Sheriff-elect Ingrid Braun
With an historic vote, Mono County elected the first female Sheriff and an experienced law enforcement officer who ran on the platform of reconnection with the people and support of Constitutional and employee rights. Ingrid Braun beat Sheriff Ralph Obenberger 1,932 to 1,085. The day after the election she said, “I am really happy with the outcome. I didn’t know which way it would go, and with such a large margin there is clearly a mandate for change.”
Citizens have questioned whether Braun can take office early. She said it is her understanding she will take office in January and that Sheriff Obenberger’s appointment is to the end of the term unless he decided to retire before that.
Until January, Sheriff-elect Braun said she will meet with County personnel who have reached out to her. She said she would stay involved, attend Supervisors’ meetings and pay attention to the Sheriff’s Office so she is ready in January. Does she know who she will select as her Undersheriff? Said Braun, “I don’t have any idea. I have a lot of contacts and know some really good people.”
To her newly won constituents, Braun said she is proud of her campaign and of the voters. She said, “I am ready for the adventure.”
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She was asleep, I was the one who found her in the forest catching some zzzzz’s and called her boss. I first thought she was dead till i honked my horn.
All LEO are in the club to some extent. Time will tell.
In this case the grass would be greener with any person that actually upholds the laws, the constitution, and has morals. Presently that is not the case and that is why everyone is so happy and excited. Not only did we get someone that surpasses all of these traits. She has experience, knowledge, and no obligation to the good ole boy club whatsoever! She is a godsend!
Yes the grass will be greener and it is the best GOOD RIDDANCE I have been able to wish in years! Halleluiah! Amen!
Please print his one. Thanks.
Let’s not all forget Ms Braun had been fired. She was caught asleep while on duty on more than one occasion and she wrecked three Mono County vehicles. Weber will be fired and all the other dept personnel will be out to get her whenever and wherever possible. If I were her I would not go on any calls near abandoned mine shafts.
it’s funny… Everyone here is so happy and excited about all the (positive) changes that our new sheriff plans on bringing to the area, and an enthusiastic “good riddance!!” to the old Sheriff! LOL! Give me a break.
It kinda reminds me of the Obama administration: lots of promises and all the sheeple believing that Bush is the bad guy. HA!
Good luck everyone, but i don’t think things will work out quite like you think they will. The grass isn’t always greener.
I just want a sheriff who will value people’s rights. I don’t want a sheriff who thinks it is ok that a sergeant and a deputy of his violates someone’s rights.
If you think I’m wrong for wanting that then you can call me sheeple all day long.
I agree with you completely Disgruntled Citizen! What is truly scary if you think about it is these are just the things that came out to the public by a few brave soles that are willing to speak up! Can you imagine what else has a occurred that didn’t come out?
I know of several people that were threatened to be deported by this same Sgt if they spoke up against his harassing illegal activities. His actions are well known in the Lee Vining community. Obenberger promoted this Sgt knowing full well how he conducted himself. Tells me he condones it and promotes it. This Boullallam case just brought it out in the open. Just the words he spoke that were captured on the dash cam recorder “after this we will go out and hunt some more” tells the story period. It is just wrong, illegal, and unconstitutional for this Sgt to behave this way. What did Obenberger do about any of it? Nothing! In fact he said he supported them…. There you have it folks illegal activities condoned by a sheriff! Makes them both criminals in my opinion!
The best thing that could have June 3rd did happen! Thank god!
It is too bad no one ever came forward during the Paranick administration. One female employee brought up the fact that several deputies and their supervisors frequently drove home drunk from the bar in Bridgeport and they were setting a bad example for the school kids. When Paranick and the gang were done with her for being “disloyal”, she was so scared she quit and moved out of state.
I know for a fact that when you get fired then get your bosses job by popular vote you’re standing on some green grass that taste real good. 😉
Ingrid will do just fine
Let’s see, Obama administration: Despite vitriolic and irrational opposition, got us through the worse of the depression without sentencing us to deflation and depression (ex. Europe); expanded healthcare to millions, even those who have pre-existing conditions; realistic foreign policy despite major upheavals in Mideast (what? no new wars); willing to talk and do something about global warming. I wish Braun the best of success and if there is opposition in the community, let it be more honest, honorable and community spirited than what Obama has faced.
Don… yet ANOTHER angry Republican male could possibly turn this story about the newly-elected Sheriff in Mammoth Lakes into some type of FOX NEWS political rant directed against President Obama ….two things to mention….see Major Tom’s post above mine…and then try to realize that type of nonsense your saying is why your “party of fools” keeps losing the elections….and will keep losing them in the foreseeable future…
Wayne: Yes but the GOP is losing to the teabaggers. See the story about Eric Cantor. No joke or moral here. Just a spectacle to watch.
Um— she was elected sheriff for Mono County not Mammoth Lakes. Mammoth Lakes has it own PD…just thought I would educate you.
For now, will we be a contract town soon?
My guess is Mammoth’s police chief Dan Watson will be appointed undersheriff. All current officers will be absorbed by the sheriff department which would be a good move for all, especially the taxpayers.
We spend a lot of money to manage two departments when we could be better served by a single policing department county wide.
I think the new sheriff is the “person” to trust with this mission.
If MLPD is absorbed by the sheriff’s department I think it would be a good financial decision for the town and for the county, but some (not all) of the pd officers should be put to pasture… some (not all) of the pd officers are just as bad with the whole Good Ole Boy system as OB is…
The sheriff’s department needs new blood… not just in the Admin. I think it would be great if the sheriff’s department hired some younger people who have some previous law enforcement experience and want to live the mountain lifestyle.
The sheriff’s department should get away from hiring some of the older officers who are there to “double dip” there retirement.
I feel the county should allow the sheriff’s department to fill the two already vacant positions and ask the older guys who are at the age of retirement to go. We have the golden handshake system for a reason.. hire a couple more deputies at the lower rate… more for the money.
Stick with baseball Wayne and quit embarrassing yourself. B
Disgruntled….I’d take a seasoned, veteran street-cop over some newbie academy graduate any day of the week. The young ones always have something to prove, or at least they THINK they do, and tend to be a tad bit, badge heavy. Without the “older guys” showing them the way, the young ones would never GET old.
Don,
Kind of like every presidential administration I’ve seen. Seen one elephant in bed with an ass and you’ve seen them all.
As long as she doesn’t drive the MCS vehicles I think the county will be ok.
I hope I’m wrong. We’ll see. There are just some things about LA that I don’t want to see up here and connections to LAPD give me a shiver.
I know everyone posting here ( a very small subset of the population of Mono County) is gushing over the new sheriff elect. Having grown to adulthood entirely in LA and working there for a time, I guess I can never really trust anyone who is or was LAPD. I try to keep an open mind about her but I saw too much growing up in LA by the police force she rose to the upper management of. I sincerely hope she is better than the median LAPD cop I have grown up with, I really do. There is something about that force that is all wrong. They have learned to put on a good face lately, after the Federal consent decree, but that hasn’t changed the seeming genetic code of that police force.
I would say that as long as the Department moral doesn’t go down and the County of Mono doesn’t have any more law suits as a result of her while she is in office…. we will be going in the right direction.
I think that with her in office whether or not she is trying to save face or is from the LAPD “Genetic Code”- (Desert Tortoise). I feel that she will do her best. She worked hard for the Votes of the Mono County citizens and I feel that she will work even harder to keep those votes.
With that said … The Mono Sheriff’s Dept needs to be cleansed from SGT’s on up.. so hopefully she gets to work soon.
I absolutely agree with you about the department needing to be cleansed from the Sergeants on up.
That is where the cancer starts. Luckily for us I hear some of them are already planning their exit. Hopefully she can get a clean slate by the time she takes over.
Let the complete flushing begin. We are getting there!
It sure would be nice to have a proper Sheriff’s department that the citizens could actually depend on and could call without worrying about who might show up on the call.
There are a couple deputies that could definitely use some training to snap them out of the “Obenberger Syndrome” that they have going on right now. I think a complete overhaul training on constitutional rights are in order also! They don’t seem to get the concept, but neither did their leaders.
You shouldn’t stereotype all former LAPD officers based on your limited experience, DT. If you look at the Eastern Sierra, we’ve had a couple of former LAPD officers who have been police chiefs, and both have good reputations. Former Bishop Chief Kathleen Sheehan left BPD a better place. Like Braun, she also retired as a lieutenant from LAPD. In Mammoth, Dan Watson, a retired LAPD commander, is by all accounts doing a good job. Give Ingrid a chance and form your opinion after she’s been office for awhile instead of making assumptions based on your experiences many years ago.
There’s some truth to most stereotypes
“Former Bishop Chief Kathleen Sheehan left BPD a better place?”
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/dec/11/port-hueneme-police-chief-resigns/
“What we got here is … failure to communicate”
A “good old gal” results in the same abuses of authority as the good old boys.
Well said “Simple Solution, and ” Brother Officer”. When the glory days are over it’s time to quietly and honorably walk away
As a retired LEO I must say Sheriff OB has served the citizens for over 25 years in both LA County and Mono County in a profession that is not easy. This profession is hard on families and one’s soul. He leaves honorably. He was not fired and he earned his rights and title. I know for a fact that he has helped far more people in their most desperate time of need than most people will comprehend. Thank you for your service and let me tell you, retirement is great. I wish you and your family the best.
He might have served his time, but I disagree it was honorable.
A brother officer – you and your fellow LEO’s are thick as thieves even in retirement
This is easy. Have the board offer Obenberger, Weber and West a golden handshake. The golden handshake would be the standard, buy them one or two years of CalPers. They would be stupid not to take it. They must go for it by August 1st. It worked for getting rid of O’Hara and Turner.
Get Braun in there as soon as possible to limit the damage these guys would do over the next six months. It would be money well spent.
To the gentlemen in line at the store who were overheard saying “if she wins, I’m outta here” ….buh bye now
Don’t let the door hit ya, where the good lord split ya!
If they are talking like that, they need to be gone!
Period, bye bye!
“Looking at the big picture, this is whats best for MY department” Remember this one, OBIE ?Now Ingrid can say it right back to you. And thank you. If you hadn’t fired her, you’d still be Sheriff.
If I was ever fired I don’t think there would be any greater satisfaction than taking my ex boss’s job by popular vote.
Ingrid I want to say we are extremely proud of you! Thank you for choosing to make this County whole again! We need your expertise and your commitment to Mono County!
We have been through the most trying of times in Mono County history, and thank goodness you stepped up with the light at the end of the tunnel!
Time will tell which way we are going in that tunnel.