Marshal’s Office Folded Into Sheriff’s

In a merger that should save taxpayers $3 million a year, county supervisors on Tuesday voted to fold the marshal’s office into the Sheriff’s Department.

The unanimous vote, which drew applause from within the chamber, essentially lowers the curtain on the 111-year-old Marshal’s Department. It makes Orange County the latest county to merge court security operations with the Sheriff’s Department, which handles jails and inmates as well as police patrols for much of South County.

“This leaves me with emotions, but they’re not negative emotions,” said John Fuller, who will go down in history as Orange County’ last marshal. “It’s bittersweet, in that it closes the chapter of a long-standing, distinguished department on my watch. But it’s the right thing to do.”

Outside the chamber, Fuller shook hands and embraced Sheriff Mike Carona, who will now supervise all court operations and is himself a formal marshal.

“I have a high level of respect for the talent of both the marshal and sheriff deputies,” Carona said. “The merger will combine two incredible law enforcement talents.”

On June 30, about 200 deputy marshals will be sworn in as sheriff’s deputies. Three days later, they will trade their beige uniforms for the sheriff’s olive greens.

With the merger, Orange County joins many counties in the state that have brought courthouse operation under the control of a sheriff’s department to save money.

The last serious effort at a merger occurred in 1995, but talks dissolved amid angry exchanges between then-Sheriff Brad Gates and local judges, who wanted to maintain a separate court security agency.

Tuesday’s vote came after nearly a year of negotiations between sheriff and marshal officials as well as judges and labor groups.

The move could save taxpayers more than $3 million a year by reducing administrative costs and taking advantage of economies of scale, Carona said. The Sheriff’s Department has 3,200 employees while the Marshal’s Department has 500.

“We believe this is the best course,” said Supervisor Tom Wilson, who praised all the groups that took part in merger negotiations.