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Home My WebLink About2026-05-14 Regular Police Oversight Commission Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Police Oversight Commission May 14, 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 5:08 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 May 14, 2026 ROLL CALL MINUTES: Recording Secretary Diana Zuniga conducted roll call. Commissioners Gawronski, Perea, Said (arrived at 5:38 P.M.), and Vega and Chair Carpenter were present. Commissioners Mejia and Vice Chair Castillo Laughton was absent. 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 individual addressed the Commission via teleconference: 1. Manuel Arreguin stated he would like to file a formal complaint against Commander Jorge Lopez. CONSENT CALENDAR RECOMMENDED ACTION: Approve staff recommendations on the following Consent Calendar Items: 1 and 2. MINUTES:At 5:10 P.M., the Consent Calendar was considered. MOTION: Commissioner Vega moved to approve Consent Calendar Item Nos. 1 and 2, seconded by Commissioner Perea. The motion carried, 4-0-0-3, by the following roll call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONER GAWRONSKI, COMMISSIONER PEREA, COMMISSIONER VEGA, CHAIR CARPENTER NOES: NONE ABSTAIN: NONE ABSENT: COMMISSIONER MEJIA, COMMISSIONER SAID, VICE CHAIR CASTILLO LAUGHTON Status: 4-0 — 0 — 3 — Pass 1. Excused Absences Recommended Action: Excuse the absent members. 2. Minutes from the Regular Meetings of April 9, 2026. Recommended Action: Approve minutes. ***END OF CONSENT CALENDAR*** POLICE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION 2 May 14, 2026 RECESS - Police Oversight Commission will recess to Closed Session. MINUTES: Chair Carpenter recessed to consider the Closed Session item at 5:13 P.M. BUSINESS CALENDAR 3. CLOSED SESSION — Consistent with California Government Code Section 54957 PUBLIC EMPLOYEE COMPLAINTS (review of citizen complaints submitted to the Police Oversight Commission Complaint Nos. 2026-12, 2026-15, 2026-18, and 2026- 24). Government Code Section 54957 MINUTES: Commissioner Said arrived during Closed Session at 5:38 P.M. RECONVENE - Police Oversight Commission will reconvene to continue regular City business. MINUTES: Chair Carpenter reconvened the Police Oversight Commission meeting to order at 6:45 P.M. CLOSED SESSION REPORT-The City Attorney will report on any action(s)from Closed Session. MINUTES: None. 4. Recommendation to SAPD Policy No. 707 Military Equipment Recommended Action: Receive a presentation and approve the recommended policy to the City Manager for changes to the Santa Ana Police Department's Military Equipment Policy No. 707 prepared by the Police Oversight Director. MINUTES: Independent Oversight Director T. Jack Morse provided a presentation regarding recommendations to SAPD Policy No. 707 Military Equipment. Commissioner Said requested clarification regarding the language in Section 707.3 related to non-conforming uses of prior military equipment and whether Section 70 7.11 applies only to this specific policy. Independent Oversight Director Morse clarified annual reporting requirements under Section 707.3 and City Council review of prior military equipment policy compliance, and whether appropriate corrective action was taken when non- compliance use occurred. He stated Section 707.11 is intended to satisfy the requirements of Government Code Section 7070, which specifies the Police Chief has the authority to oversee compliance, while the Police Oversight Director and the City Council retain oversight authority. POLICE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION 3 May 14, 2026 Commissioner Perea stated he was pleased with the changes made to the policy however expressed concern regarding the use of less-than-lethal equipment, and stated he would like to increase the reporting standard to include whether such equipment is effective in reducing harm. Independent Oversight Director Morse clarified the language in Section 707.3 regarding civilian safety, civil rights, and civil liberties is included within the policy. He stated policies dictate how less-than-lethal weapons may be used and recommended reviewing those specific policies for potential future changes. Chair Carpenter inquired about the Commission's role and responsibilities regarding the policy. Deputy City Manager Sylvia Vazquez clarified the Commission has the authority to make policy recommendations directly to the City Manager. Independent Oversight Director Morse clarified the policy is not intended to limit the Commission's role. Commissioner Perea recommended inviting legal experts and community organizations to provide feedback and input regarding the policy. Deputy City Manager Vazquez noted the upcoming deadline for the annual report, and stated the Commission could propose immediate adjustments through policy amendments for the City Manager's review and introduce a motion to bring the policy back for further presentations and discussion after its initial approval. Discussion ensued regarding policy approval process. MOTION: Commissioner Said moved to approve the recommended action for Agenda Item No. 4, seconded by Commissioner Vega. The motion carried, 5-0-0-2, by the following roll call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONER GAWRONSKI, COMMISSIONER PEREA, COMMISSIONER SAID, COMMISSIONER VEGA, CHAIR CARPENTER NOES: NONE ABSTAIN: NONE ABSENT: COMMISSIONER MEJIA, VICE CHAIR CASTILLO LAUGHTON Status: 5-0 — 0 — 2 — Pass 4 Ma 1 2026 POLICE OVERS IGHT COMMISSION Y 4 5. 2024 Complaint Data Presentation Recommended Action: Receive and file 2024 Complaint Data Presentation and provide direction to the Police Oversight Director. MINUTES: Independent Oversight Director T. Jack Morse provided a presentation regarding 2024 complaint data. Commissioner Vega asked whether the complaints included in the presentation were provided strictly for informational purposes. Independent Oversight Director Morse confirmed the complaints had passed the one-year deadline for the Commission to investigate. Commissioner Perea spoke on transparency and public inquiries regarding the number of complaints received by the Commission and noting some complaints were submitted before the Commission had authority to review them. Chair Carpenter stated it was unfortunate the Commission lacked the ability to review past cases and expressed appreciation for receiving the data in the interest of transparency. Commissioner Vega stated it would be beneficial to feature data on the website that tracks the number of complaints broken down by year. Commissioner Perea stated he has received requests from residents to make this information easier to find within the City website. Chair Carpenter echoed these concerns regarding the overall accessibility of the website when searching for specific data. MOTION: Commissioner Said moved to approve the recommended action for Agenda Item No. 5, seconded by Commissioner Gawronski. The motion carried, 5-0-0-2, by the following roll call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONER GAWRONSKI, COMMISSIONER PEREA, COMMISSIONER SAID, COMMISSIONER VEGA, CHAIR CARPENTER NOES: NONE ABSTAIN: NONE ABSENT: COMMISSIONER MEDIA, VICE CHAIR CASTILLO LAUGHTON Status: 5-0 - 0 - 2 — Pass ***END OF BUSINESS CALENDAR*** POLICE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION 5 May 14, 2026 STAFF COMMENTS MINUTES: Deputy City Manager Sylvia Vazquez stated she is happy to see policy moving forward and encouraged Commissioners to reach out to her office with suggestions for future agenda items. Independent Oversight Director T. Jack Morse thanked staff for their work with the 2024 Complaint Data presentation. Commander Jorge Lopez noted the Police Department's website contains an overview of received complaints including complaints received by the Police Oversight Commission. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS MINUTES: Commissioner Vega thanked everyone for a productive meeting. Commissioner Said thanked everyone for a productive meeting and wished everyone a good Memorial Day weekend. Chair Carpenter thanked staff for changes to the policies, expressed concern regarding the City's website accessibility, and requested the website include complaint data. ADJOURNMENT-Adjourn the Police Oversight Commission Meeting. MINUTES: Chair Carpenter adjourned the Police Oversight Commission meeting at 7:30 P.M. The next meeting of the Police Oversight Commission is scheduled for June 11, 2026 at 5:00 P.M. Respectfully submitted: Diana Zuniga Recording Secret Attest: XbI Y. -Icala, CMC Assl�ta City Clerk POLICE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION 6 May 14, 2026