Police Video Case

* I am angered by the Sept. 26 article “City Loses Appeal of Video Case” not because Santa Ana lost its appeal of the case but because of the actual costs and violation of rights that this case represents.

The $4,000 spent by Santa Ana police officers watching “skin flicks” is just the tip of the iceberg of the total cost to taxpayers. As the article states, this represents over 600 hours of watching videos. For every hour of watching videos, there would be at least three hours spent in planning, traveling, stalking, “loitering,” writing reports, etc. I think it is reasonable to assume that over 2,400 hours of police officer time has been expended on this one activity.

It costs the city of Santa Ana approximately $75 per hour for a police officer to be on duty. This represents $180,000. Add this amount to the $65,000 the court has ordered the city to pay the arcade, and the $65,000 the city has spent defending itself, and the additional $65,000 they will spend to appeal the decision, and we become aware of the real obscenity in this case: $375,000.

While this is a terrible waste of taxpayer dollars, the decision of the 4th District Court of Appeal points out a much more serious problem. Not only did the police illegally interfere with the operation of Margaret Haskin’s business, but they violated the 1st Amendment rights of her customers.

Santa Ana police must stop taking upon themselves the authority to impose their personal morals on the citizens and businesses of Santa Ana. Police officers are to “serve and protect.” Instead, police officers are spending hundreds of hours attempting to lure citizens into committing victimless crimes.

DARREN SHIPPEN

Santa Ana