OC Politics Blog | Tag Archives: Police Department

Anaheim Council candidate Lodge used excessive force as a Santa Ana cop

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Editor Posted in 2012 Elections, Anaheim, Police, Public Safety, Santa Ana, Steve Chavez Lodge Leave a comment

From the Save Anaheim blog

A federal jury awarded $612,000 to a jaywalker, finding that Santa Ana police officer Steve Chavez Lodge used excessive force by throwing him to the ground and beating him with a baton.

The jaywalker, Hossein Farahani, incurred injuries to his back including a ruptured disc and a slash to his head that required 8 stitches. Farahani’s lawyer, Jerry Steering, said “this was the most horrible things I’ve heard of. What this officer did to my client was pure torture.” Continue reading→

Fullerton Three Maddens MADD

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Editor Posted in 2012 Elections, Alcohol, Fullerton, MADD 1 Comment

Buried in the print Register today was a great story from Fullerton: Fullerton councilmen criticized for not taking DUI grant. In part,

Councilmen Travis Kiger, Bruce Whitaker and Greg Sebourn last week voted against taking the Office of Traffic Safety [MADD-funded] grant that would have funded five [$10k per] sobriety checkpoints – roadblocks manned by police officers who ensure drivers are sober. … Kiger said checkpoints violate the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment – which guards against unreasonable searches – and are ineffective and merely a tool used by police unions to garner overtime pay. “I don’t appreciate thousands of legal and licensed drivers being stopped without cause,” Kiger said. “The other side is that it is wasteful. … They have been proven ineffective over and over.”

Continue reading→

Fullerton cops cost 4 times more per capita than O.C. Deputy Sheriffs

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Art Pedroza Posted in Bruce Whitaker, Fullerton, Orange County, Police, Public Safety, Travis Kiger 1 Comment

Fullerton’s police officers are not among the highest paid cops in Orange County, according to a new study commissioned by The Association of California Cities of Orange County.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which provides service to a dozen cities as well as the unincorporated areas of the county, came in number two on a list ranking O.C.’s police departments — in order of total compensation, according to the O.C. Register. The top base monthly salary for sheriff’s deputies was $7,308, with total comp of $13,968.

The top base monthly salary for Fullerton’s cops is $6,860 per month and their total compensation comes to $12,294. Continue reading→

Yorba Linda Council wisely exploring options as police costs have soared

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Editor Posted in Brea, Labor, Orange County, Police, Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, Yorba Linda 2 Comments

A Facebook group of just over 200 residents of Yorba Linda is opposing the idea of ending the City of Yorba Linda’s contract with the City of Brea’s Police Department. There are 64,500 residents in Yorba Linda, which means this group of 200 is numerically insignificant – they aren’t even 1% of Yorba Linda’s population! Some of them also apparently set up a website too. Their site notes about 325 supporters – again a pittance compared to the entire population of Yorba Linda.

The real question, which has been raised by famed FFFF blogger Tony Bushala, is why in the world the tiny City of Brea is providing police services to the City of Yorba Linda in the first place! What the heck is that all about? If the Brea police have too many officers, can’t they just cut the extra ones? Or, as has been suggested by one of the Yorba Linda Council Members, shouldn’t the two cities be running the police in conjunction, under the auspices of a joint authority?

The Brea police groupies fail to mention that costs have absolutely skyrocketed over the past few years, as illustrated in this graphic: Continue reading→