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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-01-08 Regular Police Oversight Commission Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Police Oversight Commission �9 ,..wr January 8, 2026 REGULAR MEETING - 5:00 P.M. CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER 22 Civic Center Plaza Santa Ana, CA 92701 CALL TO ORDER MINUTES: Chair Carpenter called the meeting to order at 5:03 P.M. ATTENDANCE Commission Members Evangeline Gawronski Amalia Mejia Carlos Perea Nadin Said Danny Vega Vice Chair Gabriel Castillo Laughton Chair Keith Carpenter Staff Members Independent Oversight Director T. Jack Morse Jr. Deputy City Manager Sylvia Vazquez Deputy Chief Roland Andrade Police Commander Jorge Lopez Assistant City Attorney Jonathan Martinez Recording Secretary Abigail Y. Alcala POLICE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION 1 JANUARY 8, 2026 ROLL CALL MINUTES: Recording Secretary Diana Zuniga conducted roll call. Commissioners Gawronski, Mejia, Perea, Said, and Vega, Vice Chair Castillo Laughton, and Chair Carpenter were present. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE MINUTES: Chair Carpenter led the Pledge of Allegiance. PUBLIC COMMENTS—Public comments will be held during the beginning of the meeting for all comments on agenda items. Members of the public may provide comments on any agenda or non-agenda items within the subject matter jurisdiction of the commission. MINUTES: The following individuals addressed the Commission via in person: 1. David Pulido requested justice for Noe Rodriguez and the police officers involved be held accountable, and spoke regarding Noe Rodriguez's incident. 2. Erika Armenta (summary of Spanish comment) requested an independent investigation for Noe Rodriguez and cameras be installed in police vehicles. 3. Abraham Quintana requested justice for Noe Rodriguez and the police officers involved be held accountable, and spoke regarding Noe Rodriguez's incident. 4. Matthew Compton requested the Police Department hold community meetings to promot awareness of the Commission, spoke regarding the Freddy D'Angelo Washington incident, and requested an independent investigation for Noe Rodriguez. CONSENT CALENDAR RECOMMENDED ACTION: Approve staff recommendations on the following Consent Calendar Items: 1 and 2. MINUTES:At 5:20 P.M., the Consent Calendar was considered. MOTION: Vice Chair Castillo Laughton moved to approve Consent Calendar Item Nos. 1 and 2, seconded by Commissioner Said. The motion carried, 7-0, by the following roll call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONER GAWRONSKI, COMMISSIONER MEJIA, COMMISSIONER PEREA, COMMISSIONER SAID, COMMISSIONER VEGA, VICE CHAIR CASTILLO LAUGHTON CHAIR CARPENTER NOES: NONE ABSTAIN: NONE ABSENT: NONE Status: 7—0 — Pass POLICE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION 2 JANUARY 8, 2026 1. Excused Absences Recommended Action: Excuse the absent members. 2. Minutes from the Regular Meetings of December 11, 2025. Recommended Action: Approve minutes. ***END OF CONSENT CALENDAR*** RECESS— Police Oversight Commission will recess to Closed Session. MINUTES: Chair Carpenter recessed to consider the Closed Session item at 5:23 P.M. BUSINESS CALENDAR 3. CLOSED SESSION — Consistent with California Government Code section 54957 PUBLIC EMPLOYEE COMPLAINTS (review of citizen complaints submitted to Police Oversight Commission, complaints dated: 1128/25, 2/8/25, 3113/25, 5/29/25, 6/13125, 6/20/25, 6/22/25, 9/11/25, 12/12/25) Government Code section 54957 ***END OF BUSINESS CALENDAR*** RECONVENE — Police Oversight Commission will reconvene to continue regular City business. MINUTES: Chair Carpenter reconvened the Police Oversight Commission meeting to order at 7:26 P.M. CLOSED SESSION REPORT-The City Attorney will report on any action(s)from Closed Session. MINUTES:Assistant City Attorney Jonathan Martinez stated the Commission requested Independent Oversight Director T. Jack Morse provide additional information regarding three of the eight complaints. STUDY SESSION 4. Vehicle Pursuit Statistics Presentation MINUTES: Independent Oversight Director T. Jack Morse provided a presentation regarding Vehicle Pursuit Statistics. Commissioner Mejia inquired whether traffic collision have ended in a fatality and which were the most common vehicle code violations that lead to pursuits. POLICE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION 3 JANUARY 8, 2026 Deputy Chief Roland Andrade stated that, to his knowledge, no pursuits have resulted in fatal collisions. He clarified that because vehicle code violations are not a specific field in the reporting system, identifying the initial cause of each pursuit would require a manual review of every individual case file. Commissioner Perea requested an emailed report detailing the specific violations that initiated pursuits, categorized by race. Commissioner Vega inquired how often officers take City vehicles home and whether the City could be liable if an off-duty officer is involved in a collision in a City vehicle. Deputy Chief Andrade clarified that officers are assigned a City vehicle based on their assignment. Assistant City Attorney Jonathan Martinez stated an employer may still be held liable for an off-duty employee's accidents, as the employer is the legal owner of the vehicle. Vice Chair Castillo Laughton asked whether there was data on the number of pursuits that were justified and requested a breakdown of violations categorized by infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies. He expressed concern over the $1.2 million in settlements involving off-duty officers in City vehicle incidents and requested a detailed report on those specific collision cases. Deputy City Manager Sylvia Vazquez reminded the Commission that the current focus of the discussion should be police pursuits and stated that Commissioners could submit a request via memo to review additional department policies. Commissioner Mejia requested clarification on whether the $5.16 million in settlements were exclusively from police pursuits or included all incidents involving police vehicles. She expressed concern over the total settlement amount, and requested a data breakdown of pursuits by specific vehicle code violations and whether the incidents resulted in collisions. Assistant City Attorney Martinez clarified the $5.16 million settlement amount includes all police vehicle involved incidents. Commissioner Said spoke in support of the installation of dash cameras in police vehicles and requested additional information regarding the topic. Commissioner Perea inquired whether the following language "extended pursuits of violators for misdemeanors not involving violence, risk of serious harm, or weapons (independent of the pursuit) are generally discouraged." had been removed from the policy. Independent Oversight Director Morse confirmed the language had been removed from the current policy. POLICE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION 4 JANUARY 8, 2026 Commissioner Vega asked whether there is additional training required for officers who are involved a vehicle collision. Deputy Chief Andrade stated additional training may be recommended for the officer depending on the type of collision and currently the department is providing additional emergency vehicle driving training for all field operations bureau. Commissioner Mejia expressed concern regarding the majority of pursuits being the results of vehicle code violations, requested a breakdown of pursuit reasons by vehicle code violations, and further analysis to compare the information to comparable jurisdictions and how those jurisdictions have resolved the issue. Commissioner Said stated the additional training for an additional emergency vehicle is positive for the department and the police vehicle dash cameras could help reduce liability for the City. Commissioner Perea requested data regarding reasons of pursuits by race, expressed concern regarding the $1.2 million in settlements for three collisions involving off-duty officers, requested additional information on the off-duty collision cases, and expressed support of a proposal for police vehicle dash cameras. Chair Carpenter inquired whether there is a policy for police vehicle collisions involving an off-duty officer in a City vehicle, recommended not receiving additional information on data, and requested additional information regarding the $1.2 million in settlements for collisions involving off-duty officers. Deputy Chief Andrade stated there is a policy which results in a traffic collision investigation and administrative investigation. Discussion ensued regarding the need for further data and the possibility of reviewing additional department policies. Commissioner Gawronski requested a guide for police department acronyms. Deputy City Manager Vazquez stated the new Police Oversight Commission Management Analyst will provide a list of acronyms. ***END OF STUDY SESSION*** STAFF COMMENTS MINUTES: Deputy City Manager Sylvia Vazquez wished everyone a Happy New Year and stated the Commission is off to a good start with reviewing complaints and is looking forward to the coming year. Assistant City Attorney Jonathan Martinez reminded the Commission that discussions in the closed session are confidential and stated he is looking forward to reviewing complaints with the Commission. POLICE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION 5 JANUARY 8, 2026 COMMISSIONER COMMENTS MINUTES: Commissioner Vega thanked staff for their work and the Commission for their different opinions. He stated he is looking forward to reviewing complaints, and wished everyone a Happy New Year. Vice Chair Castillo Laughton stated he is looking forward to reviewing the complaints and working with the Commission. Commissioner Mejia thanked staff for the report. Commissioner Said thanked staff for their work and stated she is looking forward to the February Commission meeting. Commissioner Perea wished everyone a Happy New Year and stated he is looking forward to future meetings. Chair Carpenter thanked everyone for the evening. ADJOURNMENT-Adjourn the Police Oversight Commission Meeting. MINUTES: Chair Carpenter adjourned the Police Oversight Commission meeting at 8:46 P.M. The next meeting of the Police Oversight Commission is scheduled for February 12, 2026 at 5:00 P.M. Respectfully submitted: i✓.Gov . Diana Zuni Recording Secretary j est: i I ala, CMC ' t n City Clerk POLICE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION 6 JANUARY 8, 2026