New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: carlos rojas

Has the sun set on the Santa Ana Police Department?

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Rojas, Civic Affairs, Public Safety, Santa Ana 19 Comments

One of our top sources is reporting that morale at the Santa Ana Police Department is now at an all-time low. We previously reported about the problems at the SAPD that have erupted since the ouster of former Chief of Police Paul Walters and his replacement by Carlos Rojas, a police officer who had no previous executive experience. Now apparently things have taken a turn for the worse.

Rojas oversees an agency that had an annual budget of $103.8 million, in 2013-14 – about half the city’s general fund. Of the department’s 579 staff, about 325 are sworn officers, according to the O.C. Register. Why the Santa Ana City Council didn’t conduct a national search to replace Walters – and hired a guy with no previous experience as a Police Chief, to oversee such a huge police department is a very good question. Continue reading→

Are real police detectives getting punked by SAPD Police Chief Rojas?

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Rojas, Public Safety, Santa Ana 9 Comments

Chief Rojas in the Fiestas Patrias Parade

The Santa Ana Police Department has for decades leased cars for use by detectives for undercover assignments like the gang detail, narcotics and vice.

The detective staff relies on the use of the lease vehicles for their own safety and as necessary tools to be able to conduct investigations. This is the norm in almost every major department and state and federal police agency across the country that uses undercover police cars.

SAPD Police Chief Carlos Rojas’ detectives are really upset because Chief Rojas has taken the leased vehicles away from the undercover assignments and assigned them to his handpicked top staff – the Commanders and two Deputy Chiefs. This group is represented by the police management association. A labor group just like the Santa Ana Police Officers Association only it represents just the Commanders and Deputy Chiefs. Continue reading→

Police Chief Rojas blames his own cops instead of dealing with the SAPD’s problems

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Rojas, David Cavazos, Paul Walters, Public Safety, Santa Ana 10 Comments

SAPD Chief Carlos Rojas and new recruits

Apparently our article about the low morale at the Santa Ana Police Department struck a nerve. SAPD Police Chief Carlos Rojas was reportedly so angry about it that he threatened to fire his police officers. I was told that he went to the daily briefings and told all of the officers and their supervisors that they have to stop talking to the press. He said that he had read what they were saying about him and demanded that they stop talking about him or the department or he would personally fire them – and no one could protect them because the police union was on his side.

Rojas reiterated that all media requests had to be directed to his hand-picked public information officer and that he had better not find out who was telling the press about internal issues. He also told them that low morale was their own fault. He said it was not his problem or the department’s problem…it was their own problem that they each needed to take care of themselves. Continue reading→

Santa Ana parents should demand the return of the fired school crossing guards

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Rojas, Civic Affairs, Education, Politics, Public Safety, Roman Reyna, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana, SAUSD 3 Comments

Santa Ana pedestrian accidents

Santa Ana parents are demanding that city officials reverse their decision to remove school crossing guards without warning, saying the move is putting children’s lives in danger, according to the Voice of OC.

About 25 crossing guards were removed near Santa Ana schools as of the start of the school year last Tuesday, according to police officials.

But parents from at least one campus protested, and the city has since reinstated a crossing guard, at least temporarily, near Santiago Elementary School, according to the O.C. Register. Continue reading→

OCDA and SAPD to talk about their latest gang injunction today

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Rojas, Crime, Entertainment, Gangs, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Santa Ana Police Department

Advisory: (07/29/2014) Morning press conference on the OCDA’s lawsuit against a dangerous, criminal, turf-oriented street gang.

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and Santa Ana Police Department Chief Carlos Rojas will hold a press conference today immediately following the 9:30 a.m. hearing in Department C-14. Continue reading→

Surveillance video catches several Santa Ana cops beating up a suspect

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Rojas, Crime, Police Brutality, Santa Ana 9 Comments

They say that police often reflect who their leaders are and if that is true then we need to start pondering what is going on at the Santa Ana Police Department. Surveillance video caught three Santa Ana police officers beating the heck out of a meth addict and suspected burglar, who according to witnesses was on the ground and not resisting at the time.

Olivia Arzate, the suspect’s mother, said her son’s face was all scratched and full of bruises, as were his hands, legs and back as a result of the beating, according to KTLA. Continue reading→

SAPD Police Chief Rojas to speak at a meeting of the Lacy Neighborhood Assn. on 7/25

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Rojas, Entertainment, Neighborhood Associations, Public Safety, Santa Ana Leave a comment

SAPD Police Chief Carlos Rojas and OC Sheriff Sandra Hutchens

Santa Ana Police Chief Carlos Rojas and Commander Ruben Ibarra will be speaking at a special meeting of the Lacy Neighborhood on Friday, July 25, 2014 at 6:00 pm. They will be making a presentation about Santa Ana crime statistics in the Lacy Neighborhood.

The meeting will be hosted by Latino Health Access at the Park and Community Center located at 602 E. Fourth Street, in Santa Ana. Continue reading→

Morale at the understaffed Santa Ana Police Department at an all time low

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Rojas, Crime, Public Safety, Santa Ana 26 Comments

SAPD Police Chief Carlos Rojas

There has been a drop in police officers on the streets in Santa Ana since the last city budget was adopted. Reports from the department are that there are only a handful officers on the street at any given time. If you go to the page 2-78 of the budget, and look under field operations, which are the patrol officers, they have dropped thirty police officer positions – this is the most important division in the department!

On page 2-78 of the adopted budget you can see that there are thirty less officers in patrol now. There were 231 total officers in all ranks the previous and only 198 this year. If you look on page 2-62 you can see the number of authorized officers last year and the number under the new budget.

In 1985, almost 30 years ago, there were 385 authorized police officers (all ranks Chief on down). Today there are only 316 police officers (add the total of officers, sergeants, lieutenants, captains and the chief) accounted for in the general fund. The population was about 100,000 people less back then. It has grown tremendously since 1985. Continue reading→

The OCDA imposes a new Santa Ana gang injunction without public comment

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Gangs, Santa Ana Leave a comment

Photo by Santa Ana CopWatch

The Orange County District Attorney’s office (OCDA) filed for a preliminary gang injunction on Santa Ana’s Townsend Neighborhood earlier this month and Santa Ana police served notices to those named in it just last week, according to the OC Weekly.

However Santa Ana Police Department Police Chief Carlos Rojas had promised at a meeting of the Santa Ana City Council’s Public Safety Committee that he would discuss any proposed gang injunctions with the affected community before taking any action. He clearly lied.

The boundaries of the new gang injunction’s “safety zone” are: West First Street, South Raitt Street, West McFadden Avenue and South Sullivan Street. Continue reading→

Crime is increasing but our City Council Members say it’s an anomaly

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, David Benavides, Michele Martinez, Sal Tinajero, Santa Ana 10 Comments

Santa Ana’s City Council Members are finally reacting to the increasing violence and crime in our city – but their reaction is not what anyone might have expected. In a city where the Council Members have in the past led marches against violence and conducted town hall meetings to discuss the issue, our elected officials are now ducking and covering.

Consider what several of the Council Members told the O.C. Register after five shootings and three fatalities in the past month: Continue reading→

Carlos Rojas appointed to head the Santa Ana Police Department

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Rojas, Civic Affairs, Santa Ana Leave a comment

City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community Alert: Newly Appointed Chief of Police Rose Through the Ranks

SANTA ANA, CA (April 29, 2014) –After an exhaustive nationwide recruitment and interviewing process, City Manager David Cavazos has appointed twenty four year veteran Carlos Rojas as the new Chief of Police for the City of Santa Ana. Rojas has served as the Interim Chief of Police since March 2012.

“Chief Rojas has had a long outstanding career in law enforcement and performed exceptionally as the City’s Interim Chief of Police for the last two years. Crime has continued to decrease under his leadership and the City is very proud to make this appointment,” said City Manager David Cavazos. Continue reading→

Is a major harassment scandal involving female cops brewing at the SAPD?

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Carlos Rojas, Santa Ana 7 Comments

I got a tip yesterday from an anonymous source who said that the Santa Ana Police Department is dealing with a harassment scandal that will dwarf what happened when former Santa Ana Councilman Carlos Bustamante got arrested after allegedly harassing women at his workplace at the County of Orange.

According to my source, a female SAPD commander was locked out of the SAPD HQ after numerous complaints about her behavior with other female cops. Continue reading→

Judge rules that Pham’s alleged killers must stand trial on murder charges

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, Santa Ana 2 Comments

A judge has ruled that two women will stand trial on murder charges in connection with the death of a 23-year-old woman left unconscious and fatally injured after a fight outside a Santa Ana nightclub, according to the O.C. Register.

A judge ruled there was enough evidence to try Vanesa Zavala and Candace Brito. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the death last month of Annie Hung Kim Pham, according to the S.F. Chronicle. Continue reading→

Why isn’t the City Council conducting a national search for a new Police Chief?

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Art Pedroza Posted in Civic Affairs, Santa Ana 8 Comments

Carlos Rojas, a 22-year veteran of the Santa Ana Police Department, was appointed Acting Chief of Police by then Santa Ana City Manager Paul Walters back in August of 2012, which was touted online by the Santa Ana Police Foundation.

But did you know that Rojas is still our Interim Police Chief and that the City of Santa Ana is still posting for a new Police Chief online? Continue reading→

Activists to ask the SAPD to stop collaborating with ICE, on June 18

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Art Pedroza Posted in Crime, David Benavides, Entertainment, immigration, Michele Martinez, Politics, Public Safety, Roman Reyna, Santa Ana 4 Comments

The OC May Day Coalition is asking the public and their members to join them at the next Santa Ana Public Safety Committee meeting, on Tuesday, June 18, 2013, at 5:30 pm, as they bring “awareness to the issue of the collaboration between the SAPD and ICE and demand that this collaboration be stopped.”

Their issue is on the agenda, so there will be discussion by the committee members on this topic as well as time for public comments. Continue reading→