Audit of SBPD notes low use of force rate, makes recommendations

By KIRA LOGAN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

Hundreds of dedicated supporters of President Ronald Reagan traversed many miles to celebrate Mr. Reagan’s legacy and the 25th anniversary of the preservation of the Reagan Ranch by the Young America’s Foundation.

On Friday night, a large crowd of passionate conservatives gathered for a gala at the Hilton Beachfront Resort Santa Barbara, packed with speakers and slideshows, all focused on Mr. Reagan, his ranch and the YAF’s preservation of the ranch.

The Young America’s Foundation is a nonprofit that focuses on introducing conservative ideals to students through speakers, conferences and events. The organization wants to increase the number of young Americans who support the values of individual freedom and liberty.

Twenty-five years ago, the YAF purchased the ranch from former first lady Nancy Reagan as part of its efforts to preserve President Reagan’s legacy.

The YAF utilizes Mr. Reagan’s ranch, which is near Santa Barbara, by giving tours for future generations and inspiring them through the late president’s beloved property.

Scott Walker — the president of YAF and the former governor of Wisconsin — attended the gala and addressed the enthusiastic audience.

“We have the truth on our side,” he said. “We need to scale up our outreach to schools and start reaching children younger and younger.”

Mr. Walker spoke to the audience regarding future plans for YAF. “Twenty-five years from now, it’s my hope that everyone in this room can say I was a part of the patriots who said, ‘We will save America.’”

Mr. Walker continued to speak intermittently throughout the event. A myriad of guest speakers relevant to Mr. Reagan and the YAF, including Ron Robinson, Ashley Reagan, Frank Donatelli, Katie Pavlich and Mark Levin, gave their remarks during the event as well.

Mr. Robinson, the former president of the YAF, focused on the reason everyone gathered together: the Reagan Ranch.

“Saving the ranch, or rather a part of history, was a reward in and of itself,” Mr. Robinson said. “(The YAF) had a greater sense of what we could accomplish and really helped us jumpstart our career.”

The night continued, and the passion grew. Mr. Levin, the host of the radio program “The Mark Levin Show,” gave his commentary on the gala and announced a large donation of $10,000 to the Young America’s Foundation.

“I got on the Reagan bandwagon before there was a bandwagon,” Mr. Levin said. “I want to make a donation of $10,000 to the Young America’s Foundation in support of the future of our country.”

Throughout the night, and as the speakers gave their commentaries, there were a few core values that everything circled back to: freedom, patriotism, strength and dedication.

“(The YAF) provides a roadmap for instilling in young people the values upon which our great nation was founded ... It means persisting for the cause of freedom.” Mr. Walker said via the program given to attendees.

The News-Press got an exclusive interview with former Gov. Walker, and had the chance to ask him about his personal experience with the Reagan Ranch and his plans to move forward with the Young America’s Foundation.

“One of the cool things about

By NEIL HARTSTEIN STAFF WRITER

An audit of the Santa Barbara Police Department highlights strong leadership and community engagement, as well as a low use of force rate.

The audit was directed by Mayor Randy Rowse and the City Council as part of the creation and implementation of the new civilian oversight system, and was a proactive effort to ensure transparency and demonstrate accountability to the highest of standards and best practices, officials said.

The independent audit included a review of the Police Department’s complaint process; the need for executive development and leadership training; employee retention and recruiting; use of force training and review; and general policy compliance. It includes 31 recommendations.

“I am pleased that the audit aligned with many of the improvements and refinements that I was already in the process of implementing,” Chief Kelly Gordon said. “It also affirms that our department fundamentals are strong, and that our team excels in regards to how we engage with the community, investigate both internal and external complaints, and conduct use-of-force investigations.”

The audit highlighted the low number of complaints received by the Police Department, as well as the extraordinarily limited number of use-of-force incidents.

In 2022, there were only 147 use of force incidents out of 45,111 contacts, which means that approximately 99.67% of contacts did not result in force used. The majority of these incidents are “takedowns,” where officers take resistant subjects to the ground to better control and detain them.

The independent auditor specifically noted that the last officer-involved shooting in the city was in 2019, and that there is a culture that supports restraints and de-escalation of conflict rather than a reliance on physically aggressive policing, officials said.

“The audit supports the direction the Mayor and City Council took in creating the new civilian oversight system for law enforcement,” City Administrator Rebecca Bjork said.

“This offers the community more insight into our Police Department, and provides the opportunity for us to work closely together as we evolve our policies and practices to meet new standards and expectations.” email: nhartsteinnewspress@ gmail.com

A cross-cutting theme throughout the report is the impact of low staffing levels on the ability of the department to support and promote professional development opportunities for officers.

Chief Gordon will speak to the prioritization of executive development and training throughout the budget process that begins in May.

The Fire and Police Commission will receive a presentation on the audit at its meeting Friday.

The audit is available as part of the Fire and Police Commission agenda packet at https://santabarbaraca.gov/firepolice-commission.

The audit will also be presented to the City Council on May 2.