Photo by: Igmar Rodas/The Orange County Reporter Santa Ana Police Department makes traffic stops on Private Property.

A concerning trend has surfaced in Santa Ana: patrol officers are conducting traffic stops without adequately informing dispatch, resulting in no official documentation of their whereabouts or the rationale for the stop. When anxious residents contact the police department to report these dubious incidents—equipped with patrol car numbers and precise details—they encounter stonewalling and evasive responses from supervisory personnel.

The fundamental problem lies in a deficiency of accountability. Patrol vehicles are fitted with GPS tracking, yet supervisors decline to utilize this technology to confirm officer locations. Some even assert that accessing GPS information is “beyond their pay grade. ” This provokes serious questions: if supervisors are unaware of their officers’ locations, who possesses that knowledge? And if they do have it but choose not to reveal it, what could they be concealing?

Photo by: Igmar Rodas/The Orange County Reporter, Santa Ana Residents at Risk for Unchecked Stops, As Police Dispatch are unaware.

Openness is the cornerstone of public confidence in law enforcement. When officers act outside the regulations of their own department, it paves the way for misconduct—unlawful stops, racial profiling, and violations of civil rights. The situation where a supervisor denies the existence of a patrol unit that residents have clearly observed, or declines to provide badge numbers, is intolerable.

Santa Ana residents warrant a police force that functions within the confines of the law, rather than above it. The department must enforce stricter oversight protocols, incorporating real-time tracking of patrol vehicle locations that supervisors are obligated to supervise. Moreover, there must be a defined, enforceable policy requiring that all traffic stops are recorded with dispatch.

Photo by: Igmar Rodas/The Orange County Reporter.

Should the department resist these fundamental accountability initiatives, it falls upon the community to advocate for change. City officials, the police chief, and civilian oversight bodies must intervene to guarantee that officers adhere to appropriate protocols. Transparency is not a privilege—it is a public entitlement. Officers in Santa Ana must be accountable to the individuals they serve, rather than operating covertly.