Super Security for O.C. Sheriff

Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona attended last fall’s inauguration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in Sacramento along with his usual traveling companions: a team of plainclothes detectives who serve as his armed bodyguards.

These deputies, dressed in suits and equipped with hidden microphones and earpieces, have accompanied Carona on trips to Sacramento, Washington, D.C., and throughout Southern California. They’ve shuttled the sheriff from his home to weekend speaking events. Called the Dignitary Protection Unit, they often travel ahead of the sheriff to scout out places where he’ll face the public; once that meant a trip to a Los Angeles park before he addressed a group of high school students involved with the Sierra Club.

Sheriff’s officials say these precautions are an unfortunate necessity in a post-Sept. 11 world. Without offering further specifics, they say that Carona has received death threats and is a potential target because he serves on a federal homeland security committee and has become a recognizable figure with appearances on national TV news programs.

But some deputies say the security detail is an extravagance, particularly when the county is laying off workers and slashing services to balance its budget. They describe the security detail as the sheriff’s personal “Secret Service” or “palace guard” and say it serves no purpose other than creating the appearance that Carona is an important dignitary.

Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton is protected at all times -- both in and out of town -- by a security team, though LAPD officials declined to give details.

No Southern California sheriff apart from Carona uses a security team. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is accompanied at all times by a sergeant who serves as his driver and security, but Baca never travels with more than one bodyguard, said Steve Whitmore, a department spokesman.

“Baca doesn’t think it’s necessary. He doesn’t like to make a big deal out of himself when he goes anywhere,” Whitmore said. “He likes to go in and go out very easily and be one among many.... He wants to blend in.”

Carona declined to be interviewed for this story. But department officials said that the sheriff is just one of many public officials, including visitors, who are guarded by the Dignitary Protection Unit and that Carona does not have any deputies assigned to him full-time.

“He would be happy to drive everywhere and not have security. [But] we have a responsibility to protect the sheriff of the county, and we take that seriously,” said Assistant Sheriff Jo Ann Galisky, who oversees the unit.

Department officials declined to identify trips on which the detectives have accompanied Carona. But travel records and department calendars for four deputies, obtained by The Times, show that three members of the security unit traveled to Sacramento for a state peace officers’ memorial, two went to Washington for a national memorial service for slain peace officers and two went to Sacramento for the governor’s inauguration -- at a combined cost of more than $16,000 in salary, hotel bills, meals, car rental and air fare.

Responding to a state Public Records Act request from The Times, the Sheriff’s Department provided some of the detectives’ scheduling calendars but blocked out most of the information, citing security and privacy concerns. One item not blocked out is a reference to a code name the bodyguards apparently use for Carona: “Braveheart.”

“Braveheart will be in attendance [with] Governor Davis regarding Amber Alert system press conference,” investigator Gary Horn noted in his calendar Aug. 1. “He needs to [be there at] 12:30 p.m.”

On July 9, 2003, Carona was driven by his security team from Orange County to Los Angeles for meetings with Baca and later to a CNN studio for an interview.

According to a written “game plan” obtained independently by The Times, the trip was undertaken after extensive planning to ensure Carona’s safety from various threats, including terrorists. Nothing was left to chance, including the location of the nearest hospitals on the travel route.

The report said former Orange County Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo and Jon Fleischman, Carona’s spokesman, were to accompany Carona. Jaramillo declined to comment on the report but said he did not ride with Carona that day.

Though the document said “there are no known current threats” surrounding the meetings with Baca and CNN, the document noted that Carona “is one of the most recognizable names and faces in U.S. law enforcement, which attracts persons who fixate on public officials and celebrity status.”

To some inside the department, the part-time nature of the security is evidence that the protection is unnecessary and a misuse of scarce department resources. If Carona were truly in danger, they say, he would have security with him around the clock.

“He [has] had more of a security detail than the [state] attorney general. It’s complete overkill unless they think somebody’s hunting that guy down,” said one deputy sheriff, who spoke only on condition of anonymity out of concern for reprisal.

“I think they’re showing off. It is kind of ludicrous,” the deputy said. Another deputy, recently retired, described Carona’s security team as “sort of a joke” in the department. “I don’t think he does it full-time. It’s just when he wants to look important, [to] put on airs. That’s the way I see it.”

George Wright, chairman of the criminal justice department at Santa Ana College, called the sheriff’s security detail a waste of resources. “The only excuse I can see for having a unit like this is if he’s had serious, credible threats against his life, terrorist threats from a terrorist organization that could possibly carry out those threats. Short of any proof of credible threats from a sophisticated organization ... then this is just absolutely ridiculous,” Wright said.

Sheriff’s officials said threats have been made against the sheriff and his family, but they declined to discuss them.

Galisky, referring to those who want to harm public officials, said, “It’s unfortunate they are out there, but they’re out there.” She said the department is also concerned about people who have “threats, fixations, obsessions” regarding Carona. “There are some people fixated on him,” she said, declining to give details.

Department officials said Carona’s security is also a concern because of his role on the national Emergency Response Senior Advisory Committee. “People who are higher-profile tend to attract attention,” Galisky said.

Richard Andrews, chairman of the 15-member committee, said he’s not aware of any members receiving threats or increasing their security.

“There hasn’t been a lot of concern about security of individual members,” Andrews said.

Sheriffs in similarly sized Southern California counties say they travel alone and see no need for security, noting that they’re sworn officers able to protect themselves. Some have eschewed security details even after getting death threats by e-mail or at home, as did San Bernardino County Sheriff Gary Penrod.

“I wouldn’t want to take critical personnel away from doing something else more valuable. I can drive myself,” said Riverside County Sheriff Bob Doyle.

Asked how he ensures his own safety, Doyle pointed to his biceps. “Rock,” he said, nodding to his left arm, “and roll,” nodding to his right. “Them and my gun.”

Times staff writers H.G. Reza, Lance Pugmire, Jack Leonard and David Reyes contributed to this report.