Correspondence - Closed Session #3

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HIRE AN IOD FOR POLICE Signed: OF__,4% ORANGE COUNTY C S O Orange County Tenants United Santa Ana 90CRRN QC Rapid Vespanse Nekwark Orange County Rapid Response Network AGE COS ChicanxsUnidxs U.S. PALESTINIAN COMMUNITY NETWORK (USPCN) ACCOUNTABILITY FRIDAY 11.15.2024 To the Santa Ana City Council: We, the organizations signed, demand that Santa Ana City Council vote to hire Sean Garcia-Leys for Independent Oversight Director in the upcoming November 19th City Council meeting! The vote should be held during the open session of a City Council meeting. Two years ago, the Police Oversight Commission of Santa Ana was established after the George Floyd protests against racist police violence swept the nation and accelerated the fight for accountability here in Santa Ana. But today, our Commission still does not function. It lacks the ability to make any recommendations on complaints received because it lacks an Independent Oversight Director (IOD). The commission has a time limit for reviewing complaints, so while an IOD is not hired, these complaints are collecting dust. Alarmingly, two of the five candidates for IOD include former police officers and FBI agents. The purpose of the Independent Oversight Commission is to conduct independent investigations of and make independent recommendations to Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD). An internal audit of SAPD's Department of Internal Affairs found that its investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and assault by police officers was "severely hampered" by its then -Commander, current police chief Robert Rodriguez. A nationwide evaluation of US departments called The Police Scorecard found that in Santa Ana from 2013 - 2017, only 3% of civilian complaints of police misconduct were ruled in favor of civilians. From 2011 to 2020, the City of Santa Ana paid over $24 million towards lawsuits against the police department. We don't need more lawsuits caused by police being unaccountable. So the need for an oversight body independent of any current or former police is clear. Civil rights attorney and public safety advocate Sean Garcia-Leys is the strongest candidate with a history of fighting for police accountability. He has successfully fought back against gang injunctions in LA, Ventura, and Orange counties. These injunctions have a record of discriminating on the basis of race, clothing, and location, disproportionately targeting people of color. He also fought to enforce the California Racial Justice Act, which was designed to address racial disparities in prosecutions. When D.A. Todd Spitzer refused to release prosecutorial data showing how the county implemented the Racial Justice Act, a coalition including Garcia-Leys filed suit. Sean Garcia-Leys is the type of IOD Santa Ana needs: a hire with a proven track record of working for police accountability. Two years is long enough! Hire an IOD for police accountability! Hire Sean Garcia-Leys!