Santa Ana police arrested 69 people during a citywide enforcement operation last week targeting areas where authorities said they have received complaints about drug use, trespassing and large amounts of property associated with transient gatherings.
The Aug. 11 operation was led by the Santa Ana Police Department’s Quality of Life Team, with officers from Tustin and Fountain Valley police departments and the California Highway Patrol also participating, Santa Ana police spokesperson Natalie Garcia said.
Although other agencies participated, the operation took place entirely within Santa Ana, Garcia said. Officers focused largely on areas near the city’s borders with neighboring communities.
“Our main focus was to target areas where we see an increase in transient groups gathering, where we’ve seen community complaints about drug use, trespassing and excess amount of property,” Garcia said.
Of the 69 people arrested, 16 were arrested on suspicion of felonies and 53 on suspicion of misdemeanors, Garcia said. All 69 were taken to the Santa Ana jail, though some of those arrested on misdemeanor allegations were cited and released rather than booked, depending on the circumstances of their cases.
About 30 of those arrested had ties to Santa Ana, while the majority were from outside the city, including Anaheim, Tustin, Orange and communities in south Orange County, Garcia said.
Police also made 10 outreach referrals during the operation.
Among the areas targeted was the intersection of Fourth Street and Grand Avenue, near a 7-Eleven that Garcia described as an area with a heavy transient population. Officers also conducted enforcement along Main Street across from the Discovery Cube.
Police did not provide details about the alleged offenses that led to the 16 felony arrests or what prompted the operation to be conducted at this time. It was also unclear whether those arrested were prohibited from returning to the areas targeted in the sweep or what further enforcement could occur if they returned.
Police also did not share additional information about the 10 outreach referrals, including what services were offered or whether any of those referred accepted them.