SANTA ANA ? Sheriff Sandra Hutchens has been diagnosed with cancer and, despite what she described as an aggressive treatment plan, said she will stay at the helm of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
"I will be fully engaged," Hutchens said during a news conference Monday, accompanied by members of her command staff. "And I plan to run for a second term in 2014."
Hutchens' voice cracked as she described details of her recent diagnosis of breast cancer, but said she is intent on being involved in the day-to-day operations of the department.
"I think the best thing for this is to keep your normal schedule as much as possible and keep engaged," she said.
A resident of Dana Point, Hutchens, 57, said she was diagnosed with breast cancer Nov. 9, about six months after a mammogram had shown no signs of a growth. The discovery came as a surprise, she said, especially because there is no history of cancer in her family.
"I'm very optimistic about it," she said. "I really believe it was caught early."
Hutchens notified employees in the department in a memo Nov. 19, in anticipation that treatment could change her appearance and schedule and raise questions about her health, she said.
But there will be no change to the department's command.
"I'm going to be in charge," she said. "If at any time I felt I could not carry on my duties, I would make other arrangements. That's not going to be the case."
Hutchens was appointed to the department's top post in 2008. Immediately after her appointment, she faced stiff political opposition.
A retired division chief from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, Hutchens was both criticized and praised as an Orange County outsider.
Hutchens has shown signs she plans to remain active in some of the department's most pertinent issues.
On Nov. 20, she attended a meeting in Lake Forest, where the City Council approved an agreement that allows the Sheriff's Department to expand the James A. Musick Facility, allotting space for an additional 1,850 inmates there.
Four days earlier, she had undergone her first chemotherapy treatment.
"So far, I'm powering through," she said.
During her tenure, Hutchens has taken on several reforms in the department, including major changes in the county's jails, where some deputies were found to be deferring to jail "shot callers" to dish out discipline and order.
In 2010, Hutchens won election to the position, beating out Anaheim police Deputy Chief Craig Hunter and former Sheriff's Department Lt. Bill Hunt.
Earlier this year, Hutchens and the department won a court fight against the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, after a judge backed up her decision to no longer allow deputies to review internal affair files before being interrogated in internal investigations.
The Sheriff's Department is still going through major changes, including the state's prison-realignment plan, which has shifted responsibility for housing and supervising former prison inmates to county jails, straining budgets and space in local jails.
And the department won a five-year contract to police Yorba Linda.
Deputy union President Tom Dominguez said deputies and the department supported Hutchens' decision to remain at the helm of the agency.
"She's not a quitter, and extremely smart. She's strong and a quality person," Dominguez said. "The department is behind her and supportive of her."
Many responsibilities will likely fall on Undersheriff John Scott, the de facto No. 2 in the department, but several top officials in the department said they expect little change, though there have been some changes to the department's top positions.
Assistant Sheriff Mike James, who headed custody and court operations, retired in September and was replaced by now-Assistant Sheriff Lee Trujillo.
Assistant Sheriff Tim Board, who heads professional-services command, is expected to retire this year. Dominguez expressed confidence in Scott and said he expects any changes to Hutchens' schedule or the responsibilities of department heads to be "negligible."
"We're praying for her and hoping she gets through this," he said.
Hutchens said her doctors plan a treatment that involves chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.
Administrators know what is expected of them, said Cmdr. Linda Solorza of the department's field operations division.
"She's taught us all, and we know what her expectations are," she said.
Hutchens has also been active outside her role as sheriff.
In March, she was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training, which establishes training requirements for law enforcement agencies statewide.
Day-to-day operations are not expected to be affected, though Hutchens will probably attend fewer speaking events, she said.
Officials described Hutchens as a hands-on sheriff and said it may be an adjustment for her not to be present at some events but that she will continue to play a role in the decision process.
"The fundamentals remain the same," Trujillo said.
During the news conference, Hutchens said she has a hard time turning over decisions to other people, but she's learned to do that ? with her doctors.
"I have all the confidence in this department," she said. "At the end of the six- to eight-month program, I will be back to my usual self."
Register writer Doug Irving contributed to this report.
Contact the writer: shernandez@ocregister.com or 949-454-7361
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VIDEO: 'I have breast cancer' says Orange County Sheriff
Source: http://www.ocregister.com/news/sheriff-378740-department-hutchens.html
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