Correspondence- #22 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Middleton, Samuel From: Taylor Vivanco <tvivanco1999@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, October 17, 2022 1:11 PM To: eComment Subject: Agenda Item 22: Police Oversight Ordinance Amendments To the City Council, Phil Bacerra, and Mayor Sarmiento, I would like to voice my concerns about the current state of the Police Oversight Ordinance and would like to request changes to make this oversight more impactful and more accountable. First, we need an oversight committee that is independent from SAPID. For those who claim to be supportive of "Law and Order," police officers must also be held up to the same standards that they hold the citizens of our city to and not be permitted to circumnavigate laws by overseeing themselves. Second, we need to broaden the scope and ability for public complaints. The current ordinance is limiting complaints but if we truly want to listen to, acknowledge, and respond to the people who are at times targeted by police who break the law or overstep the boundaries and expectations of what their role calls for, then it should be made easier to make public complaints. Third, any commission that exists should be granted access to police department records. Any commission will not be able to make a decision or recommendation without a full picture of any given incident. A commission should not have to wait months to years for a FOIA to be processed and grant access to important information necessary to make a decision. A commission should not have to hope that persons involved may volunteer themselves to speak to the commission as a witness. The commission needs access that the current oversight ordinance does not grant. Fourt,the commission should be able to make disciplinary recommendations. When the commission comes to a conclusion based on all the evidence they are able to acquire, the commission should have the authority to come to a collective agreement on the types of discipline that should be granted. Finally, the commission should be representative of the city, its demographics, have qualified members, and be more inclusive of employees of some municipal agencies. These are all common sense reforms and as a citizen of Ward 4, I would like to also voice my support for the recommendations made by Chispa and other grassroots organizations in Santa Ana calling for similar changes to the Police Oversight Ordinance. For 60 years, Santa Ana residents have been calling for true accountability and oversight and now is the time to grant that! Thank you for taking the time to read this comment and I hope that you take some of these measures for accountability into consideration, Taylor Vivanco i