A conversation on how Santa Barbara can respond to the presence of federal immigration agents in the city led to a heated argument at Tuesday’s council meeting.
The Santa Barbara City Council ended the conversation by voting to reconsider the city’s contract with Flock Safety, a company that provides security cameras to the police department.
Police Chief says SBPD can document ICE, but can't make arrests
On the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting was how the council may reaffirm a previous resolution condemning ICE’s tactics and pledging to create a safe community for all residents.
Chief of Police Kelly Gordon read a statement saying that the Santa Barbara Police Department doesn't enforce federal immigration law.
“When federal immigration actions occur in our city, our role is guided by our commitment to safety and respect for all,” the letter said.
When asked if SBPD could arrest ICE agents if, for example, they pepper spray an observer or drive recklessly, Gordon said that city police lack that legal authority.
She added it could cause a safety issue by becoming an “officer-versus-officer use of force.”
“It could result in our officer getting arrested and detained for interfering with a federal operation,” Gordon said.
She also said it could make Santa Barbara a target, leading to more federal agents in the city.
City Attorney John Doimas backed up Gordon’s interpretation that the SBPD doesn’t have the authority to arrest a federal agent.
Gordon said that when called to a scene, SBPD officers do verify whether someone is an actual federal agent, and that they can collect evidence and document the situation. If appropriate, she said, they can turn that evidence over to the California Attorney General’s office.
Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statement earlier this year that local law enforcement has the ability “to investigate potential state law crimes committed by federal agents.”
Mayor calls councilmember's comments "disgusting"
After discussing the issue with Gordon, Councilmember Wendy Santamaria said the police should be protecting the safety of the local community as much as they’re protecting the safety of ICE agents.
Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse called her comments criticizing the police department “disgusting.”
That led to a back and forth where Santamaria said if the conversation was upsetting to Rowse, “maybe leadership isn’t for you.”
As Santamaria continued her comments, Rowse interrupted her to ask if she was moving to a resolution.
“That was what I was about to do, Mr. Rowse,” Santamaria said. “If you would please not interrupt me.”
“Please do, we've all had our chance to comment,” Rowse responded.
The future of Flock
The council wrapped up the conversation on ICE and immigration by voting to reconsider the police department’s contract with Flock Safety.
The company provides the city with automated cameras that read license plates, and has been accused of collecting data that ICE has used to perform arrests.
Gordon has said previously that city police do not share data from Flock cameras with federal immigration agencies, and that Flock Safety isn’t able to share that data on behalf of SBPD.
Flock Safety told KCBX that their customers, like the city of Santa Barbara, control how their own data is shared.
