If you live in Santa Ana then it should come as no surprise violent crime increased in our city during the first half of 2016, according to a new FBI report.
Violent crime also increased in Orange, Costa Mesa, and Irvine, but it dropped in Anaheim, Huntington Beach and Garden Grove.
In Santa Ana, Orange County’s second-largest city in regard to population, there were 868 reported violent crimes for the first six months of 2016, compared to 773 the year before. Murders more than doubled to 13, according to the O.C. Register.
This increase in violent crime happened while the SAPD experienced historically low staffing levels thanks to our City Manager, David Cavazos, who has since been suspended by our new City Council majority, and our inexperienced and inept Chief of Police, Carlos Rojas. Hopefully Rojas will be suspended or fired soon. Both Cavazos and Rojas were hired by the previous City Council majority not because they were any good at their jobs but primarily because they are Latinos.
While the Rojas administration is blaming the increase in violent crime on Prop. 47, a 2014 state ballot initiative that reduced some drug-possession felonies to misdemeanors, we believe that the mass arrest of Mexican Mafia gang leaders a few years ago, coupled with a meth outbreak among young gangbangers in Santa Ana, are more likely to blame for the increase in violent crime.
And criminals in our area know that our police department is undermanned and overwhelmed. Plus our previous City Council majority got rid of the SAPD’s gang squad.
We would like to see Rojas fired and replaced this year. We also believe the SAPD needs to hire more police officers. Gangbangers are the main problem in our city, along with drug addicts and deranged hobos. It is time to clean up our city and put these miscreants behind bars or drive them out of our city altogether.
I agree completely!
I couldn’t disagree more. Alreast the gangs keep the street clean of sex offenders. Focus on the real problem
There are no serious consequences for criminals anymore. Criminals do not fear the law because the penalties are a mere pat on their evil bottoms. California is a haven for sex/drug traffickers because they can flourish here with misdemeanor threats! FIRE & REPLACE the greedy& tolerant mayor, governor and senator of California. BRING BACK LAW & ORDER to California. Give police officers the power they once had to enforce the law. Rid California of all the agencies that fight against right and protect criminals. Enforce the death penalty speedily and do away with life sentences. Take hold of discipline you greedy miserable cowards!
I guess I missed something, why are the crime rates in costa mesa Irvine, and orange also up?
They may be up due to the Governor releasing felons. But they are not even close to the increase in Santa Ana.