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Since then, the Santa Ana Police Department has operated without any oversight, resulting in a <br />series of police misconduct incident with little to no accountability. <br />Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) remains one of the leading agencies in Orange County for <br />total number of fatal incidents and police shootings per residents. From 2006-2016, SAPD has <br />had 27 fatal shootings, and a death capital of 27 shootings per 324,528 resident. These <br />incidents have cost the city millions in settlements, instead of addressing changes in policy <br />and accountability to prevent these fatalities. <br />50 years since CORE made the case for one, Santa Ana remains without a civilian review board. <br />The discussion around police oversight started anew after 2016 when the city agreed to two <br />costly settlements in officer -involved shooting cases that cost residents $6.8 million. To this day, <br />the city has not taken action. <br />Police oversight commissions help address and ensure accountability and transparency is vital <br />among police departments. A variety of cities such as Chicago, Newark and Oakland have <br />adopted such mechanisms, which help address tensions between communities and police. <br />The President's Task Force on 21 st Century Policing, signed as an Executive Order by President <br />Obama, recommends that some "form of civilian oversight is important in order to strengthen <br />trust with the community" (recommendation 2.8)2 It is imperative that the Santa Ana City <br />Council take action to address the lack of accountability and oversight of our police department <br />with the establishment of a police oversight commission. <br />We look forward to partnering with the City to promote public safety by ensuring civilian <br />oversight and accountability. Please keep us informed of any updates and meetings regarding <br />the City's action to effectively address oversight of our police. <br />Sincerely, <br />Tracy La <br />Executive Director <br />VietRISE <br />2 https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/taskforce/taskforce_finaIreport.pdf <br />