News & Events

By Don Barnes Full Article: https://www.police1.com/sept11-20years/articles/opinion-we-cannot-afford-to-turn-a-blind-eye-to-the-emerging-threat-environment-T9Rz0HLBoLpZgGaK/ Date: September 2, 2021 We must never forget what happened 20 years ago on 9/11 and what must be done to ensure it never happens again Two decades ago, we faced one of our nation’s worst days when 2,977 people were killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This week,…

By Don Barnes Full Article: Print Only Date: July 30, 2021 “There is an often repeated quote in legal circles that says “If the facts are on your side, argue the facts; If the law is on your side, argue the law; When you have neither, pound the table and yell.” With neither facts nor…

By CBSLA Staff Full Article: https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2021/06/03/oc-sheriff-don-barnes-to-chair-intelligence-commanders-committee-for-national-association-of-sheriffs/ Date: June 3, 2021 “…Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes announced Thursday that he’s been selected to chair the intelligence commanders committee for the Major County Sheriffs of America organization. The committee, according to Barnes, works with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies on a variety of threats the…

By Lynn Hackman, The Epoch Times Full Article: https://www.theepochtimes.com/bill-decriminalizing-psychedelic-drugs-draws-criticism-from-orange-countys-top-cop_3778238.html Date: April 15, 2021 “Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes is speaking out against a proposed bill that would legalize the possession and personal use of certain psychedelic drugs. Senate Bill 519 (SB519), authored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), passed the California Senate Health Committee April…

By Phillip Chen & Don Barnes Full Article: https://www.ocregister.com/2021/04/14/stopping-the-rise-in-vehicle-burglaries-phillip-chen-and-don-barnes/ Date: April 14, 2021 “As COVID continues to grip our nation’s collective attention, the menace of car thefts and burglaries are growing in the darkness. New data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau reported a 9.2 percent increase in auto thefts in 2020 over the previous…

By Drew Van Voorhis, The Epoch Times Full Article: https://www.theepochtimes.com/revamped-sheriff-training-involves-more-real-world-dynamics_3756275.html Date: March 30, 2021 “The Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) has revamped its qualifications course as it seeks to help deputies gain more real-world experience. “We wanted our training to be more current and contemporary by putting in place variables that people may come in…

By Emily Rasmussen Full Article: https://www.ocregister.com/2021/03/24/oc-sheriffs-department-announces-news-bureau-to-focus-on-mental-health/ Date: March 24, 2021 “The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has formed a new bureau that will focus on mental health calls and helping homeless people, while working alongside health professionals, Sheriff Don Barnes announced Wednesday, March 24. The Behavioral Health Bureau has nearly 60 deputies who have experience working…

By Caleb Parke, Fox News Full Article: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/sheriff-california-orange-county-jail-judge-inmates-don-barnes Date: December 15, 2020 “…Sheriff Don Barnes pushed back against an “absurd” order from a local Superior Court judge ordering the release of 1,800 inmates, including some who are locked up for murder and child molestation, due to the coronavirus. “I have no intention of doing that,…

By Los Angeles Times Full Article: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/o-c-sheriffs-department-to-adopt-body-cams-within-next-8-months/ Date: September 10, 2020 “The Orange County Sheriff’s Department plans to roll out a body-worn camera program over the next 18 months. The Orange County Board of Supervisors signaled in a nonbinding straw vote Sept. 1 that it would allocate $679,000 in funding for the program’s implementation. Formal…

By Irvine News Blog Full Article: https://irvinenewsblog.com/2020/07/15/the-oc-sheriff-expands-the-school-mobile-assessment-and-resource-team-to-irvine/ Date: July 15, 2020 “…The Orange County Board of Supervisors today approved a pilot program that would expand the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s School Mobile Assessment and Resource Team (SMART) to three additional Orange County cities. The Sheriff’s Department will enter into an agreement with the cities of…

By OC Politics Blog Full Article: https://ocpoliticsblog.com/2020/02/27/o-c-sheriff-barnes-receives-a-presidential-appointment-to-a-subcommittee/ Date: February 27, 2020 “…Sheriff Barnes was recently appointed to the Social Problems Working Group, a subcommittee of the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. Sheriff Barnes was appointed by Attorney General William P. Barr to the Social Problems Working Group, a subcommittee of…

By Tony Cabrera Full Article: https://abc7.com/theo-lacy-facility-orange-county-jail-oc-sheriffs-department-housing-unit-for-military-veterans/5800063/ Date: December 30, 2019 “…An Orange County jail is being changed with the hope of helping veterans. The new Housing Unit for Military Veterans (HUMV) is what the Orange County Sheriff’s Department hopes will prevent veterans from going back to jail. To start, there is a patriotic theme. “It…

By Jessica De Nova & ABC7.com Staff Full Article: https://abc7.com/fentanyl-orange-county-seizure-santa-ana-drug-bust/5635222/ Date: October 22, 2019 “…Orange County law enforcement is revealing a huge fentanyl seizure – 18 pounds of the drug. That’s enough of the synthetic opioid to create four million lethal doses. That’s half the amount of fentanyl seized in all of 2018, suggesting the…

By Ben Brazil Full Article: https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/tn-wknd-et-barnes-20190109-story.html Date: January 9, 2019 “Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes was sworn in Monday during a ceremony at his department’s regional training academy in Tustin. Barnes, a 30-year veteran of the department, was handpicked by retiring Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, who had held the position since 2008. Barnes served as undersheriff…