By JORDAN GRAHAM | jgraham@scng.com | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: January 7, 2019 at 7:58 pm | UPDATED: January 7, 2019 at 7:59 pm

Outgoing Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, left, swears in Don Barnes, with his wife Marilyn, during a ceremony at the Orange County Sheriff’s Regional Training Academy in Tustin on Monday, January 7, 2019. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Orange County’s top law enforcement posts changed hands on Monday, as Todd Spitzer was sworn in as district attorney and Don Barnes ascended to become sheriff.

Spitzer, who left the county’s board of supervisors for his new position, replaces 20-year incumbent Tony Rackauckas as the county’s top prosecutor. Spitzer says he’ll bring large-scale reform to the district attorney’s office, which has been riddled with controversy in recent years for its “win at all costs” mentality.

Barnes, a 30-year Orange County sheriff’s veteran, has been the public face of the department for over a year and won election as the hand-picked successor to retiring Sheriff Sandra Hutchens. Barnes said he wants to be a bridge between the public and the department.