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<br /> A Santa Ana Building Healthy Communities
<br /> Building Healthy 1505 E 17th St,Suite 111,Santa Ana,CA 92705
<br /> Communities PHONE:(714)617-8891 I FAX:(714)647-0901 I www.sa-bhc.org
<br /> October 4,2016
<br /> Santa Ana City Council
<br /> 22 Civic Center Plaza
<br /> Santa Ana,CA 92701
<br /> Re: City Council Meeting August 16,2016,Agenda Item 85A
<br /> Dear Mayor and City Council,
<br /> We write to you as a coalition of community members and local organizations interested in public
<br /> safety. Collectively, we are concerned of the potential harm to local businesses and the community in
<br /> general,when false crime statistics in the City of Santa Ana are purposely and unethically spread.
<br /> During a discussion of police officer pay and the police budget at the August 16th City Council Meeting,
<br /> Santa Ana Police Officer Association President, Gerry Serrano, argued for increases to police pay and
<br /> budgets, based in part on the assertion that Santa Ana is experiencing an unprecedented increase in crime
<br /> rates. We echo the sentiments expressed by Council Member Sal Tinajero that the crime data Mr. Serrano
<br /> presented is questionable, that overstating the crime rate in Santa Ana harms local businesses and the
<br /> community at large, and urge that the City respond to any concerns about public safety with a
<br /> comprehensive approach that addresses health, education, job opportunities and violence prevention
<br /> programs rather than simply increasing Police Department budgets. Moreover, we encourage the City of
<br /> Santa Ana and the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) to develop metrics of success based on
<br /> community relationship-development.
<br /> Mr. Serrano argued that the crime rate has risen five hundred percent and is currently at an unprecedented
<br /> level. Crime statistics can be erratic and are subject to manipulation, often for political ends. In recent
<br /> years, law enforcement has raised the specter of rising crime, blaming criminal sentencing reforms in
<br /> Prop 47.1 However, the data and community perception proves otherwise. Crime rates have continued to
<br /> decline over the past fifteen years and California, by 2014, had the lowest violent crime rate since 1967.2
<br /> On a national level, crime rates remain at a historic low.3 The exploitation of crime data is concerning
<br /> because community members have united behind a new vision for safety,health,and justice in California.
<br /> Community members recognize that more can be done to improve public safety-that is why the majority
<br /> of voters in Orange County approved Prop 47 almost two years ago.4 To the undersigned community
<br /> organizations, investing in public safety means investing in health and education for all Santa Ana
<br /> residents.
<br /> ' Jordan Graham, Crime's up in Orange County; what's to blame?, Orange County Register
<br /> (Mar. 30, 2016), http://www.ocregister.com/articles/crime-710203-county-police.html.
<br /> 2 Margaret Dooley-Sammuli, Changing Gears: California's Shift to Smart Justice
<br /> PROP 47 Year One, ACLU of Northern California(Nov. 2015), https://www.acluca.org/wp-
<br /> content/uploads/2015/11/Prop47-1 yr-Report-FINAL_web.pdf
<br /> 3 Ames Grawert and James Cullen, Crime in 2015:A Final Analysis, The Brennan Center for
<br /> Justice(April 20, 2016), https://www.brennancenter.org/analysis/crime-2015-final-analysis
<br /> 4 Alex Padilla, California Secretary of State, Statement of the Vote(Nov. 4, 2014),
<br /> http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2014-general/pdf/88-bal lot-measures.pdf
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