Correspondence- #22 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Middleton, Samuel From: Greg Camphire <gcamphire@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, October 17, 2022 10:36 AM To: eComment Subject: Agenda Item #22: Draft Ordinance Establishing a Police Oversight Commission Hello, I'm writing today to let Santa Ana's leaders know that effective police oversight is long overdue in our city. Residents have been calling for the creation of a Police Oversight Commission since the 1960's, so it's way past time to listen to citizens and deliver on this campaign for accountability for the many abuses of the Santa Ana Police Department. Therefore, I urge you to adopt the ACLU and Chispa's amendments to the draft Police Oversight Ordinance. Police violence and misconduct have cost Santa Ana residents over $20 million in lawsuit settlements over the last decade. Their unjust killings have caused immeasurable loss of life and pain for the grieving friends and families left behind. So we must get it right when creating an effective, independent, and transparent Police Oversight Commission. This commission must have teeth! Bad oversight is worse than no oversight, as it would continue letting police misconduct pass without any repercussions. As currently written, the draft ordinance put together by City Staff would create a Review Model similar to Anaheim's, which is completely inadequate and insufficient. The oversight board must have broad authority to investigate complaints, serious incidents, and use of force by SAPD. The commission must be able to access appropriate SAPD documents in order to investigate and make formal judgments on the most serious issues relating to civil rights and civil liberties. The commission must be explicitly authorized with the power of subpoena and the ability to issue disciplinary recommendations to the Police Chief and Internal Affairs division of SAPD as well as the City Council. Police oversight must also be truly independent, which means that no law enforcement officers should serve on the board. We've seen the results when police investigate themselves, leading to zero accountability and officers being fired and rehired. Instead, the commission must include the people most affected by police violence in Santa Ana; and they must be selected through an independent selection panel process. Transparency and reporting are also essential components of an effective Police Oversight Commission. It is important that our communities are aware of the commission's role and responsibilities, and it must create public opportunities for residents to learn about related issues so that they can make informed decisions. Per Assembly Bill 71, the SAPD is mandated by state law to annually submit data to the California Department of Justice on use of force incidents that resulted in serious bodily injury, death, or discharge of a firearm. Under AB 953, SAPD is mandated to report a) all vehicle and pedestrian stops and b) citizen complaints alleging racial and identity profiling to the DOJ. I 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. This is one of the most important issues of our time. We need to police the police. I support the ACLU and Chispa's proposed changes to the draft Police Oversight Ordinance and urge the creation of a commission composed of diverse community leaders with the knowledge and experience to effectuate meaningful oversight of SAPD. Thank you, i