The race for Orange County Sheriff became a little more interesting today when the Santa Ana Police Officers Association withdrew its support of Bill Hunt. The police union criticized his recent work as a defense investigator for Victor Lua, a man charged with robbery. Prosecutors have alleged that Luna is a member of the F-Street criminal street gang.
Union president Joe Perez expressed his outrage to the press by exclaiming: "He shows up [to court] and questions my officer's expertise, this is a man who's going to be sheriff?" This statement seems unusually defensive, since Hunt hasn't even testified in the Lua case. He simply appeared in court to assist Lua and his attorney at the preliminary hearing.
Hunt responded by telling the OC Register: "Law enforcement is a little myopic. Not everyone who gets arrested is guilty or found guilty. When I'm sheriff, everybody who comes into our custody will have his rights protected." He similarly told the OC Weekly: "I'm the constitutional candidate. Everybody is entitled to their Sixth Amendment constitutional rights and the right to a fair defense. I'm simply standing up for that here with someone who I believe is innocent."
Hunt deserves credit for his response. If he is elected Sheriff, his leadership will be a little more enlightened because of his work as a defense investigator. People often say that prosecutors should have to put in some time as a defense attorney. Maybe police officers would similarly benefit if they had to work as investigators for people facing trial.
If anyone ever wants to know why investigating police misconduct is so difficult, look no further than Perez's statement to the press. He thinks it is an unforgivable sin to "question" his "officer's expertise." He should realize that normal people work every day with the understanding that others will scrutinize their performance. Just do good work, and you can be confident that you'll be fine when the scrutiny is complete.
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