CORRESPONDENCE - 85A - Laserfiche WebLink

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Trujillo, Rose Ann From: Huizar, Maria le Sent: Friday, August 12, 2016 4:38 PM To: eComment Cc: Cavazos, David; Rojas, Carlos; Raya, Edward; Carvalho, Sonia R.; Rossini, Laura Subject: FW: Council Meeting Agenda Item 85A Attachments: Support Letter 85A.docx Please include comments to Agenda Item. Thank you. From: Gerry Serrano [ Sent: Friday,August 12, 2016 4:12 PM To: Huizar, Maria <MHuizar@santa-ana.org> Subject: Council Meeting Agenda Item 85A Hi Maria, 1 respectfully request my following comments be added to Agenda Item 85k (also added as an attachment) The salary survey performed pursuant to the mandate of the current Memorandum of Understanding between the City and the Santa Ana Police Officers Association discloses what was generally thought to be true: Santa Ana Police Officers are grossly underpaid. Per the City's survey Santa Ana Officers are as much as 18% percent below in pay than the top agencies in Orange County. As a result, officers are retiring at the earliest possible opportunity, a practice previously unknown in Santa Ana. Even though eligible to retire, police officers typically stayed for an additional three to seven years. That provided the City with a strong cohort of experienced officers. Aside from the knowledge that these officers had, which made them a benefit to the citizens, they were in a position to pass that institutional knowledge and expertise on to newer employees in both formal and informal settings. Of significance is that since 2012, 98 officers have retired/separated/etc. and of those 37 officers were premature retirements or officers that left for other agencies. Of greater importance and an alarming fact is that Santa Ana Police Officers are now leaving to other police departments. This never occurred before. For years, Santa Ana PD was the place other officers would choose to lateral to. We recruited the best in the industry and it was common fact within the law enforcement community that everyone wanted to work at the Santa Ana Police Department thus we hired the best of the best. Now in unprecedented history, officers are applying and leaving to neighboring police departments. Since 2013, sixteen (16) police officers have left to other departments and two (2) resigned for personal reasons. Personal reasons? Additionally, since 2014 nine (9) police recruits resigned. Three (3) lateral officers hired quit within a year of employment. These things have never happened before. Are we hiring the best of the best? Police skills that are refined here, a city in which it takes police skills to do the job on a daily basis, are being taken to other agencies. Again the citizens of Santa Ana are the ones that suffer. Policing in Santa Ana is not becoming easier. Like most cities, Santa Ana is experiencing an increase in violent crime. Shootings have increased in record numbers (over 210 this year); murders 1