ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — Two members of the House of Representatives want to beef up a key service hosted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department with about $3.5 million in federal dollars.

That money, requested by members Young Kim, R-Calif., and Mike Levin, D-Calif., would help fund a new 120,000 square foot office building scheduled to open next year, and funnel technological resources into a regional data collection and dispatch system.

What You Need To Know

  • The Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center has about 45 employees

  • The money, which still needs to be approved in the 2023 budget, would help OCIAC collect and dispatch information to partner agencies

  • Levin and Kim have requested $3.47 million

  • OCIAC fields about 1,100 tips each year 

Known as the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center, the system has been in place since 2007. Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said the new facility will partly be funded by the hoped for money, but the bulk of the funds are designed to bolster OCIAC.

“We’re shorted each $1.8 million by the state because we’re not considered a regional asset,” Barnes said.

So he reached out to the Congress members and asked for help. The precise figure they’re seeking is $3.47 million, which he thanked them for fighting for, calling it an important part of what the department can do to coordinate an effective law enforcement response.

The system would help build and strengthen communication channels between various law enforcement agencies, creating a database that can identify like crimes. If an agency encounters vandalism at a house of worship, OCIAC can help them determine if it was an isolated event or part of a pattern.

OCIAC fields about 1,100 tips each year and is responsible for vetting, analyzing and sharing information to numerous agencies throughout the county, the department reports. OCIAC is designed to have a broad view of crime in the region, with a scope that includes cyber crimes, counter terrorism and coordinating a response to crimes like the recent spree of smash and grabs and 7-Eleven robberies the region has seen.

Barnes said OCIAC can be a clearing house for these crimes, offering one place for investigators to look for like crimes and details that might reveal a pattern.

Banks, for instance, are mandated by Congress to report all robberies to the FBI, creating large databases that allow investigators to find patterns. Convenience stores have no such obligation.

Another key to the facility is the consolidation of agencies it will allow. The current home of OCIAC is about 4,000 square feet for 45 employees. The new building will also house a host of other agencies that monitor and act on intelligence regarding terrorism or drug cartels like the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

For their part, Levin and Kim called their collaboration an important exhibition of bipartisanship that news accounts don’t describe often enough.

“Wanting to have safe communities shouldn’t be controversial,” she said.

Barnes went on at length during a Wednesday press conference about the breadth of application OCIAC is responsible for. 

The money would be guaranteed if it remains in the budget once congress passes the 2023 spending bill.

“It’s $3.5 million we’re asking for,” Kim said. “We’re going to get it because we’re work horses.”