Arrests of 15 Dayworkers by Costa Mesa P.D.

I recently read about the Costa Mesa Police Department using undercover officers to arrest 15 Latino dayworkers for illegal solicitation of work. The only “crime” these men committed was to look for an honest day’s work instead of committing burglaries and armed robbery to obtain money to support themselves and their families.

As to the Costa Mesa Police Department, if this is all they have to do to keep their officers occupied, the City Council should immediately order a 20% reduction in the number of sworn officers so those who are laid off can find a real job and the remaining 80% of the officers can go to work on serious crime prevention, like stopping daytime burglaries, investigating murders and catching car thieves, and, of course, making some prosecutable arrests of rapists and child molesters, as well as shutting down drug dealers.

Costa Mesa and other police departments need to change the emphasis of where they deploy their manpower--substantially more emphasis on major crimes and far, far less time on “nit-picking” violations such as the arrest of casual workers only trying to make a living, and traffic cops writing questionable tickets.

EDWARD ORD

Huntington Beach