Sizing Up Measure F

As members of the law enforcement fraternity and as citizens and voters in Orange County, the Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs is joining Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas, Westminster Police Chief James Cook and many other police officers and sheriff’s deputies in opposing Measure F.

There is no greater responsibility for public servants than protecting the people they serve. That is why the board of directors and political action committee of our group, which represents 1,430 deputy sheriffs and district attorney investigators, voted unanimously to oppose Measure F. More than anyone, law enforcement officers know the devastating impact this measure will have on public safety.

Our county’s top law enforcement official, Sheriff Mike Carona, has made his opinion clear in a memorandum to the Board of Supervisors late last year on the jail situation. He wrote that if Measure F passes, “The county’s ability to provide adequate numbers of jail beds to house arrested and convicted criminals will be made much more difficult, and public safety and the quality of life in Orange County will be diminished.”

There has been unprecedented development in Orange County, and finding a remote site could be difficult. By forcing a two-thirds vote to build new jails within a half-mile of homes, Measure F promoters may be giving a “get out of jail free” card to thousands of jailed criminals.

Those same promoters claim that Measure F is only about an airport at El Toro. Don’t be fooled. Read the fine print. Police officers and deputy sheriffs in Orange County carefully studied Measure F and are urging you to vote no.

We must emphasize that our association is not taking a position on whether an airport should be built at El Toro. We oppose Measure F because jails and public safety are our business. To place public safety in the hands of one-third of the voters is not rational and is not safe.

For deputy sheriffs to keep quiet when public safety is put at risk by Measure F would be irresponsible.

For over 20 years, Orange County has been under the provisions of a federal court order requiring the sheriff to provide a bed within 24 hours of arrival for all inmates accepted into our county jail. This means that when the jail is full, for every new prisoner that comes in, one must be released, even if that prisoner has not served a full sentence. This is a totally irresponsible public policy that could be made much worse by the passage of Measure F. That’s why deputy sheriffs feel Measure F jeopardizes public safety.

Since 1986, more than 500,000 jailed criminals have been let out of jail early. Because of the poor way it was drafted, Measure F will make it even harder to keep convicted criminals in jail. Sadly, almost 4,000 of those criminals who got out of jail early have been arrested again after committing new crimes.

To add to the plight of victims, families and loved ones, every taxpayer in our county was forced to pay the costs of new trials for those criminals who should have still been in jail.

Measure F could make the problem worse. It could also force construction of smaller jails in cities throughout the county. That unpleasant prospect led Carona to note, “Limiting the size of jails that can be built or expanded will result in the likelihood that more cities will be faced with the prospect of a jail near them.”

Those smaller jails in cities like yours won’t come cheap. Carona also said, “Having to build on multiple new sites will require additional time, planning and environmental impact preparation for each site.” He added, “The increase in annual operating costs for duplication of staff at multiple smaller facilities will result in tens of millions of dollars that the county doesn’t have.”

We believe that Measure F is flawed. If it passes, thousands of convicted criminals could be released from jail to prey on unsuspecting, law-abiding citizens.

A no vote on Measure F is a vote to protect our families. Please join law enforcement in voting no on Measure F.