Flanked by two former Los Angeles law enforcement veterans, Sheriff Sandra Hutchens today announced her command staff, comprised of four assistant sheriffs and a former colleague from the LA Sheriff’s Department as the undersheriff.

Answering one of the supes favorite questions during public interviews for the sheriff’s job, Hutchens kept Jack Anderson on as one of her assistant sheriffs. The man who was handpicked by former Sheriff Mike Carona to serve as interim sheriff will now be heading a new administrative division.

In as undersheriff is John Scott, who was with the LA County Sheriff’s Department for 36 years and has been a consultant for Hutchens since she was appointed. In a surprise, Hutchens also hired Mike Hillmann, a respected former LA Police Department veteran, as an assistant sheriff. He will be in charge of operations.

9:15 p.m. update: Read my online story here.

And in a move that musn’t come as a surprise to many, Hutchens announced the retirement of Assistant Sheriff Charlie Walters, who was head of the jails when one of the most devastating reports was issued on the county’s jail system. Walters will be kept on as a consultant for the department’s many state commissions.

There were a couple promotions — Capt. Mike James is now Assistant Sheriff Mike James and Capt. J.B. Davis was moved from head of the Central Jail Complex to stays on as assistant sheriff for investigations.  Rick Dostal, a longtime county employee, moves from temporary executive director of Special Services to a permanent job as ED.

I talked with Supe Janet Nguyen for my story, referenced above, and she also emailed me some comments:

“I have shared my concerns from the begining that our jail system, and indeed our Sheriff’s Department, is in need of reform, and I have expressed that I was not convinced, and am still not convinced, that promoting from withing will achieve that goal.

“At the same time, I do not believe bringing in as the top members of the command staff from outside of Orange County will enhance our ability to bring about the necessary changes in a timely fashion. There are law enforcement departments within Orange County to choose from.

“At this time, I can’t say that the concerns that I’ve expressed to then-Sheriff Candidate Sandra Hutchens have been addressed.”

Here are the bios from the sheriff’s department:

Assistant Sheriff Mike James has more than 23 years in law enforcement experience with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. He has served as the Captain for the Support Services Division consisting of Records and Information Services, the Property / Evidence bureau and the Information Services bureau. From 1997-2005 he served as the Lieutenant for Lake Forest Police Services. Among other assignments, Chief James has experience working in the Theo Lacy Facility and Internal Investigations.

Assistant Sheriff Jack Anderson served as the Acting Sheriff from January 15 to June 10. Chief Anderson has over 24 years of law enforcement experience, including 21 years in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Chief Anderson has worked in Jail Operations, Training, Community Programs, Patrol, Professional Standards, and Investigations at the Joint Drug Intelligence Group-High Intensity Drug Task Force. Most recently, he served as the Sheriff’s Operations Commander.

Assistant Sheriff J.B. Davis has nearly 27 years of experience in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Most recently, Chief Davis served as the Captain of the Central Jail Complex Division. Prior assignments include serving as the Chief of Police Services for the City of San Juan Capistrano where he also served as the Director of the Sheriff’s Explorer Post and Commander of the Emergency Communications Bureau. Chief Davis has experience working investigations, jails, vice and narcotics detail.

Executive Director Rick Dostal has served as the Interim Executive Director of Special Services since March 2008. Prior to his temporary promotion, Rick served as the Director of Special Services, coordinating the department’s 5-Year Strategic Plan, developing the annual budget, overseeing purchasing, and developing agreements for law enforcement and security services. Rick has over 25 years experience working in the County CEO County of Orange.

Assistant Sheriff Michael R. Hillmann has over 41 years of law enforcement experience with the Los Angeles Police Department. Most recently, Chief Hillmann served as the Deputy Chief of Police, overseeing the Incident Management & Training Bureau, West Bureau Operations and Special Operations. Among his various assignments, Chief Hillmann has experience in Air Support, Patrol, and SWAT. Serves as an Instructor and Lecturer, including lectures at USC on “Police Response to Hostage Situations”; and “Counter-Terrorist Incident Response and Management” for the United States Department of State, Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program. In 2002 Chief Hillmann served as a Security Planner for the Democratic National Convention.

Undersheriff John Scott has more than thirty-six years in law enforcement experience with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Prior to his retirement from the LASD, Undersheriff Scott served as the Division Chief of the Custody Operations Division commanding over 3,000 personnel, an average daily population of 22,000, and annual budget of $400 million. His past assignments include commanding patrol and detective services for the City of Carson and Unincorporated areas of LA County. Undersheriff John Scott also has experience in Labor Relations, Emergency Management, and Special Enforcement.  Former member of the State Board of Corrections.

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