Down the coast with Dana Parsons

Some of the postmortem chatter about Sandra Hutchens’ appointment as Orange County’s new sheriff focused on the notion that being a woman sealed the deal for her. I did some chattering myself but found that argument rather chauvinistic and unfounded.

But if the presumption is that Hutchens’ gender will bring a different kind of sensibility to local law enforcement, it bears repeating that of the two finalists, she was the only one who had ever shot and killed someone on the job. It happened New Year’s Eve 1980 when Hutchens was on patrol with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. The district attorney considered it a justifiable shooting, but a jury in a civil case awarded the dead man’s family $1.4 million, later reduced to $1 million after the county appealed.

An incident such as that, even from 28 years ago, usually translates to "street cred" for the top cop in a department. Deputies like to know that the sheriff understands what it means to have been in the ultimate life-altering situation. But Hutchens took it a step further in an interview recently with Times reporter Stuart Pfeifer. Enough of a step, in fact, to make you wonder about any new sensibilities that a woman might bring to the job.

"If I looked in someone’s personnel file and didn’t see anything in there, I’d wonder, ‘What have you been doing?' " she said. "I’d expect to see some more citizen complaints or use-of-force or something."

I think I know what she meant. (More after the jump)

She doesn’t want deputies looking over their shoulders when they’re dealing with fluid situations in the field, even if it means that they might from time to time step over the line or have to defend a controversial decision. That kind of thing should play well with the rank-and-file, who tend to think no one outside of law enforcement understands them.

And maybe there is something to this male-female thing when it comes to heading a law enforcement agency. That is, if a man made that exact same remark to reporters, we’d wonder if he was a "cowboy" who needed to be reined in.

But Hutchens says it, and the words don’t sound quite as ominous. If not empathetic, at least understanding.

Some might forget that former Sheriff Mike Carona was considered by many to be unprepared for the job when he ran for election in 1998. Outgoing Sheriff Brad Gates supported Carona’s opponent and said of Carona, who was then the county marshal and therefore not up to snuff: "If he were a deputy [in the Sheriff’s Department], he would not be qualified to become a sergeant, let alone the leader of a department of 2,800 sworn officers and employees."

Carona’s nine-year run ended amid scandal and federal corruption charges.

Hutchens can only improve things. And even though her gender guaranteed she’d make history as the county’s first sheriff, she at first blush sounds just like one of the guys.