Correspondence - #38 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

auditor/monitor-focused model and the outlined oversight functions' provide the infrastructure for a meaningful and effective police oversight model. To ensure the full and prompt implementation of such a model, we urge the Mayor and City Council to direct staff to (1) prepare an ordinance to establish the oversight model to be considered by City Council before the end of the 2021-22 Fiscal Year and (2)prepare a Charter amendment to further strengthen the authority of the police oversight Board/ Commission, to be submitted to voters at the November 2022 election. When high-profile police killings occur locally or nationwide, calls for police accountability and transparency grow louder. In fact, the very origins and advancements of police oversight are rooted in civil rights movements'response to excessive and deadly force by law enforcement. Given the recent high-profile killing of Santa Ana resident Brandon Lopez by Anaheim Police Department officers in September 2021, it is imperative that the City of Santa Ana build an effective police oversight model to help avert future unjustified use of deadly force against civilians, hold police officers accountable for misconduct, and intervene in systemic problems within the Santa Ana Police Department. An investigative-auditor/monitor model will accomplish these tasks and pave the way to a more holistic approach to public safety for communities that are under-resourced and over-policed. One of the core tenets of effective police oversight is independence. The police department is currently the only agency responsible for investigating excessive and deadly force and civilian-complaints against officers. An independent investigative-auditor/monitor model will enable a civilian-led inquiry and findings into deadly use of force and misconduct allegations separate from the police department's investigation and findings. By excluding current and former law enforcement from serving on the oversight board and commission, the City will retain the core tenet of independence and thereby ensure public trust in the model. Civilian-led oversight of law enforcement ensures that those who are subject to the power of the police department lend their expertise to shaping it, and empowers residents to correct injustices that they and their neighbors suffer at the hands of police. As the City Council further discusses police oversight, it must also address the issues of staffing and scope of authority. First, it is imperative that the Police Oversight Commission (Commission) tasked with conducting independent investigations is properly staffed to handle the number and breadth of investigations into civilian complaints, allegations of serious misconduct, and uses of deadly force. At least one attorney-investigator per fifty officers will Ridge,K. (2022).Police Oversight Ad Hoc Committee Informational Report. Santa Ana City Manager's Office. https:Hsanta-ana.i)rime2ov.com/portal/viewer?id=2579&tvl)e=O 2 Vitoroulis,Michael,Cameron McEllhiney,and Liana Perez.2021.The Evolution and Growth of Civilian Oversight:Key Principles and Practices for Effectiveness and Sustainability.Washington,DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.