When is SAPD Police Chief Rojas going to do something about the increase in crime in our city?

Violent crime, particularly gang-related shootings, are up this year in Santa Ana by historic numbers, as most of our readers know. But the new reality in our city might be worse than you think:

• As compared to 2011, shootings are up 300% in 2016
• YTD we have alread tallied 16 homicides as compared to 14 all of last year
• A mother has been missing for several months – a possible Domestic Violence murder
• In 2011 the SAPD had 400 officers and currently the SAPD has only 306 police officers on staff

SAPD Police Chief Carlos Rojas has with the assistance of overpaid Santa Ana City Manager David Cavazos single-handedly destroyed the SAPD. In fact a few weeks ago the Santa Ana City Council redirected surplus money to the Santa Ana Police Department to assist with Patrol Staffing/hiring. However since April of 2016 staffing has been cut and patrol shifts are regularly run with only 10-12 officers citywide. That is a huge public safety concern!

The low number of police officers on staff in Santa Ana explains why response times are up and on some occasions citizens are waiting upward of 3-4 hours for a police officer when they call 911.

Nightly gunfire has become the norm just about on a daily basis. Why has Chief Rojas not addressed the continued violent crime/shootings in our city? Why has he not hired any new cops despite the new funding the City Council has provided his department? Why is he not being held accountable? Why is our City Council so asleep at the wheel when several City Council members are up for re-election this November?

Nothing will change in this city if we don’t speak up! You can send an email to our City Council at this link.

Art Pedroza Editor

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

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