SANTA ANA, Calif., Oct. 1, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- The Big 11, an informal association of the 11 largest sworn law enforcement associations in the State of California, has met in response to Orange County's potential legal challenge to legally earned, contractually negotiated pension benefits for Orange County Sheriff's Deputies. The Big 11 has pledged to support the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs in their legal defense and has issued the following statement:
"Members of the Big 11 have pledged to help fund the legal battle to defend Orange County Sheriff's Deputies from Supervisor John Moorlach's attempts to renege on agreements that were reached through the collective bargaining process. We will be contributing to pay for the services of Morrison & Foerster LLP, who will represent the Deputies in this fight to protect their pensions.
"We are deeply disappointed that the Board of Supervisors is pursing this matter at great expense to taxpayers despite being told by several different law firms that they would be unlikely to prevail in court. If Moorlach was really interested in protecting taxpayers' money, he would not suggest spending millions of taxpayer's dollars in court to test the harebrained theory that forms the basis of his claims. We believe that Moorlach's pursuit of this idea is simply revenge for losing the support of the deputies in his last election; given the difficulty of recruiting and retaining law enforcement, fighting to reduce competitive benefits would seem to be an illogical way to promote law enforcement and public safety in Orange County."
About the Big 11
The Big 11 includes Police Officers from Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and the California Highway Patrol, Deputy Sheriffs from Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego County and the San Bernardino County Safety Employees Association.