Governments are fundamentally entrusted with the responsibility to protect the rights of individuals, developing and upholding the rule of law for the betterment of the public at large. When rights are infringed upon, and the rule of law is twisted, justice goes unserved.
Orange County’s criminal justice system has had its share of unfortunate transgressions in recent years, calling into question, yet again, its veracity.
The most recent jailhouse informant scandal has shaken the core of the Orange County criminal justice system, deservedly receiving national attention. As a reminder of the powerful responsibilities of law enforcement, the ongoing story has rightly spurred conversations about the rights of suspects, the often precarious uses of informants and the importance of transparency in how governments conduct themselves. It has also hoisted a spotlight on both O.C.’s district attorney and sheriff.
This most recent debacle also renews memories of former Sheriff Mike Carona who was indicted in 2007 and convicted in 2009 on charges of witness tampering.
For years, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department under the leadership of Sheriff Sandra Hutchens has worked to clean up the taint left by her predecessor. Now the jailhouse snitch scandal is casting a cloud on both the Sheriff’s Department and the Orange County District Attorney’s office, led by DA Tony Rackauckas. Both departments have repeatedly relied upon the use of jailhouse informants.
Though suspects who have already retained the services of an attorney cannot be compelled to give incriminating statements, on a number of occasions this was seemingly the purpose for which informants were deployed. Tellingly, when exposed, officials were reluctant to share all they knew, often failed to release information in a timely fashion and have taken to finger pointing to relieve themselves of culpability.
What compounds the issue further is that the allegations against the OCDA and OCSD have unnecessarily complicated the criminal case for the 2011 Seal Beach salon murders, the most horrific mass shooting in Orange County history, and compromised a number of other cases where convictions have been delayed and some vacated.
The Register’s reporting staff has chronicled the events since uncovering some elements of the scandal starting in 2011, piecing together this disturbing narrative of misbehavior and potential negligence. The ongoing debacle and coverage has elevated the concerns of growing numbers of local defense attorneys, especially Scott Sanders, county public defender for the Seal Beach salon mass shooter. These efforts and others certainly helped spawn ongoing investigations by the county grand jury and the U.S. Justice Department into the matter.
But more information is still needed to fully understand the scope of what has been happening.
Regardless of the outcomes of the investigations, what is most disconcerting, if not outrageous, is the lack of transparency and the amount of information withheld from the public. Hopefully, the ongoing investigations will rapidly provide the necessary sunlight.
Though this spotlight on our community may not be comfortable for all, it is essential that the public soon learn the truth about what happened. And, just as importantly, our community will face the hard task of correcting any wrongs and restoring the integrity of our criminal justice system.
