Quick Take
A newly released database, created by UC Berkeley and Stanford University, includes at least 21 cases from Santa Cruz County of law enforcement agencies using force or involved in shootings, along with investigations into officer misconduct on and off duty.
Santa Cruz County law enforcement officers have been involved in at least 21 shootings, serious use of force instances and reportable cases of misconduct since 2013, according to a new statewide database of police records released Monday.
The database created by UC Berkeley and Stanford University — published by the Los Angeles Times, KQED, CalMatters and the San Francisco Chronicle — has collected nearly 1.5 million pages of investigation reports into shootings, use of force and misconduct from about 700 law enforcement agencies across California. Records found in the database also show how each department disciplines officers if they were found liable for misconduct.
The 21 cases found in the database involve four Santa Cruz County law enforcement agencies — the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office and the police departments of the cities of Santa Cruz, Capitola and Watsonville. The earliest dates back to 2013, and the most recent occurred in 2023.
The cases are categorized by type: use of force, shooting or misconduct. State law requires local law enforcement agencies to disclose all officer-involved shootings, any use-of-force incidents that resulted in death or serious injuries, and certain types of misconduct ranging from sexual assault to unlawful searches. Not all cases required by law to be reported involve allegations or sustained findings of misconduct.
Most local cases have multiple categorizations. Out of the 21, at least 14 involve a police officer using excessive force resulting in either a death or serious injury. Nine cases labeled misconduct involve an officer being found to have violated department rules while both on and off duty. And there were eight cases of officer-involved shootings.
Seven cases involve the sheriff’s department and the same number involve Santa Cruz police. Five cases involve Watsonville police — including one case where the records were provided by the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office — and two cases involve Capitola police.
At least four cases from Santa Cruz and Capitola police and county sheriff’s office, respectively, involve officers using force on individuals who failed to cooperate with an arrest or transfer to a different location. In two cases — from 2017 and 2019 — sheriff’s deputies used physical force on people under the influence of alcohol who became aggressive during the confrontation. Neither of these cases resulted in disciplinary action for the deputies involved.
In a 2021 case, a Santa Cruz police officer was given a 50-hour suspension and required to complete 24 hours of additional training after using excessive force and vulgar language on someone being transferred from a temporary homeless shelter to a local hospital.
The officer responded to a call from the shelter at the National Guard armory for someone experiencing suicidal tendencies who was threatening self-harm. According to the initial incident report filed by the officer involved in the misconduct case, the person detained did not cooperate when officers asked him questions or when he was placed in a patrol car when being transferred from his wheelchair.
According to the disciplinary report, investigators reviewed body-camera footage and found the officer used offensive language, like “I don’t care if you’re handicapped.” The officer also used unnecessary physical force when transferring the man from his wheelchair to her patrol car, claiming that was because he spit on her, according to the report.
In a different case from 2017, SCPD officer David Gunter was terminated after 19 years of service after being accused of sexual battery against four female coworkers in four different instances. The officer attempted to appeal the decision, but was denied. He was later charged with four misdemeanor counts of sexual battery and sentenced to one year in county jail, which he served on house arrest, according to a KSBW report.
One of the victims, who was a former Santa Cruz police officer, sued the city and the department in 2020 for allegedly failing to protect her from workplace harassment and retaliation. Months later, she agreed to a $350,000 settlement, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Records from the 2017 case, including interview transcripts with the officer and victims, were heavily redacted, omitting names of the four women. Police records also included sections of the department’s policy manual — which is available to the public — that addressed standards of conduct and discriminatory harassment.
Two Watsonville police officers, Jose Barrera and John Espinosa, were fired from the department for sexual misconduct. The cases in 2014 and 2017, respectively, involved the officers having sex while on duty and in uniform, according to records provided by the department. Espinosa was fired in July 2017; Barrera was fired in 2014 — both either resigned or retired from the department during the appeals process, according to KQED.
In a separate case from the county sheriff’s office, a correctional officer at the county jail was terminated after he called in sick on multiple occasions in order to attend baseball games.
Cases from any local department found in the database involving use of a taser or a firearm rarely resulted in any disciplinary actions toward the officers involved. In all 11 of the cases, officers were found to have reacted in line with their departments’ policies.
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FOR THE RECORD: This story, including its headline, was updated to clarify that the database includes certain case of misconduct, use of force and officer-involved shootings that are required to be publicly reported under California law. Not all cases involved allegations of misconduct.
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