Sheriff has cancer, expects to stay at post | sheriff, department ...

SANTA ANA ? Sheriff Sandra Hutchens has been diagnosed with cancer but expects to remain at the helm of the Orange County Sheriff's Department while undergoing treatment, according to a memo she sent to her staff last week.

Hutchens, who has headed the department since 2008, told employees in the department that she anticipates "constraints" in her normal work schedule.

Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens speaks during a 9/11 commemoration ceremony at Irvine Valley College this year.

PAUL BERSEBACH, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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According to the memo, dated Nov. 19, Hutchens recently was diagnosed with breast cancer, which she said, "is both contained and curable."

Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Sheriff's Department, declined to comment on the memo or elaborate. He said a statement may be coming from the department later Monday.

Hutchens, 57, of Dana Point, was appointed to the county's top law-enforcement post in 2008 on a 3-2 vote by the county's Board of Supervisors. Immediately after her appointment, she faced political opposition.

A retired division chief from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Hutchens was both criticized and praised as an Orange County outsider.

She was the county's first permanent sheriff after Mike Carona resigned from the position. He is now serving time in federal prison after being convicted of tampering with a witness during his corruption investigation.

In 2010, Hutchens won election to the sheriff's position, beating out Anaheim police Deputy Chief Craig Hunter and former sheriff's Lt. Bill Hunt.

What, if any, changes may come to the department's top brass was not immediately clear Monday.

"I will ask my Command Staff to assist me over the next 6-8 months with some of the activities I regularly handle," Hutchens said in the memo.

"At the end of that time, I will be back to my usual self," she wrote.

There already have been some changes to the department's top positions, and more are expected before the end of the year.

Assistant Sheriff Mike James, who headed custody and court operations, retired in September and was replaced by Lee Trujillo.

Assistant Sheriff Tim Board, who heads professional services command, also is expected to retire this year.

Hutchens has been very active outside her role as sheriff. She is a member of the California State Sheriff's Association and the California Peace Officers' Association.

In March, she was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training, which establishes training requirements for law-enforcement agencies statewide.

Contact the writer: shernandez@ocregister.com or 949-454-7361

Source: http://www.ocregister.com/news/sheriff-378740-department-hutchens.html

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