Behind the Badge
Former Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens passed away on Monday, Jan. 4 after an eight-year battle with breast cancer. She was 66.
In a statement, current Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said, “Sheriff Hutchens lived her life and led this agency with courage, grace and dignity. She bravely closed her life in the same manner. When I last spoke to her she was strong, maintained her sense of humor and continued to have a deep love and appreciation for the people of Orange County.”
According to the statement, Hutchens requested that she did not want a memorial service. Instead, her family has asked that donations be made in her name to two charities she actively supported: Drug Use is Life Abuse (duila.org) or the Susan G. Komen Foundation (komen.org).
Hutchens worked for 32 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department before retiring. Then in 2008, she became the first female sheriff in Orange County, taking over for Mike Carona in 2008 after the former sheriff resigned following corruption accusations.
She was praised for the stability she brought to the department and the fearlessness and directness in which she handled herself.
“When I came in, I didn’t have a full command staff and I didn’t know the people in the department,” Hutchens said toward the end of her tenure. “I’m proud of being able to come in and assess what the problems were, and to start to address who I needed to put in place.”
By being the first female sheriff in Orange County, Hutchens also inspired other women in law enforcement.
“When I first met Sheriff Hutchens 12 years ago, she became my mentor,” said Senior Assistant Orange County District Attorney Tracy Miller. “She was an amazing leader, role model and friend. She changed me for the better and I will greatly miss her.”
In 2018, after 10 years on the job, Hutchens retired, throwing her endorsement and support behind Barnes, who won election that year.
An avid cook, Hutchens’ retirement plans had included cooking in her new home in Riverside County, gardening and writing the novel she had set aside until she had more time.
“She was a leader whose ethics matched the culture of the men and women of this department,” Barnes said in his statement. “She restored our pride, gave us back our dignity and rebuilt trust with the people we serve. She kept her oath, kept her promises, and ended her time in office leaving this agency better than when she started.
“For me personally, she was a mentor and a friend. I will continue to be inspired by her commitment to always do the right thing, regardless of the consequences, and serve with the department and community’s interests first without need for self-recognition. I am tremendously grateful for the opportunities she presented me, and the many lessons I learned from her over the years.”
Barnes said he would request that the Board of Supervisors rename the Sheriff’s Department Training Facility in Orange after Hutchens and also authorized black bands to be worn by deputies through Jan. 11.
Read more about Hutchens and her tenure as Orange County Sheriff in the retirement story Behind the Badge wrote in January 2019.
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- Sheriff Sandra Hutchens accepts the 2018 Crystal Heart Award during the 24th Annual Laura’s House Gala at the Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach on Sept. 22. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
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- Sheriff Sandra Hutchens enjoys a light moment at the Nov. 14, 2018 meeting of the O.C. Sheriff’s Interfaith Advisory Council, her last one. Beside her is Pastor Mark Whitlock of Christ Our Redeemer AME Church in Irvine. File photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
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- Outgoing Sheriff Sandra Hutchens swears in Orange County’s new sheriff, Don Barnes, as his wife, Marilyn, holds the Bible during his swearing-in ceremony on Monday, Jan. 7. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
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- OC Sheriff Sandra Hutchens during the OC Peace Officers’ Memorial and Candlelight Vigil. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
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- Twenty seven-year-old Robert Tait, who has lived with cerebral palsy all his life, and his father, Jeffry Tait, right, visit O.C. Sheriff Sandra Hutchens in her office with Undersheriff Don Barnes, left, after Sheriff Hutchens deputized Robert for the day. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
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- Sheriff Sandra Hutchens delivers some remarks after accepting her award at the OC Human Relations dinner on May 3. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
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- Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens thanks everyone for participating in the Push 20 event at the Theo Lacy Facility. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
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- Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, right, cheers on Deputy Cindi Martin as she crosses the finish line for a timed obstacle course during the 2nd annual OCSD Women’s Fitness Challenge. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
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- Santa on board the Eternity with Make A Wish Orange County/Inland Empire President/CEO Stephanie McCormick and Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, right. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
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- Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens and Stephanie McCormick, president/CEO of Make-A-Wish Orange County/Inland Empire, greet Make-a-Wish kids, including Laura, as they arrive at the American Legion in Newport Beach for breakfast on July 4. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
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- Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens presents one of OCSD’s newest deputies, Dallas Mihalik, with the Outstanding Arrest Control Techniques award during the Orange County Sheriff’s Regional Training AcademyÕs Class of 220 graduation ceremony. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
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- Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Sandra Hutchens gives some advice to Santa Ana Police Explorer Larissa Rehman at the conclusion of the Twenty-Fifth Annual Spurgeon Awards banquet at the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center in Orange. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
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- Former Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens died on Monday after a longtime battle with breast cancer. She was 66. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
