Correspondence- #22 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Current and former sworn law enforcement officers should be excluded from commission membership. Immediate family members of law enforcement officers: spouse,registered domestic partner, or dependent children should also be excluded from commission membership. Finally, current or former employees, contractors, officials or representatives of a association or an employee association representing sworn peace officers, must not be eligible to serve on the commision. If former law enforcement officers are permitted to serve on the commission, we believe the following minimum guardrails must be adopted: 1. Former law enforcement officers shall not be eligible to serve until they have been retired for at least five (5)years. 2. Former law enforcement officers must have occupied a managerial rank within their department. 3. Former law enforcement officers must not have been employed by a law enforcement agency in Orange County. 4. Former law enforcement officers must be limited to only one (1) commission membership appointment to ensure the commission is represented by majority civilians. Access to Police Department Documents and Records. The commission must have unfettered access to all relevant SAPD files, documents and records, except as otherwise prohibited by law,in addition to all files and records of other City departments and agencies. The commission must have access to the records necessary for their investigations and audits. Any relevant records held by the police department that can be shared in a discretionary manner must be proactively disclosed to the commission in the discharge of their duties. Power to Issue Disciplinary Recommendations The ordinance passed by the City Council must explicitly authorize the commission to deliver disciplinary recommendations to the Police Chief and Internal Affairs division of SAPD. An independent investigation will be meaningful only if its findings inform the basis for deciding possible disciplinary actions. The commission must play a role in officer discipline. Commission Transparency and Reporting The commission must be required to conduct public meetings on SAPD's policies, practices, procedures, customs, orders, collective bargaining agreements, programs, training, and annual budget. The commission must also be authorized to issue recommendations to the City Council on the aforementioned subjects. Police Department Transparency and Reporting One of the essential functions of police oversight is increased transparency. The commission must have access to police department data to inform their work. Per Assembly Bill 71 (2014) SAPD is mandated by state law to annually submit data to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) on use of force incidents that resulted in serious bodily injury, death, or discharge of a firearm. Under AB 953 (2015), SAPD is mandated to report a) all vehicle and pedestrian stops and b) citizen complaints alleging racial and identity profiling to the DOJ. Use of force and racial and identity profiling are matters of great concern for the police commission. Because SAPD is issuing reports to the DOJ, we urge the City Manager and City Council to mandate the Police Department issue an annual written report summarizing use of force and racial and identity profiling data to the commission. 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 to resolve systemic problems within the Santa Ana Police Department. 464➢.. caaw Ave#202* ➢ins Airng llu w,CA 90017*213...481.3740*www,duueJuusfice„aairg*Pirnirnted in•Ihouse