Television’s “The O.C.” and “Real Housewives” may have put Orange County California on the media map, but Orange County Police Departments have an interesting history that dates back to the Wild West.  The county can trace its beginnings back to 1887, when silver was discovered in the Santa Ana Mountains, attracting settlers. As people came to California in droves, seeking their fortunes or just to settle and build a new life, the California Legislator was overwhelmed by the influx of these new arrivals. 

And so, they decided to divide Los Angeles County into two back in 1899, creating Orange County as a separate political entity. The county is supposedly named after –what else — oranges, but since they already had a town named Orange here, the county may have been named for this city.  Like many other places in the west, law enforcement was conducted by sheriffs and marshals until the needs of these settlements grew too big for just a few good men to handle.  And so, OC law enforcement also expanded and grew into more sophisticated, full fledged Police Departments.

Orange County also happens to be the smallest county in Southern California. But despite its size, it has many police departments and they, in turn, have a wide variety of resources. Some OC cities run their own independent department while others contract with another city or with the County Sheriff’s Department.  But one thing they all have in common is their dedication to providing great services for their citizens.  They do this by working closely with other local, state, federal law enforcement and community agencies as well as many citizen groups, in a structure model called Community Policing.

Community Policing engages officers with the public by assigning patrol men and women, Detectives and traffic officers to a specific geographic area or “police beat” for a specific length of time.  The advantage here is that it gives these officers the opportunity to become more familiar and emotionally connected to the people that live and work in their area.  A special emphasis is placed on the “Quality of Life” issues that affect each of these communities, like traffic, noise and vandalisms.

Working on, understanding and being able to problem solve area-specific issues has definitely strengthened the officers ties, and this is evidenced by the fact that many police care so much, they have volunteered their off duty time to local youth programs and community groups.  The results have been very positive for all involved.

The Orange County Police Departments incorporates several ethical values into their law enforcement work, too.  Some of these, like courage, duty and commitment are fairly obvious.  But emphasis is also placed on organizational growth and teamwork.

Most OC Police Departments also have several divisions within their ranks.  These include, but are not limited to, K-9 Units, Animal Control Services, 9-1-1 Dispatch/Communications, Crime Prevention, SWAT Teams, Bicycle Units, Traffic, Records, Administrative and Patrol.

Most of these local departments do not have on-site jail facilities so they utilize Orange County’s incarceration facilities: the Central Jail Complex, Theo Lacy Jail and the James A Musick Jail.

The OC Sheriff’s Department, rather than the police, is contracted to handle the jails and even the law enforcement needs of many of their cities.  Regardless, all of the Orange County law enforcement agencies must be doing something right because a lot of cities in Orange County are consistently voted the safest places to live in the entire USA.