O.C. Sheriff’s Department gets few complaints from the public

Either Orange County sheriff’s deputies are among the most courteous cops in California, or something else is discouraging the public from filing complaints about them.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department received 113 complaints about its employees last year, compared to nearly 2,400 about sheriff’s employees in Los Angeles County, according to department records obtained by The Times.

Los Angeles County employs more than five times as many deputies as Orange County and is responsible for policing a much more populated and crime-plagued region. But demographics alone don’t explain why one county had about 20 times more complaints.

Critics say the disparity might be because the department has made it difficult to file a complaint or even figure out how to file a complaint.

Stephen J. Connolly, who monitors internal affairs investigations as executive director of Orange County’s Office of Independent Review, said he was surprised to learn that until recently there was no place on the sheriff’s website for the public to file complaints about deputies.

Complaint forms are not available at Orange County sheriff’s stations. Instead, members of the public can call the internal affairs division and have a form mailed to them, and they now can file complaints on the Web. Additionally, some complaints are handled verbally by supervisors at the stations, said Orange County Sheriff’s Capt. Dave Nighswonger, who oversees the department’s internal affairs division.

In Los Angeles County, complaint forms are available at every sheriff’s station as well as the department’s website, said Michael Gennaco, chief attorney at the Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review.

It is important for police agencies to make complaint forms available to the public so that department executives can identify problem officers and deal with them appropriately, through counseling or discipline, Connolly said.

He said several factors contribute to the low number of complaints in Orange County, but accessibility is probably one explanation.

“I do think if it were more easy and more obvious in terms of how to file a complaint, the volume would be higher. It just makes sense,” Connolly said. “If you have an unlisted phone number, you’re not going to be getting as many calls.”

Newly appointed Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said she wants the department to track complaints from the public more closely. The department is overhauling its complaint process, Nighswonger said.

“We’re going to become more in line with some of the bigger agencies as far as the tracking and accountability that we don’t have right now,” Nighswonger said.

Wayne Quint, president of the Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, said he doesn’t think changes are necessary. The low number of complaints, he said, underscores the cooperative relationship between his department and the public.

“You walk into our academy and you’ll see the slogans on the wall about treating people with dignity and respect, and it starts there. Our deputies are the very best,” Quint said. “The people of Orange County are the greatest customers a law enforcement department could want. I’m not just saying that because the numbers are low, but because there’s a great working relationship between law enforcement and the community. It’s always been like that. It’s why the housing prices are so high here.”

Steve Remige, president of the Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, said demographics are a key reason for the complaint disparity between the Southern California counties.

“We patrol some of the most high-crime neighborhoods in the nation. It stands to reason that when you’re taking people to jail that you’re going to generate complaints,” he said. “It’s just the nature of the game.”

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stuart.pfeifer@latimes.com