I didn’t like the idea of converting the Santa Ana Police Department’s (SAPD) police dog training center into a dog park for Santa Ana residents until I spoke today to a former City of Santa Ana employee, who shared with me the history of this beautiful, fenced in field.

According to my friend, the area used to be a public park, until the SAPD convinced the City Council to let them have it.  They promised at the time to share the field with the public.  However, you can see in the pictures above that the field is gated and locked.

I have never seen the police using the field.  My friend says they hardly ever use it.  And he says that the Chief of Police, Paul Walters, often brings his own dogs to the field on Saturday mornings.  The field is, essentially, a private dog park for Chief Walters.

No bueno!  If indeed the cops are barely using it, there is no reason why the field should not be shared with the general public.  I was worried about the lack of parking, but as you can see in the pictures above, there are about thirty spaces available, all the way over to where the archery range is.

And there is more parking over at Santiago Park, by the riverbed.

Your kids can enjoy the big slides next to the dog park field, as you can see in the pictures above.

If we use this area for our first City Dog Park, we can use the Lawn Bowling greens for something else.  And I have a plan for that area as well.  That will be the subject of my next post!

If you would like to communicate your feelings about this to the SAPD, click here.  Click here to contact the Santa Ana City Council.  You can contact City Manager Dave Ream’s assistant, Mark Lawrence, at MLawrence@santa-ana.org.