the long-term as Sheriff as to what is best for the men and women of my department and the residents of the County of Orange. During the past week I found myself fighting to clear my name and to prepare my defense. I am confident that once afforded the opportunity to face my accusers in a court of law I will be vindicated. For thirty-one years I have devoted my life to serving the community. As the Sheriff for the County of Orange I have devoted the last nine years to developing public safety programs and with the men and women of my department, have made the Orange County Sheriff’s Department a leader in the nation in providing public safety.
I believe in the principles of our justice system that allow me to defend myself against these false allegations. I am also realistic in understanding how much time I will need to devote to my defense. In order to do so I must consider the best interests of the community, my department and my family.
Having met with my command staff, the Undersheriff, and the Assistant Sheriffs and after careful legal research, I have concluded that it is legally possible for me to take a leave of absence. Therefore, effective November 9, 2007 I will be taking a sixty day leave of absence in order to devote my full time and energy towards battling the untrue and baseless charges made against my wife, Debbie and me.
Undersheriff Jo Ann Galisky will be taking over the day to day operations of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Undersheriff Galisky has been with the department for 23 years and is recognized as a leader in the law enforcement community. Undersheriff Galisky’s distinguished career reflects her breadth of knowledge having worked her way up through the ranks. I know that as Acting-Sheriff, Undersheriff Galisky will enjoy the full confidence of the men and women of the Sheriff’s Department, as well as the support of the other members of our Department’s Command Staff.
This was not an easy decision for me to make, given that I know that the charges against me are without merit, and that I am confident that I will be fully exonerated when this matter goes to trial. In closing, I can say that every decision that I have made as Sheriff of Orange County has always been with two top priorities — a commitment to the pubic safety of the people we are sworn to protect, and making the best decisions to support the 4,500 employees of the finest law enforcement agency in America. I want to thank the Undersheriff, the Assistant Sheriff’s and the Department for its ongoing commitment to professionalism and their support during these trying times.
This is a good move. The sheriff can concentrate on his defense and the department is in experienced hands while it all plays out. If he’s acquitted he can step back in and resume his duties. If he’s convicted he can resign with an interim sheriff in place so there will be no disruption of operations. Until one of those things happens we should all let the court system take its course and not pre-judge the evidence, especially given that the case depends on the word of three convicted felons trying to save their own skins.
.Let put the proposed Charter amendment for removal of Elected County Officials on ballot ASAP. I am disappointed with supervisor Bates and Campbell for not take a strong action at this crucial time. Our house is on fire, we can’t afford to wait and debate as the two supervisors show at the Board Hearing today - Need strong leadership.
.For a high standard of the OCSD; while Carona step aside if not resign - Need a well-qualified law enforcement officer outside OCSD.
Why spend millions on a special election when the problem has been handled by the leave of absence? And why give the Board of Supervisors the power to remove other elected officials? (Including, perhaps, ones who criticize them too much.) Wasn’t it our Board members who were asleep at the switch while the county went bankrupt, and thought elected Treasurer Citron was doing a great job with our investments?
A special election is needed to remove Carona until he is convicted. The Board of Supervisors need the power to remove Carona until he is convicted. This was not the Board of Supervisors in office when the county went bankrupt. Any other questions, “Skeptic”?
The voters elected persons to office. Only the voters should be able to remove an elected official from office, not the BOS. That is too much power to give to them.
Come on folks lets take a step back and remember what the whole criminal justice system is based on, “innocent until proven guilty”. There’s a court system for a reason and part of that reason is to not try someone in the media or through popular opinion. This isn’t the 1600’s and certainly not the Salem Witch Trials.
I also agree with “Skeptic” in terms of the BOS’s having the power to remove an elected official. Don’t just focus on this one case, the board’s power to remove will stay in place to be used in the future, possibly against others that don’t agree with their views or maybe against the next Sheriff that wants to fight to keep them from taking retirement and other benefits away from his deputies.
Sheriff Carona is an honorable man and he did the honorable action of stepping down for 60 days to defend himself.
I am proud so far of how he has conducted himself and I believe he will be vindicated by a jury of his peers.
We are all entitled to due process by our judicial system and we are all innocent until proven otherwise.
I want those out there who have already found him guilty to put yourself in his shoes. Would you want to be presumed guilty instead of innocent in the court of public opinion before you excerised your due process of the law?
The Mike Carona I know will prevail.
Mike Carona has a history of being “The People’s Sheriff” and I cannot imagine him changing his personality or being a Dr. Jekell and Mr. Hyde. I just don’t see it.
Someone so dedicated in providing public safety for our community would not be a criminal himself…not this guy.
[...] it as long as possible, even by means of this glorified fig leaf, gives him an anchor, just. Also, as was noted over at the OC Register: By using 60 days, Carona sidesteps the ordinance that says if an elected official vacates his or [...]
Just to clear up one point. An office holder may remain in office after a conviction. It is not until the moment of sentencing and the court finds that the office holder is guilty of a felony that the office holder losses the office.
I happen to believe the sheriff will be found not guilty.
Sheriff Carona: He is OUR SHERIFF until he ain’t - An opinion of a Rich White Guy.
“MAY HAVE” EQUALS “MAY NOT HAVE”: A firestorm was created this week when the disturbing news broke about our Sheriff, Mike Carona, being indicted by a Federal Grand Jury on numerous counts of misconduct related to actions he may have taken before and during his term as Sheriff of Orange County.
THEATRE AND POLITICAL ADVANTAGE: The firestorm generated lots of theatre amongst the usual suspects in Orange County political circles where covering ones’ ass by distancing themselves from the troubled becomes foremost of importance to them. Next, comes those that will seek to take advantage of a weakened political opponent in order to gain personally what they could not get when the playing field was level. Turkey buzzards would have a hard time getting through to the carcass with all the politicians and hacks hovering around!
“BAD PERSON”: Yea, let’s propose more laws and issue more self-aggrandizing press releases about how much was done in response to the “bad person” now found amongst us.
JESUS FOR A MOMENT: Politicians that have been working with and around each other for years suddenly find the “Jesus moment” in a split-second after the sh+t has hit the fan.
PULL THE CARPET, ON THREE: Moments like these help clarify why the public disdains politicians as they watch them claim the moral high ground while simultaneously pulling the carpet from underneath the fallen comrade. A finger-pointing politician is almost as helpful to solving a problem as having a bored ten-year kid with matches hanging around the neighborhood.
DON’T SHOOT THE SHERIFF: The media is all over a story like this, as well. Of course, Mike Carona has been tried and convicted by most of these folks well before the recent events in Federal Court — which only served as the “I told you so” part of the story. There are less flies on the potato salad at a summer picnic than there are reporters, editorialists and bloggers on this story all clamoring for the “I Shot the Sheriff Pulitzer Prize.” But, one question that has been ignored is this: “HOW do we ensure that a law enforcement officer, like Mike Carona, gets the same standard of Due Process of law as any other ordinary citizen?”
HIGHER STANDARDS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT, WHY?: Forgetting for a moment that many in this county use the words but disregard what it means to have a higher standard for law enforcement personnel — some say that the Sheriff has a higher standard of conduct expected of him and that any accusation of misconduct is reason enough for him to be sent to the career bone yard, to the poor house, or even to the slammer! Yet, during every single day in this land every citizen has the right to due process of law and equal protection under the law! There is not one set of rights for cops and another set for everyone else. There’s one! There are not “higher or lower” standards of justice for cops accused of crimes. There’s one! while we expect a “higher standard” of personal conduct from cops — at the end of the day we live and breathe under the same laws of this land as everyone else.
EQUAL JUSTICE: “Equal justice under the law” does not exclude law enforcement officers who find themselves sitting behind the table across the aisle in a courtroom! When fallible human beings who also happen to be police officers enter a courtroom they too are entitled to the same protections that they gave to others during a career of public service where only a judge or jury are allowed to take these rights away.
AN ARREST IS A SIMPLE FORMALITY AND DOES EQUATE TO GUILT: A cop’s duty to ensure due process to the accused lasts throughout the criminal justice process. It begins with an investigation and does not stop with an arrest. It doesn’t end at arraignment. An arrest and an arraignment are only pit stops in the judicial race towards the finish line known as a conviction. It doesn’t stop because the accused has been convicted in the press or in the court of public opinion. It’s a long race and it’s our job to finish the race!
OUR SHERIFF STILL MAY BE INNOCENT, EVEN IF FOUND GUILTY: Because accusations cannot be proven true beyond a reasonable doubt outside a courtroom our job will be harder if justice is denied because we will never know whether our Sheriff was innocent or not!
It’ll be almost impossible to really know if he betrayed his oath of office and our trust unless he gets his right to justice that includes a presumption of innocence outside the courtroom and a fair impartial trial once inside.
RACE (THE RUNNING KIND): The race has only started and the truth may only be known at the end of it! In order to know the facts and in order to render our own personal feelings we must demand that a fellow law enforcement officer gets his day in court under the same standard of due process that we would demand for ourselves if we were unfortunate enough to be in his circumstance.
That includes the knowledge that FACTS today are still only “allegations” and that the Sheriff retains the presumption of innocence TODAY and every day until he is guilty in a court of law!
GULLIBLE OR CULPABLE, DEAL WITH IT: We must know if Sheriff Carona was “felony gullible” or “felony culpable.” IF the Sheriff of Orange County has a higher standard of conduct expected of him then only the highest standard of jurisprudence should be used to adjudicate him. Mike Carona came in as Sheriff and gets to go out with his boots on. There cannot be any rush to judgement in this case. It must be done right. Step-by-step. No short-cuts. No compromises. No opinion polls or votes of no confidence. Nope. Even a cop gets his day in court. And an elected Sheriff is still a cop. Deal with it! The Sheriff decided today to continue on as Sheriff while he goes through the judicial process. He doesn’t need to ask for a presumption of innocence — he is entitled to it and he gets it as a birthright under the Constitution of the United States of America!
EXECUTIVE DECISION: It isn’t the first decision he has had the exclusive authority to make and it will not now be his last. A resignation, at this point, will do little to make the pain or the disappointment go away and it certainly will not do anything to quiet anti-law enforcement types who will attempt to paint all of us with the same brush stroke. A courtroom trial would do much more to separate one’s personal conduct away from an entire agency’s reputation. If the Sheriff decides to have his guilt determined by a jury of his peers he absolutely has that right to do so and we, as cops should treat his right to due process under law as if it was our own. Through our oath of office, it is in many ways. Then and ONLY THEN will we know IF a fellow cop failed our law enforcement profession.
ONE OF US: Until a verdict is rendered against Mike Carona, he is still one of us and he should be treated as such. At the end of his press conference today, Sheriff Carona said he was going back to work. It won’t hurt anything if we all did as well!
Rich White Guy, aka THINSTAR: High Standard For Law Enforcement - YES…….Except For Sheriff Carona.
Thinstar seems to have forgotten his “Counterpoints” agruement he made against Steven Greenhut date November 21, 2005, concerning police abuse.
Let us recount some of Thinstar’s then comments regarding Law Enforcement Higher Standards:
“At the end of the day what truly matters is what the judges and juries have to say after a complete review of all the facts and evidence underlying any particular incident.”
“Police departments sort through hundreds of applicants in order to find one recruit to hire. This means that these applicants must meet high standards of ethical conduct before they even get hired.”
“…….the new police officer now must meet the ethical standard daily. This is because the standard of ethical conduct is a career-long journey that transcends professional work and includes personal life, as well.”
“……police departments examine the personal and professional conduct of each member of the department on a continuous basis”
“I think that police officers are held to a higher standard and we do face extra punishments because of our positions as police officers.”
Stand By Your Man Loretta Lynn…..errrr….Sarge. Happy 2-year anniversary…..I can’t wait for your 2009 flip!
Rich White Guy says:
“THEATRE AND POLITICAL ADVANTAGE: The firestorm generated lots of theatre amongst the usual suspects in Orange County political circles where covering ones’ ass by distancing themselves from the troubled becomes foremost of importance to them. Next, comes those that will seek to take advantage of a weakened political opponent in order to gain personally what they could not get when the playing field was level. Turkey buzzards would have a hard time getting through to the carcass with all the politicians and hacks hovering around!”
Assemblyman Spitzer disappoints me. First he uses the fires to get some airtime, instead of working behind the scenes to fix the problems in a more productive manner….and now he is sitting in on the BOS meeting to vote for the power to remove an elected official he recently supported. Sounds alot like Rich White Guys definition of Theatre and Political Advantage. As a Orange taxpayer, Mr Spitzer, please spend more of your time fixing the problems you so recently spoke of, instead of searching for your next 15 minutes of fame.
Secondly, any one of the gossipmongers who have been quick to convict Michael Carona, before he is given the chance to defend himself, should take an internal audit of their own lives and see if they are comfortable living in their glass houses. From what i can see, Sheriff Carona has served our community with a commitment that outshines most other elected officials. We, as the voters, asked for him to make our community a safe place for ourselves and more importantly, for our children. I, for one, think he has done an outstanding job and he is still my choice for Sheriff, with or without his 60 day leave.
To News crews, Board of Supes, Todd Spitzer, and all concerned,
I am very disappointed that a Sheriff can pick his own Interim Sheriff. That is what this is. Taking it out of the hands of the Supes, and putting it on the Sheriff whose record is already tarnished. I had to work today or I would have been there in a heart-beat. I am just very disappointed that Orange County is going down is a way like we have never seen it before. I have spoken before on these issues and was I not right? I guess it if it does not happen then it will be a re-call. Trust me that now will not be hard to get. They should have put Lt. Bill Hunt back to full duty and put him in there as interim for our men and women in uniform. Very disappointed in the ones that voted against it.
Karen A Finn
Police Officers Wife
Dear Friends, Family,& Radio and News,
Orange County California awoke this morning to news of our sheriff being indicted on federal corruption charges. This was news to most but long wished for and expected by many.
Deputy Lieutenant Bill Hunt, a good man, ran against Mike Carona a little more than one year ago. By a fraction of a voting percentage, Bill Hunt nearly forced the sheriff into a run-off. Voters new something was wrong with the sheriff, but not quite enough, then!
Please join me in suggesting the Orange County Supervisors appoint Bill Hunt as our interim Sheriff. His track record and opposition to Carona is timely, needed, and healing.
If there was ever a time to cut / paste / and forward, this is one………
Please get their attention as a body at-
webmaster@ocgov.com
Or individually at-
Chris.Norby@ocgov.com
district2@ocgov.com
janet.nguyen@ocgov.com
bill.campbell@ocgov.com
PatBates@ocgov.com
Regards & God Bless,
Karen A Finn
Police Officers Wife