The 2024-2025 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury Requires the Watsonville City Council

While handcuffing is discretionary, Watsonville Department police officers tend to overuse handcuffing, even when a person is released at the scene. __ AGREE __ PARTIALLY DISAGREE _X_ DISAGREE Response explanation (required for a response other than Agree): It is nearly impossible to agree with this finding without having the opportunity to review the data used to formulate it. Every situation and interaction with community members is unique and can produce many different circumstances and outcomes. Some of these circumstances include officers' experience with an individual(s), type of violation, repeated violations with a likelihood for the behavior to continue, information provided while responding to a call, and many others. Required Response from the Watsonville City Council Handcuffing and Transport Due by September 16, 2025

The WPD handcuffs and transports a much higher percentage of misdemeanor violators to department headquarters than other law enforcement agencies within the County. __ AGREE __ PARTIALLY DISAGREE _X_ DISAGREE Response explanation (required for a response other than Agree): Again, it is difficult to agree with a finding such as this without having the opportunity to review the documents used to formulate the finding. There are many factors and circumstances that have an impact on whether or not an individual is handcuffed and transported to the police department. Required Response from the Watsonville City Council Handcuffing and Transport Due by September 16, 2025

All local law enforcement agencies handcuff individuals transported to police departments, hospitals, sobering centers, or the County jail. __ AGREE _X_ PARTIALLY DISAGREE __ DISAGREE Response explanation (required for a response other than Agree): As a general rule, yes. There are exceptions, some include people who have medical issues, victims of crimes, or witnesses. Required Response from the Watsonville City Council Handcuffing and Transport Due by September 16, 2025

In Watsonville, second or third breath testing is done at the Police Department, requiring handcuffing for transport. If more breath testing were done in the field, fewer people would be transported to the WPD. __ AGREE __ PARTIALLY DISAGREE _X_ DISAGREE Response explanation (required for a response other than Agree): Watsonville Police Department complies with the Department of Justice (DOJ) evidentiary breath test process. At times, it may require transporting to allow for a controlled evidentiary testing process in the station. Off-the-shelf screening tools are not adequate to take evidentiary samples. Required Response from the Watsonville City Council Handcuffing and Transport Due by September 16, 2025

De-escalation training reduces the use of force, including handcuffing. __ AGREE _X_ PARTIALLY DISAGREE __ DISAGREE Response explanation (required for a response other than Agree): Watsonville Police Department is trained yearly and complies with POST standards on de-escalation. Watsonville Police Department's track record shows clear evidence that officers use minimum force to effect an arrest. Required Response from the Watsonville City Council Handcuffing and Transport Due by September 16, 2025

The WPD salaries are at least 17% lower than the San Jose Police Department salaries. __ AGREE __ PARTIALLY DISAGREE _X_ DISAGREE Response explanation (required for a response other than Agree): Comparing officer wages of the City of Watsonville with the City of San Jose is not appropriate. The City of Watsonville recently completed a city-wide classification and compensation study. As part of this study, the outside consultant identifies ‘comparable cities’ to use for salary and benefit comparisons. Cities are included due to geography, employer size, historical practices, and economic similarity. When the City of Watsonville police officer salary and benefits were compared to our survey agencies (Gilroy, Santa Cruz, Salinas, Seaside, Hollister, Monterey, Morgan Hill, and Santa Cruz County) our police officers were found to be 3.3% above market for salary and -4.6% below market for total compensation. Comparing salaries in the City of San Jose, with a budget of over $5 billion and a population of over 1 million, to the wages in Watsonville, with a budget of around $300M and a population of just over 52,000 people, is not equitable. Required Response from the Watsonville City Council Handcuffing and Transport Due by September 16, 2025