SANTA MARIA - It's been more than three months since Santa Maria Police Officer Albert Covarrubias Jr. was shot and killed by a fellow officer while on duty.
Santa Maria Police have said Covarrubias was shot after he fired his weapon while fellow officers were trying to arrest him on charges of having underage sex with a teenage Police Explorer Scout who was under his supervision.
Since then there have been two parallel investigations into the shooting, one by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department and another internal investigation within the Santa Maria Police Department.
The Sheriff's Department investigation has reportedly been turned over to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's office for further review before the D.A. announces if the shooting death of Officer Covarrubias was lawful or not.
Protestors gathered outside Santa Maria City Hall on Tuesday night demanding greater public accountability by city administrators and a change in the Santa Maria Police Department.
"Regardless of this case (Covarrubias), or how this recent shooting turned out", one protestor told your Central Coast News, "regardless of the results of the investigation, this shooting was one in a series of fatal errors under this police chief."
The demonstrators want to know why it's taking so long to complete investigations into the shooting death of Officer Covarrubias and why the general public has not been kept informed on the progress of the investigations or if there's been any changes in the police department since the shooting.
The protestors also demanded to know from the City Council why Police Chief Dan Macagni is being allowed to stay in his position while the investigations continue.
"It makes me think most council members and the city manager are clearly out of touch with most of the community and especially the Hispanic community", one protestor told the City Council during the public comment period Tuesday night, "and with the satisfaction for both the council and police leadership which permeates conversation after conversation."
Santa Maria City Manager Rick Haydon, who by city charter is the city's top boss, says Chief Macagni remains on the job because he is not the subject of the ongoing investigations, rather it's the shooting death of Officer Covarrubias that is the focus of the duel probes.
Haydon says city administration is awaiting the conclusion of the two investigations into the shooting death of Officer Covarrubias just like everyone else before it makes a public comment.
Haydon also says a complete audit of the Police Department by an independent outside agency will commence once the duel investigations into the Covarrubias shooting are complete.
In the meantime, some of the protestors who gathered outside City Hall Tuesday night challenged the City Council about Measure U, a June ballot measure that would raise the local sales tax to help pay for more public safety personnel.
"Do city officials really believe that the majority of Hispanic residents in Santa Maria will vote to raise their taxes to support a Chief of Police who refuses to be held accountable for the decision to humiliate an Hispanic police officer by arresting him in public?", one protestor asked the City Council.
Santa Maria City Manager Rick Haydon says the city administration remains committed to an open and transparent process during the investigations into the Covarrubias shooting and the pending external audit of the Police Department.
