Regulators strip O.C. sheriff's special officers of some powers About 200 Orange County sheriff's special officers who patrol John Wayne Airport, act as court guards and work in county buildings have been stripped of their authority to make arrests and barred from carrying their guns off duty because state regulators say they don't have enough training. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens informed the security officers last week that they would no longer have arrest powers, won't be able to issue misdemeanor citations and cannot carry their weapons off duty without a concealed weapons permit. Hutchens made the move after the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training sent a notice to the department in May, saying the 200 special safety officers do not meet the minimum standard for sworn police officers with arrest powers. Under California law, the commission sets the standards for police officers and their training. Orange County Assistant Sheriff Tim Board said safety officers received four months of academy training compared with six months for sheriff's deputies. Board said the officers have long patrolled the airport, protected court buildings and assisted in the jails, but the commission has decided to take issue with the amount of training they receive. The commission also requires a department to notify the state oversight agency any time a law enforcement officer is hired or fired within 30 days. of such action. Board said that has not occurred with the special officers. Two years ago, Hutchens began allowing the safety officers to make misdemeanor arrests without a deputy present, Board said. The move occurred at a time when the department was facing annual budget cuts and was battling to maintain the number of deputies on patrol. Board said the officers would continue to be paid the same amount and do the same work. It is not going to truly impact their work.... They'll still be able to issue traffic citations at the airport and supervise people entering the courthouse or other county buildings," he said. In a letter to Hutchens, Paul A. Cappitelli, executive director of the Peace Officer Standards and Training panel, wrote that the Sheriff's Department needed to submit information on each special officer hiring and that the commission would then do a review to determine if "they meet minimum standards." In a memo last week, Hutchens told the officers their contributions are "immeasurable," but she had to make the changes until the issue was resolved. She said applications by the officers for concealed weapons permits would be processed quickly. But Jennifer Muir, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Employees Assn., said Hutchens overstepped her power in deciding that the officers would no longer carry weapons while off duty; and the union representing officers would file a legal challenge. "We plan to go to court later this week," Muir said. It is a matter of officer safety. Muir said there was a very real danger that an off-duty officer could come into contact with a suspect they dealt with while on duty.