Sheriff candidates show their colors at debate

Both challengers of Sheriff Sandra Hutchens attacked the incumbent at a candidates forum Tuesday night, but distinctions between all three were clear.

Former Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Bill Hunt repeatedly emphasized the Second Amendment and his vow to make it easier to get concealed weapons permits, while Anaheim Deputy Police Chief Craig Hunter characterized Hutchens as a Los Angeles-style cop in a county where people expected more.

“Would you rather go to the Honda Center or the Staples Center?” he asked. “Irvine Park or MacArthur Park? Ask yourself why that style of law enforcement doesn’t work.”

Hunter also seized upon criticism of Hutchens that arose at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. When reorganizing the department amid last year’s budget crisis, Hutchens was widely applauded for saving street-level jobs by laying off two assistant sheriffs and six captains.

However, she recently unveiled a plan to promote 15 sworn officers – at their current pay for 18 months – and that led to Supervisor Bill Campbell to express concern about a “bait and switch” that would end up absorbing savings made by earlier cuts.

[From Sheriff candidates show their colors at debate | hutchens, sheriff, concealed - News - The Orange County Register]