Santa Ana : Foot Patrol Praised but Aid by Motor Unit Urged

The Orange County Grand Jury on Wednesday praised the Police Department’s foot patrol program but called for a transportation unit to augment it.

The transportation unit is needed to keep patrol officers on the street instead of spending time accompanying suspects back to the police station for booking, the jury said in a brief report. The unit could be manned by reserve officers at a “negligible” cost, the report concludes.

“The 1984-85 Orange County Grand Jury has spent considerable time interviewing the involved officers and accompanying them on the assigned foot patrol beat,” the report says.

City Manager Robert C. Bobb, Police Chief Raymond C. Davis and their staffs are commended for “initiating and coordinating” the program.

According to the report, the $597,000 foot patrol program aids in crime prevention, helps community-oriented policing and enhances neighborhoods. The report predicts a “significant reduction of crime,” a more attractive business district and increased revenue for the city.

The patrol is divided into downtown and roving neighborhood teams. The downtown team was expanded Oct. 1 to eight members operating 24 hours a day. A six-person neighborhood team was dispatched Nov. 1, followed by a second roving patrol early this month.

Davis has called the program an outstanding success, credited with more than 1,000 arrests.