Salinas officials are witholding the names of the officers involved in three fatal shootings this year, based on officer safety concerns.
"At this time, the city declines to disclose any records which identify the Salinas police officers involved in the [2014] shootings," City Attorney Chris Callihan wrote in a June 10 letter.
He was responding to California Public Records Act requests submitted by the Weekly and other local news outlets concerning the identities of the officers involved in three fatal police shootings this year, and earlier shootings.
Callihan cites the latest California Supreme Court decision on disclosing the names of officers involved in shootings, in which the court ruled in favor of disclosure, writing that "vague safety concerns" don't trump public disclosure.
The city's decision not to disclose the names was based on "the public's interest in officers' safety, which clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure of their identities at this time," Callihan wrote.
Unlike the Long Beach case—which the court determined was based on generalized fears about officer safety—Salinas PD has faced targeted threats in these instances.
"There have been numerous threats against the lives of officers specifically referencing and arising from the incidents at hand," Callihan wrote.
The day after the most recent officer-involved shooting this year, a small memorial of candles and flowers was assembled next to the spot where Carlos Mejia, who was armed with garden shears, was killed.
The day after that, graffiti appeared on the bakery wall above the memorial that said, "Sur 13 / 187 on SPD," referencing the sureño gang and the police code for murder.
The city did disclose information on two earlier shootings, and did not cite officer safety concerns in those cases. Two officers shot and killed Richard Chacon near Natividad Creek Park on Sept. 28, 2012, and one officer shot and injured a woman on East Market Street on Sept. 13, 2013.
Although Salinas officials agreed to release the names of the three officers involved in those shootings, the Weekly is choosing not to publish those names at this time.
City officials also witheld names of officers involved in a July 26, 2013 shooting, citing the same officer issues, though Callihan did not specify the nature of the threats in his letter.