Former Santa Ana Police Officer Awarded $900,000

A federal court jury on Friday awarded a former Santa Ana police officer $900,000, finding that Jesse J. Sanchez was denied due process of law when he tried to collect back wages from the city.

In 1979, Sanchez and two other police officers filed a $3-million civil rights suit against Santa Ana, claiming that frequent racial slurs and ethnic jokes made by fellow police officers violated their civil rights.

In June, U.S. District Judge David V. Kenyon threw out the case 37 days into the trial, ruling that Sanchez’s lawsuit “by and large constituted a serious abuse of the judicial process.”

However, Kenyon allowed Sanchez to pursue a claim that the city did not properly handle his request for lost merit pay. Sanchez served as a Santa Ana police officer from September, 1975, to September, 1979. Because lost wages had not been an issue for the other plaintiffs in the civil rights suit, they will not receive any of the award.

‘Overjoyed With Verdict’

Sanchez could not be reached Friday. But his attorney, William Snyder, said: “He (Sanchez) was overjoyed with the verdict. He is on his way back to the Coachella Valley to celebrate with his wife and kids.” Snyder said Sanchez, 46, now works as a finance manager for a Coachella Valley car dealership.

“We certainly think it (the $900,000 judgment) is unreasonable,” said Santa Ana City Atty. Edward Cooper. He said the city plans to “make appropriate court motions” but added that it was premature to say the city would appeal the verdict.

“Ordinarily, judgments like that come in for a paraplegic who needs life care,” said Cooper.

During the trial, Sanchez testified that the Police Department’s racism was not directed at Mexican-Americans. He said that he and others took offense at a cartoon posted on walls and bulletin boards before Christmas of 1977. The cartoon depicted a black Santa Claus burglar and was titled “Santa Coon,” according to court records. Five police officers and a clerk-typist were suspended or reprimanded for their roles in posting the cartoon, according to Deputy City Atty. Charles Matheis.

Sanchez, Victor Torres and Robert Caro were hired as part of a minority-recruiting effort by the City of Santa Ana. The effort was prompted by a 1976 federal court ruling which found that the city systematically discriminated against Latinos. Latinos constituted about 26% of the city’s populations but only about 9% of the police force at the time.

‘Repudiates Judge’s Contention’

“We are very pleased,” attorney Snyder said. “This repudiates the judge’s contention that we have abused the judicial process in this case.”

Snyder said Torres and Caro would not receive any money because they were removed from the case in June. Snyder said he plans to refile the civil rights case against the city in light of Friday’s verdict.

Snyder and attorney Meir Westreich represented Sanchez as volunteers on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union.