POST panel recommends revocation for Orange County deputy after division finds repeated dishonesty, DUI and unsecured firearm

The Police Officer Standards Accountability Advisory Board voted 7-0 Thursday to recommend that the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training revoke the POST certificate of Deputy Jared Nathaniel Bertain of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department after the division told the board it found clear and convincing evidence of repeated dishonesty and other misconduct.

The division’s law enforcement consultant, Paul Manfito, told the board the investigation covered events from June 1, 2022, through Oct. 5, 2023, and included four administrative interviews. Manfito said the division’s findings include dishonesty during internal‑affairs interviews, driving while suspended on multiple dates and leaving an unsecured handgun in a rental vehicle that was later driven by another citizen. Manfito told the board the respondent’s blood‑alcohol content in the June 1, 2022, arrest was “greater than 0.2” and that the California Highway Patrol observed the deputy driving at about 104 miles per hour prior to that traffic stop.

Why it matters: A recommendation from the advisory board carries the case to the full POST commission and, if sustained after a contested evidentiary hearing, would bar Bertain from serving as a certified peace officer in California.

What the division presented

Manfito said the division obtained a DMV order of suspension dated Oct. 14, 2022, that stated the deputy’s privilege to operate was suspended effective Oct. 7, 2022, and would not be reinstated before April 7, 2023. The division also obtained a verbal notice of actions dated Dec. 20, 2022, that lists two suspensions and which Manfito said the respondent signed at the DMV on Dec. 20. Manfito told the board that body‑worn camera and traffic camera footage show Bertain driving on at least 18 dates during the period the division says his license was suspended and that the division’s review of patrol schedules and time sheets made it “very improbable” a trainee could have driven him for all of those shifts.

The division also described a Dec. 28, 2022, incident in which a citizen renting a black Ram 1500 found a loaded Glock 19 under the front center armrest; Anaheim Police determined the firearm belonged to the respondent. Manfito told the board the firearm had a 15‑round magazine with one round in the chamber and that the truck had been rented to another citizen after the respondent returned it.

Respondent’s statement and board questioning

Bertain addressed the board and said, “I completely own the mistakes that I have made. I do not deny them or make excuses for them,” and described treatment for post‑traumatic stress and ongoing sobriety work. He told the board he accepted a demotion and a “last chance agreement” with his department and described returning to custody work and later being repromoted to patrol. He said he thought he had followed legal advice during early interviews and later realized those answers were deceptive.

Board members pressed Bertain on specifics about the DMV documents, how he traveled to work during the suspension period and why he left a firearm unsecured in a rental vehicle. Manfito and other investigators told the board that the respondent gave affirmative but inconsistent answers across four interviews and that some responses were contradicted by video and scheduling records. The division said some camera footage from Nov. 8 through Dec. 20, 2022, had been purged before it could be collected.

Vote and next steps

A motion to recommend decertification passed on a roll call vote: Clavo (aye), Crawford (aye), Dudley (aye), Glaser (aye), Johnson (aye), Lara (aye) and Pena (aye). The board’s vote forwards the matter to the commission; no final determination on revocation occurs until the commission holds any subsequent evidentiary hearing.

Clarifying details and timeline

- DUI arrest: June 1, 2022; CHP observed speed of approximately 104 mph and later recorded BAC greater than 0.2, per the division presentation. - Criminal disposition: The respondent pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor DUI counts on Oct. 7, 2022, per the division. - DMV notices: Order of suspension dated Oct. 14, 2022; verbal notice of actions signed Dec. 20, 2022 (the division said those documents show suspension dates that do not match the respondent’s early interview statements). - Administrative interviews: Four interviews between Dec. 21, 2022, and Jan. 14, 2025 (division says the respondent gave inconsistent statements across these interviews). - Unsecured firearm: Firearm located in rental truck Dec. 28, 2022; returned rental on Dec. 13, 2022; firearm later linked to respondent by serial number. - Body‑worn/traffic footage: Division reported locating video showing the respondent driving on multiple dates; some footage covering Nov. 8–Dec. 20, 2022, had been purged and was unavailable.

Speakers (as identified in transcript)

- Paul Manfito — Law enforcement consultant, Professional Conduct Southern Bureau (government) - Carrie Wooley — Attorney, Legal Affairs Bureau (government) - Jared Nathaniel Bertain — Respondent; deputy at Orange County Sheriff’s Department (citizen/government employee) - Deputy Monero — Orange County Sheriff’s Department coworker mentioned in interviews (government) - Retired Assistant Sheriff Stephen Kia — wrote a letter presented by respondent’s side (government/retired) - Chair Dudley — Board chair (government) - Member Clavo — Board member (government) - Member Glaser — Board member (government) - Member Johnson — Board member (government) - Member Lara — Board member (government) - Member Crawford — Board member (government) - Member Pena — Board member (government) - Christopher Gady — Board counsel (government) - Anne Marie Delune Nahal — Board assistant executive director (government)

Authorities (sources cited in presentation)

- penal code section 13510.8 — referenced by the division as the statutory standard for serious misconduct (referenced_by: ["post-2316745-jared-bertain"]) - commission regulation 12.05 — referenced by the division (referenced_by: ["post-2316745-jared-bertain"]) - Vehicle code section 1461.2(a) — cited in the division presentation regarding driving while suspended (referenced_by: ["post-2316745-jared-bertain"]) - DMV notices and orders (order of suspension dated 10/14/2022; verbal notice dated 12/20/2022) (referenced_by: ["post-2316745-jared-bertain"]) - Penal Code sections referenced by the division re: unsecured firearm (transcript cites "Penal Code Section 25,140(b)" and "Penal Code Section 25.452" as presented; referenced_by: ["post-2316745-jared-bertain"]).

Actions

- kind: motion motion: "Recommend decertification (revoke POST certification) of respondent Jared Nathaniel Bertain based on the division's report" mover: "not specified" second: "not specified" vote_record: [{"member":"Clavo","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Crawford","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Dudley","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Glaser","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Johnson","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Lara","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Pena","vote":"yes"}] tally: {"yes":7,"no":0,"abstain":0} outcome: "approved" notes: "Board recommends the commission consider revocation; recommendation is not a final disciplinary determination; evidentiary hearing may follow."

Discussion vs. decision

Discussion points: division summary of investigation (driving while suspended, DUI conviction, unsecured firearm, repeated dishonest statements across IA interviews); evidence sources (traffic cameras, body‑worn cameras, DMV documents, patrol schedules); respondent's mitigation (service record, treatment for PTSD and alcohol use, last chance agreement with the department). Directions: none recorded (no additional staff assignments recorded at the hearing). Decisions: the board voted to recommend decertification and will forward the matter to the POST commission for further action.

Proper names (extracted)

- {"name":"Orange County Sheriff’s Department","type":"agency"} - {"name":"Anaheim Police Department","type":"agency"} - {"name":"California Highway Patrol","type":"agency"} - {"name":"Department of Motor Vehicles","type":"agency"} - {"name":"Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training","type":"agency"} - {"name":"Stephen Kia","type":"person"} - {"name":"TCTI","type":"organization"}

Clarifying details

- {"category":"BAC","detail":"Respondent admitted to a BAC greater than 0.2 at the June 1, 2022 arrest","value":0.2} - {"category":"speed","detail":"CHP observed vehicle traveling approximately 104 miles per hour prior to June 1, 2022 stop","value":104,"units":"mph"} - {"category":"DMV order","detail":"Order of suspension dated 10/14/2022; verbal notice of actions signed 12/20/2022; division says these documents show longer suspension dates than respondent stated in early IA interviews","approximate":false} - {"category":"IA interviews","detail":"Four administrative interviews between 12/21/2022 and 01/14/2025","value":4} - {"category":"BWC/traffic footage","detail":"Division reported locating footage showing respondent driving on 18 dates during suspension window; footage from Nov. 8–Dec. 20, 2022 had been purged and unavailable","value":18}

Community relevance

- geographies: ["Orange County, CA","Stanton (substation)","Anaheim"] - impact_groups: ["county residents served by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department","people concerned with officer accountability"]

searchable_tags: ["police-misconduct","decertification","DUI","firearm-security","Orange-County"]

salience: {"overall":0.65,"overall_justification":"Local public‑safety and officer certification case that could remove a deputy from service if the commission sustains the finding","impact_scope":"local","impact_scope_justification":"Impacts Orange County policing and statewide certification precedent"},

meeting_context: {"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":12,"duration_minutes":118,"items_count":2},"implementation_risk":"medium","history":[{"date":"2024-02-22","note":"Department last chance agreement and demotion referenced in presentation"}]}

searchable_tags:["POST","Orange County","DUI","decertification"]