Sheriff Sandra Hutchens

Usually one digs for history. But sometimes you get to witness it first-hand. On Tuesday, a crowd of over 1,000 people (including me,) saw Orange County's first woman Sheriff, Sandra Hutchens, sworn into office. The ceremony took place on the steps of the Old Orange County Courthouse in Santa Ana.

.

Today's first photo (top) shows Hutchens being sworn-in on a bible held by her husband, Larry. The second photo shows a few of the innumerable dignitaries who attended -- On the right is former O.C. Supervisor (and current Assemblyman) Todd Spitzer, and on the left (with red hair and sunglasses) is Harriett M. Weider, who was O.C.'s first woman Supervisor.

.

Sheriff Hutchens - our 12th Sheriff - began her speech by invoking local history,...

"...On the website for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, there is a section titled 'History.' Taken from the book A Century of Service: A History of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, written by Pamela Hallan-Gibson, this section describes the lawlessness that existed through the 1870s in Southern California, well after California became a State in 1850. When Orange County was formed in 1889, the author noted that,... 'its citizens had a sheriff, directly responsible to them, and a new set of institutions right in their own backyard.'

"'Directly responsible to them.'

"Those words have tremendous meaning.

"For 119 years, the people of this County have relied upon the knowledge that their Sheriff, directly responsible to them, led an honorable force of men and women to undertake the task of maintaining law and order among us all. We have made tremendous strides over the history of Orange County to become one of the finest and safest places in the world to raise a family, start a business, and to stake a claim in the American Dream..."

The full text and video of the speech are available on the Sheriff's Dept blog. The Register also posted a video including a variety of interviews, as well as an article about the event.