Last week, city council members tasked staff with looking into the price of the cameras, their benefits and how the city would go about implementing and rolling out the cameras.<\/p>\n
Staff are expected to come back in January to share their findings.<\/p>\n
City Councilwoman Jessie Lopez proposed the move, arguing that dashboard cameras can reduce lawsuits and provide more accountability.<\/p>\n
[Read: \u200b\u200bWill Santa Ana Require Automatic Dash Cam Recording For Police Chases?<\/a>]<\/p>\n \u201cI think that it can be beneficial to our city,\u201d said Lopez \u2013 who previously faced an unsuccessful recall election backed by the police union \u2013 at the Oct. 7 meeting which she joined through teleconference from Dallas.<\/p>\n Councilman Phil Bacerra \u2013 whose 2022 council campaign was heavily supported by the union \u2013 opposed Lopez\u2019s proposal, calling it a redundant item.<\/p>\n \u201cWe already have body worn cameras on our officers. If there is, for some reason, a belief that the cameras are not being turned on in time, or there\u2019s some sort of problem with the policy regarding the existing infrastructure, then perhaps we should kick that down to our police oversight commission and let them provide their input for us to consider,\u201d Bacerra said at the meeting.<\/p>\n His remarks come after elected officials have faced pushback from activists for considering an ordinance that they say would essentially gut the police oversight commission\u2019s authority to hold officers accountable.<\/p>\n [Read: Will Santa Ana Neuter its Police Oversight Commission Before its Work Begins?<\/a>]<\/p>\n Bacerra said it would be better for the city to surveil criminal activity and deploy cameras along First Street<\/a> and the Union Pacific Railroad.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there\u2019s going to be a discussion about allocating resources for cameras, my advice would be looking at actually surveilling criminals,\u201d he said. \u201cOur officers already have cameras.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In June, city officials approved allocating about $161 million or 38% of the general fund budget \u2013 the biggest portion of their discretionary money \u2013 to the police department in what they described as Santa Ana\u2019s last big budget for a while<\/a>.<\/p>\n Councilman Johnathan Hernandez said the cameras could help build transparency, accountability, collect evidence and prevent costly litigation.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a number of public lawsuits that we\u2019ve had to pay out over the course of my career here,\u201d he said at the meeting. \u201cThis also decreases the number of complaints and allegations of misconduct by having a very clear record of transport.\u201d<\/p>\n At the meeting, a majority of Santa Ana City Council members voted to launch a formal investigation into separate complaints by three police officers alleging they were harassed by Hernandez \u2013 a vocal police union critic.<\/p>\n [Read: Santa Ana Launches Probe into Police Union Critic After Cops\u2019 Complaints<\/a>]<\/p>\n The police union spent over $50,000 against Hernandez\u2019s reelection campaign last year.<\/p>\n Councilman Ben Vazquez said cameras help build the public trust.<\/p>\n \u201cIt also not only protects the public, it protects the police from false accusations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Vazquez has recently come under fire from Bacerra and the police union after he called on the state attorney general to probe the union\u2019s spending after a controversial audit sparked questions as to whether Santa Ana officials are spending too much or too little to insure cops.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0A4A0353-copy.jpg\")
Santa Ana Councilwoman Jessie Lopez addresses attendees at the June 17, 2025, Santa Ana City Council meeting alongside Councilmembers Benjamin Vazquez and Johnathan Hernandez, as Councilwoman Thai Viet Phan looks on from the left, after a woman is handcuffed on the floor inside the city chambers by several police officers. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_3032.jpg\")
A Santa Ana Police vehicle outside of City Hall on July 16, 2024. Credit: ERIKA TAYLOR, Voice of OC<\/p>\n