Protestors holding signs that read “We Want Justice” and “Police Accountability Now” gathered at the corner of South Broadway and Cook Street on Oct. 25 in response to a video circulating on the internet showing Santa Maria police officers using force while arresting a suspect.
In the video, filmed by a resident who watched the arrest happen, at least six officers are shown commanding a suspect to get out of his car during a traffic stop. During the suspect’s arrest, officers appear to punch the suspect’s head while a police K-9 bites his ankle.
Abraham Melendrez, Santa Maria community organizer for the Central Coast Alliance United for A Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), said he was disturbed by the video, but he doesn’t want to jump to any conclusions until the police department completes its investigation. He said CAUSE organized this rally to demand accountability and transparency during that process.
“We’re trying to maintain a neutral look until we get the details,” he said. “But we’re an advocacy organization, so we decided to have a peaceful demonstration.”
Police Cmdr. Marc Schneider said an officer pulled over the suspect, Alejandro Hernandez Meza, after the suspect swerved into an opposing lane of traffic and turned without stopping at a four-way intersection. After arresting Meza, Schneider said police charged him with driving under the influence of drugs, resisting arrest, and failure to yield.
Meza was pursued for multiple city blocks before finally being pulled over. Because of his refusal to initially pull over, an officer called for backup and conducted what Schneider called a “high-risk stop.” This is when an officer stays by his or her vehicle, calls for other officers, and then commands a suspect to leave his or her car while the officers’ weapons are drawn.
“When a motorist doesn’t stop and they continue to travel and ignore lights and sirens, that sends up red flags,” Schneider said.
In the video, officers are shown yelling at the suspect to lie down on his stomach after he exits his vehicle. After the suspect hesitates, the person filming the video told the officers to “say it in Spanish.” It’s unclear whether there was a language barrier.
At one point, while the suspect is laying flat on the ground, he slightly raises his head and upper body from the pavement as the officers approach. The officers quickly command him to lie flat again, which he does. Shortly after, an officer fires pepper balls—which are basically pepper spray in ammunition form, Schneider said—near the suspect’s head.
When officers move in to make the arrest, one can be seen punching what appears to be Meza’s head while trying to put the suspect’s arms behind his back. At the same time, an officer holding the K-9 moves forward, and the dog bites and holds on to Meza’s ankle.
Schneider said whenever officers use any level of force, the incident is investigated to see if officers used proper training, tactics, equipment, and whether or not the use of force was legal and was carried out in accordance with the department’s policies.
A police sergeant reviews written reports from all officers involved, as well as all audio and video files available. The department’s officers don’t wear body cameras, but all police vehicles are equipped with dashboard cameras and officers wear audio recording devices, Schneider said.
This information is passed on to a lieutenant and then a division commander, which in this case is Schneider. The commander determines whether the use of force is within policy and makes a recommendation to Police Chief Phil Hansen, who can decide whether to open a formal inquiry into the incident. Schneider said the investigation into this incident should take about six weeks.
Melendrez said that the way the department handles this investigation is vital to maintaining trust between the community and the police department, which has improved since Hansen became police chief in 2017. But Melendrez is worried this video could reverse that progress.
“[The] chief has done an amazing job of improving the department and improving community trust,” Melendrez said. “It’s unfortunate that a video like this [could] throw that trust down the drain.”
—Zac Ezzone
This article appears in Oct 31 – Nov 6, 2019.