Santa Ana not sure what to do with its state-of-the-art, nearly empty 512-bed jail

Santa Ana not sure what to do with its state-of-the-art, nearly empty 512-bed jail

It doesn’t have the gritty look you’d expect of a 20-year-old jail that has housed thousands of accused murderers, robbers, gang members and immigrants detained by federal authorities. Two-person dorm-style cells remain clean and tidy, with dark blue tables, mint green bunk beds and doors with glass windows rather than cage-like metal bars. There is clean, blue and beige carpet to muffle ambient noise and large areas where inmates can mingle, watch TV, play board games or…

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Santa Ana police chief resigns amid controversy over rise in shootings, says he has new job

Santa Ana police chief resigns amid controversy over rise in shootings, says he has new job

Santa Ana Police Chief Carlos Rojas has announced his resignation, saying he has agreed to take a job with another undisclosed agency. In a letter dated Wednesday, April 19, to Acting City Manager City Manager Gerardo Mouet and obtained Thursday by the Register, Rojas noted he had served the city for more than 27 years. He called for the appointment of an acting police chief to “allow for a seamless transition as I separate from…

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How a violent month in Santa Ana set the stage for Council infighting, election angst and jobs possibly lost

How a violent month in Santa Ana set the stage for Council infighting, election angst and jobs possibly lost

Just minutes into the new year last year, a 22-year-old man was gunned down walking in the alley behind the Santa Ana apartment where he lived. Two days later, a 19-year-old was fatally wounded in a car-to-car shooting near the city’s Centennial Regional Park. Over the next 24 hours, two more men were killed in gun violence a mile apart in a gang-plagued area already targeted for special enforcement by police and prosecutors. The four…

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