by Páll Gudgeirsson
For a Police Lieutenant who had once been told by his then superiors that he had no future in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD), and would retire as a lieutenant, he proved them wrong when he was sworn in as Sheriff-Coroner on January 9, 2019.
This was after serving OCSD since starting his career in 1989 under the legendary Sheriff Brad Gates. As a self-described non-politician, he ran on a ‘platform’ of ‘character, integrity and experience’ with the support of prior sheriffs, elected officials, community groups, citizen advocates, and especially family support. As you will see below the Sheriff is very much a proud family man.
I met Don Barnes when he was an up and coming Lieutenant attending a Peace Officer Standard Training (POST) Budgeting for Police Officers course offered through California State University Long Beach in 2005, a course I taught for 15 years. In March 2020, I had the privilege of informally interviewing the Sheriff and the following is a condensed list of questions and answers that hopefully will provide an understanding of his thoughts since assuming his position:
Question: Knowing that the office of Sheriff is non-partisan, have you found the position to be political in any way?
Answer: A friend once told me that ‘you’re always a politician’… and that’s true by default, but that is not my nature. There is a difference between political savvy and navigating the environment that exists. I don’t consider myself a professional politician.
Question: Any surprises?
Answer: One thing is the influence of the office of Sheriff. I stay grounded as it is not about me. It is about serving the public and public safety. Advancing the department to make it better is what we strive for. I’m fortunate that we have a great team doing some incredible work. The Sheriff’s job is twofold: You have to be both externally and internally focused and there is a huge external demand. I had no idea how much travel I would be involved in. I’ve traveled more in the last year than I did in the last 10 years.
Question: How would you describe Sheriff Barnes in a nutshell?
Answer: I am a blessed man and have the privilege of representing OC as its chief law enforcement officer and have an opportunity to advance this organization and make it better. I have tremendous respect for the men and women who work for me. I try to keep an open dialogue without being intimidating but I do know that I can kill a conversation as quickly as anyone and some people look at me like I’m a unicorn or have a third eye! The hard part for me is the pomp and circumstance and that makes me very uncomfortable. I don’t like it. I’d rather operate the way I’ve always been, obviously with different titles and focus, but I’m just a guy who goes to work every day. As I’ve told the folks who’ve worked for me ‘your expectations should be much higher of me than mine are of you’.
Question: How did you end up working for Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, your predecessor?
Answer: I was asked by Sheriff Hutchens to be her Executive Aide when I was working at Lake Forest. When I met with her, I said I need to tell you something first, and just listen before you respond…I am not loyal to you, I am loyal to the entity. She smiled and said ‘I’d have it no other way!’
Question: What is your educational background?
Answer: I have a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Masters in Public Administration from CSULB. My goal is to one day obtain a PhD and teach at the community college level.
Question: Recognizing that you are on 24/7, how do you spend your ‘off-time’?
Answer: I do spend time with my wife Marilyn and two grown children. My son develops apps and software development and my daughter is in the biomedical industry as a technical advisor. I don’t golf! No time for that, as I prefer family time to spending four hours on a golf course. I’d rather be with my wife and family!
Question: What are the major issues facing the Sheriff’s Department?
Answer: The homelessness issue has certainly been in the news as the homeless shift from the north, following the path of least resistance, towards the coastal cities such as San Clemente and Dana Point. We have 25 deputy sheriffs assigned to deal with this issue and they are doing a great job in both getting hundreds out of homelessness into services and thousands of arrests for criminal law violations. Another major area is drug-related issues. As an example, the use of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, has seen dramatic increases: In 2016, one pound of fentanyl was purchased and continued to increase each year until 2019 when a total of 170 pounds were purchased which equates to 100 million lethal doses. I’m proud to serve on several boards and commissions including the OC Commission of Homelessness, Housing Trust Fund, United Way.
Question: What is the current general structure of the OCSD?
Answer: We have a total of 4,000 sworn and professional staff members. Bob Peterson serves as the Undersheriff, and we have 3 assistant sheriffs and an Executive Director, four commanders, and a Senior Director, and a Public Affairs office. We are also responsible for the OC Crime Lab, Tactical Teams, Helicopters, Airplanes, John Wayne International Airport, Dana Point and Newport Beach Harbors, OCTA, and 13 contract cities, including the City of San Clemente. We patrol one-quarter of the County.
Question: What positions have you held since 1989 and what was the best job?
Answer: Jail Deputy, the beginning point for deputies. Lake Forest patrol officer — Deputy of the Year. Loved that job and I’d go back to patrol in a heartbeat! Back to jail as a sergeant. Investigative Sergeant. Lieutenant and Lake Forest Chief of Police Services. Captain South Operations. Commander of Operations and Field Investigations. Assistant Sheriff — Professional Services Command and Administrative Services Command and I was in charge of budget believe it or not! The running joke at the time was the Undersheriff stating “This guy understands budget! (Authors note: I take credit for that!). Undersheriff — The best job in the organization for me was Undersheriff/Chief Operations Officer. My favorite two jobs would be Patrol Officer and Police Services Chief.
In closing, I would like to thank the Sheriff for his time and Public Affairs in their assistance with this profile.
