https://www.ocregister.com/2024/03/27/orange-countys-comatose-office-of-
independent-review-is-worse-than-nothing/

Through the legislative process, lawmakers continually give expanded
powers and budgets to the public agencies that oversee the behavior of the
general public. Politicians have been far less aggressive, however, at
approving effective oversight mechanisms over the government. It�s an age-
old question: What�s the best way for a free people to oversee their
overseers?

In 2008, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved an Office of
Independent Review as an appalling scandal unfolded in the sheriff�s
department. The previous year, the feds indicted former Sheriff Mike
Carona on corruption charges. He resigned from office in 2008 and later
served 52 months of a 66-month term for felony witness tampering.
To deal with opposition, supervisors placed the new office under control
of the sheriff�s department. That immediately undermined its independence.
It�s current charge is broad � overseeing the sheriff�s department,
probation department, district attorney�s office, office of public
defender and the social services agency � while it�s staffing level and
budget are slim. But resources aren�t the problem. The agency always has
lacked support and purpose.

The office has never done much of anything and certainly nothing of value.
It�s basically a rubber stamp for law enforcement rather than an oversight
body.

While progressive jurisdictions have police commissions that are
reflexively anti-law-enforcement, Orange County�s seems like an arm of the
agencies it reviews. Its head, Robert Faigan, spent most of his career as
a legal adviser to sheriffs.
Because of its do-nothing attitude, previous boards considered shuttering
the office. Supervisors are again asking pertinent questions. According to
the VoiceofOC, Faigan has issued only one report since 2022 � and it
involved a noncontroversial issue. The publication rightly called it
�catatonic for most of its history.� That�s shameful given the number of
serious civil-rights scandals (involving snitches and evidence booking)
that have plagued county law enforcement.

The OIR is worse than pointless, as it gives a veneer of accountability
when none actually exists. Instead of shuttering it, supervisors need to
invest energy into reformatting it into something of value rather than the
current comatose waste of public funds.

--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.

Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.

No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.

Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.

President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.