SANTA ANA, Calif. (Jan. 17, 2025): The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is pleased to announce the closure of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into the use of custodial informants, which began in December of 2016. The Sheriff’s Department also entered into an “Agreement for the Sustainability of Custodial Informant Reforms” with the DOJ.
In October of 2022, the DOJ released its report documenting findings from their investigation into the use of custodial informants by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office from 2007-2016. After the release of the DOJ report, the Sheriff’s Department voluntarily provided the DOJ with materials reflecting the changes and safeguards the Department implemented. The DOJ reviewed the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s current policies and procedures and confirmed them to be constitutional. These proactive reforms have cemented constitutional protections for the use of custodial informants inside Orange County jail facilities.
“Since 2016, we have worked diligently to implement comprehensive reforms regarding custodial informants. This Agreement provides a framework for the DOJ to validate those efforts and establish our policies and practices to be among the best in the nation,” said Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes. Under the Agreement, the matter will close after the DOJ validates the Department’s practices have been sustained for six months…