Patrols Added for South County
The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to add 10 deputies and two sergeants to patrol unincorporated areas of south Orange County, including Coto de Caza and Ladera Ranch.
The added patrols will be funded with $1.4 million from Proposition 172, a statewide measure approved by voters in 1993 to help pay for law enforcement.
About 34,800 people live in 136 square miles of unincorporated, outlying areas of south Orange County. The $1.4 million would be used to fill a dozen vacant positions and buy patrol cars.
Supervisor Chuck Smith said he was convinced the unincorporated areas were in dire need of additional sheriff’s deputies.
“A lot of cities that had incorporated in South County had sucked up all the patrols, so the unincorporated areas had a shortage,” Smith said.
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