I came across a small news item in the O.C. Register that almost escaped my attention. Apparently “Police are investigating the theft of as many as a dozen metal landmark plaques pried from buildings around the Civic Center, including the Old Orange County Courthouse.”
“Investigators later determined that similar plaques had been taken from at least six, and possibly as many as 12, historic and landmark buildings. Those include the Old Orange County Courthouse and the Dr. Howe-Waffle House.”
Imagine that? Thieves have strolled up to these buildings in the Civic Center area no less, and pried off these plaques…and not a one of them has been seen, much less caught. Isn’t the Santa Ana Police Department located right there in the Civic Center? How is it even possible that they would miss this activity? How embarrassing!
Isn’t this the are where the Mayor and the City Council want to set up streetcars, at a cost of $15 million per mile? And the SAPD can’t even keep the historical plaques from being pried off the buildings? Maybe they better give flak jackets to the eventual riders of those streetcars?
I am just not sure what to think of our local police. I know that they never fail to show up late or not at all when my co-blogger Thomas Gordon calls them. He quite often comes across taggers in them midst of defacing property, and he literally ends up waiting over an hour for anyone from SAPD to show up.
He even witnessed a fellow being beaten up by four people, and all the police asked him was “do they have any guns?” It was not a priority for them at all.
So what the heck is a priority for SAPD? Graffiti is rampant throughout Santa Ana. Historical markers are being pried off of buildings around City Hall. Gang violence has exploded this year. And what is the SAPD up to?
I wrote a few months ago about a ticket I received, while my wife and I were coming home from our anniversary dinner. It was a trap set on Santiago St., just north of 17th. A city tree completely blocks a stop sign you come to, just past Guaranty Chevrolet. On that evening, a guy was already pulled over by a squad car just ahead of the stop sign in question. As I drove, very slowly, north on Santiago, I saw the lights of the police car and wondered what was up? Because the stop sign was obscured, and because there is no public lighting, apparently I did not stop at the sign, and a motorcycle cop came up right behind me.
I was pretty angry that SAPD had nothing better to do than to set up a trap on a street utilized only, for the most part, by residents of the Park Santiago neighborhood. And I was particularly angry about the city tree blocking the stop sign. So I fought the ticket. I submitted a written report to the court, with photographs showing the city tree blocking the stop sign. And I found out last week that I won. The city failed to prosecute.
The city tree by the way is still blocking that stop sign. Who knows how many other residents will get caught in future traps? And here is a thought – why are the SAPD wasting their time in this fashion? Obviously there are higher priorities that they are completely ignoring.
I wonder what the SAPD response time to emergency calls is, compared to other cities in O.C.? I’m sure if the Mayor or one of his henchmen called them, they would be there pretty quickly. In fact I have often observed police cruisers going through the Mayor’s neighborhood, Floral Park. They appear to be his private security. And in the meantime, the bad guys are running amok in the rest of Santa Ana.
I have often suggested that we examine the idea of outsourcing our police department to the O.C. Sheriff. It has been suggested to me that we could save millions of dollars by doing this. Given the apparent inadequacy of the SAPD, we really owe it to ourselves to look at this option. Can the response time and priority setting possibly be any worse under the Sheriff’s Department? I can’t imagine that.
I wonder where those historical plaques got scrapped at? Maybe they will end up on Ebay. Or they might be turned into streetcar parts…and end up back in the Civic Center area.
I was looking at missing plaque at the old courthouse yesterday.
I wondered why it was gone. I hope the metal recycler’s have been told to keep an eye out for them.
Revenue Generating Activities. Someone in SAPD or some consultant the SAPD has hired has told them to re-organize their priorities. Why SPEND money fighting crime when you can EARN money harassing the deep pocketed law abiding residents of your city? I saw this phenomenon in Long Beach during 2005 there was suddenly a speed trap around every corner but people were getting gunned down in the middle of busy evenings in downtown on Pine Street.
You can use outsourcing as a topic of leverage if it’s truly possible and you can get traction on the concept amongst residents. Kind of a perform-or-quit for SAPD.
I heard they also stole the plaque done for Tom Lutz in the Artist’s village and they also stole the sign off the “Don Cribb”” Theater on Main St. (or is it Broadway) Since they stole the Cribb theater sign I can’t even find the place!!
As a life long history buff this tragedy really disturbs me.
When the city can’t keeep a lid on the type of people that loiter on the plaza downtown is it any wonder that this sort of thing would end up occuring?
As for the graffiti problem:
When I complained about graffiti at an apartment complex, earlier this year, the response was that they could do something only about that which was on the trees and sidewalk outside the property, or graffiti on the property that could be seen from the street, the rest was up to the owners to clean up on their own.
As for the managers of the property, they told me to mind my own business.
I told the cowards that crime and blight in my neighbrhood WAS my business, and should be theirs too!
The residents, mostly hispanic, seemed too cowed to raise a serious stink.
Apparemtly their is a lucrative copper scrap market.I own a building on Sycamore between 4th and 5th.This week theives somehow were able to get to the roof of my building , removed and stole all the exposed copper piping.It had to of been done during the night and early morning.Better patrolling during these hours could possibly make a difference.
WOW!
Art, the last time someone got on Chief Walter’s bad side he got set up and thrown in the slammer.
So much for attempts at community policing. Not a good way for cops to get to know the residents.
Walters is doing a “heckofajob”. Gotta pay for that double-stacked salary somehow! What is it about now, just over $300,000 including benefits, is it?
With that kind of salary SA should be the safest city in the OC, NOT!
Walters should be some kind of Robocop, rather, he is a lot more like the Invisible Man.
Art, You have driven that stretch of Santiago St. a thousand times coming in and out of Park Santiago and the stop sign is NOT new. What kind of a message do you give your kids about right and wrong when you break the law but are not willing to take your punishment like a man. Someday when your children are teenagers and you are bailing one of them out of the O.C. Jail and asking yourself where did you go wrong, think back to the time you taught them that it’s ok to be a lawbreaker!
#7,
Review Art’s post.He fought the ticket.Presented evidence as to the obstructed sign.The city did not prosecute.He did not break the law.The message he is giving his children is to fight againts abuse and apparent abusive circumstances.Good job Art.
“Police are investigating the theft of as many as a dozen metal landmark plaques pried from buildings around the Civic Center”
“police hope leads may lead us to some suspects in the future”
Those clowns couldn’t catch someone stealing the phones off thier desk. This will all get better once Mayor No Nuts and the Space Commander bring the trolly to Santa Ana.
“You didn’t break no laws esay!”.
sureeeeeee
..And I have the same message for Art L. when his kids end up in jail. The Manzanas don’t fall very far from the trees do they?
Poster 10,
Listen, I am a certified defensive driving instructor (National Safety Council), so you are barking up the wrong tree.
That incident was a trap. You could not help but see the cruiser ahead of the stop sign, which meant you would not see the totally obscured stop sign.
I have nothing to hang my head about. But the City needs to take out that tree and stop setting up traps to punish local residents.
Maybe they need to put more cops in the Civic Center area and try to save what is left of their historical markers?
# 10 ,
What is up with the ethnic overtone of your bigot ignorant post?
Art, you should ask the city to move the stop sign to in front of the tree.
There are a few signs I have seen that have been moved to be visible.
Cook,
I think an easier solution would be to remove the tree in question. That would solve the problem immediately.
Those trees at the entrance to Park Santiago look so pretty! I’d hate to see them removed. Instead, why don’t they remove the cops who are setting up the speed traps? Is that really the best use of police resources? How about the trap at Flower st. and Memory lane where they bust people for the absurd No right turn on Flower st. from Memory eastbound during the hours of 7am -9am? Flower st. neighbors used to have a lot of political power and got that put in many years ago along with the no northbound entrance to the neigborhood from 17th street. Isn’t about time to take a fresh look at those two changes and open things up a bit to help traffic on other streets? Art, How about a post about traffic diverters, Floral Park, Wilshire Square, French Park, etc…Are these more of the old guard Gringo laws designed to keep Latinos out of neighborhoods that need to be changed? What do you think about traffic divertors O.J. staff? Are they fair?
I noticed the just asking tag on #13. Guess I need to change my handle to something less common. I couldn’t agree less with that poster!
Art, keep up the work of letting people know whats going on in Santa Ana. Maybe people on the eight floor will start actually doing something.
Traffic diverters, schmaffic diverters, I ride a bicycle, or walk! ;-D
#17
If the French Park traffic plan was shot down in the courts, I wonder ’bout the other traffic plans that were put in place prior to the court’s ruling.
NO the SAPD is NOT located in the Civic Center area. And if no one reports the crimes there cant be victims or investigations…It all come down to the SAVAGES that reside withing the downtown area