CORRESPONDENCE- #26 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Middleton, Samuel From: Greg Camphire <gcamphire@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2022 1:01 PM To: eComment Subject: Agenda Item 26: Early Direction for Fiscal Year 2022-23 Budget Cycle Hello, I am writing to comment on agenda item 26. As the city plans its direction for the 2022-23 budget cycle, it's imperative that we address critical concerns that residents have about funding for the Santa Ana Police Department. There is clearly a lack of trust within our communities for police officers who are inadequately trained, over -funded, and immune to discipline or consequences for incidents of police brutality. These concerns are not unique to our city —in addition to a growing national conversation following the 2020 George Floyd murder and subsequent human rights uprising, a recent California statE. a u6t found that thousands of Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, supervisors and dispatchers haven't completed required training courses on firearms competency, use of force, arrest tactics, de-escalation and other topics. r � �.ri�. egg iu E^ DEE P:u�tu��ru��"°�...uu�SP�� Ct ur �".IEE ra: found that most of the Meanwhile, �: u��Yr u�� 1 u�u l �� ILA ��... .... .. .... .... .... officers determined to have wrongly used deadly force in recent years weren't disciplined — sometimes against the recommendations of top police officials. I wonder how this sad situation with the LAPD can be compared with the SAPID, if only we had the necessary data and statistics. We do know that, just last year, the SAPID senselessly killed a Santa Ana Councilman's cousin in a botched crime response, and that the department represents another public health threat as the least COVID-vaccinated city workers. These are just some of the reasons that I am joining many of my fellow Santa Ana residents to call for the full funding of police oversight methods in the 2022-23 City Budget. Santa Ana residents have called for independent oversight of the SAPID for nearly six decades, with the Orange County Congress of Racial Equality launching the effort in 1965. Therefore, oversight is long overdue and must be prioritized in the new budget. Skyrocketing funds for the SAPID must be redirected from poorly trained but increasingly militarized police departments. These funds can then be used for a variety of crime prevention and mitigation resources, including better -trained mental health responders as well as after -school programs, libraries, parks and recreation, arts and culture, and other resources that offer safe and healthy alternatives to crime for Santa Ana's youth. At the same time, our communities demand a robust, effective police oversight that includes these 8 qualifications: 1. Independent — Civilian oversight must be functionally separate from the police department. 2. Investigative & Subpoena Power — The authority and resources to investigate police brutality incidents, and demand the necessary witnesses and documents. 3. Transparent — Community members must be able to access & respond to the investigative process. 4. Community -Driven — Led by the residents most impacted by police violence.