Laserfiche WebLink
including serious and violent crimes such as loitering, illegal drug use and <br />sales, burglaries, assaults, fights, theft, robbery, public intoxication, <br />vandalism, property damage, weapons offenses, and other criminal activity in <br />and around cyber cafes and internet access business, as well as increased <br />pedestrian traffic, noise, parking violations, and other nuisance activities. <br />These businesses have also resulted in a tremendous increase and demand <br />for police response. <br />F. The resemblance of the games to casino style games, and the possibility of <br />winning cash prizes, combines to create a gambling atmosphere, which <br />appears to be a driving attraction for customers. These businesses are also <br />likely to have large amounts of currency on the premises in order to pay out <br />the cash prizes. Due to the similar atmosphere between a casino and a cyber <br />cafe and internet access business, these businesses have similar potential to <br />cause deleterious effects as gambling operations, such as loan sharking, <br />robbery, and money laundering. <br />G. The City of Santa Ana and neighboring cities have experienced serious <br />adverse impacts due to the unique manner in which cyber cafes and internet <br />access businesses operate the "sweepstakes" games. Customers may <br />occupy a particular computer system for multiple hours, creating lines and <br />people congregating or loitering while waiting for a computer. Parking <br />availability may also be impacted due to extended periods of game playing, <br />and such businesses have also resulted in increased demand for police <br />response, as well as increased demand for maintenance of public streets and <br />sidewalks. These late night gaming sessions which extend play beyond <br />typical commercial business hours may cause noise and related impacts on <br />the surrounding community as customers enter and exit these businesses <br />during the late night hours. <br />H. Crime statistics and calls for service in the City of Santa Ana and neighboring <br />cities where cyber cafes and internet access businesses are located are <br />significantly higher since these establishments opened for business. The <br />Santa Ana Police Department identified 460 incidents occurring between <br />January 1, 2018 and September 2018 at various locations in the city. These <br />incidents have included criminal arrests to include the possession of firearms, <br />possession of narcotics, possession of a stolen vehicle, and parole / <br />probation violations. Since January of this year the Santa Ana Police <br />Department has responded to noticeable increase of calls for service and <br />officer generated activities. The Staff Report for this item, which is <br />incorporated herein by reference, includes these statistics and calls for <br />service. <br />The Police Department reports its officers have spent a significant amount of <br />time conducting surveillance operations around cyber cafes. This type of <br />business appears to attract clientele involved in criminal activity. Several <br />enforcement stops of customers entering or leaving such locations have <br />yielded drug related arrests, evidence of drug trafficking, an influx of <br />Ordinance No. NS -2956 <br />Page 2 of 6 <br />