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Indybay Feature

SCPD Officer and Wife Fuel Take Back Santa Cruz Witch Hunt on Social Media

by Trinity Walker
Take Back Santa Cruz (TBSC) is targeting community members again on social media, which is being aided by the false identification of a "suspect" by Officer Wes Hansen of the Santa Cruz Police. Yesterday TBSC published a photo of two "suspects" of a crime on their public Facebook page. The post has been shared over 300 times. TBSC says the photo was taken by a "community member" and it was not circulated or shared by law enforcement. In the comments section on the TBSC post, a witch hunt style attack on the men ensues, containing the false accusation from SCPD Officer Wes Hansen.
sm_weshansensantacruzpolice.jpg
Officer Hansen named and falsely identified one of the men in the photo in its comment section.

Also, Officer Hansen's wife, Crissy Hansen, engaged in tandem personal attacks on the men in the photo, calling them "trolls".

The comment by Officer Hansen was not left to stand without correction. The sister of the man named by Hansen said that the person in the photo was not her brother and that Hansen was wrong about his name.

There were other personal attacks and threats left towards the men in the photo by TBSC members on the post.

Most Take Back Santa Cruz members did not grow up in Santa Cruz. On his Facebook account, Wes Hansen says he is from Irvine, California.

Officer Wes Hansen and his wife Crissy Hansen are outspoken TBSC members who have made many other inappropriate comments on social media.

After life-long local Sean Arlt was shot and killed by an officer with the Santa Cruz Police Department last month, community members on Facebook criticized police for killing him. Many citizens didn't think police should have killed a man for holding a rake, and that the rake couldn't have been considered a real threat to police.

Crissy Hansen said this to those people on Facebook in response:

"They all need to get on a "Do Not Respond" list. If you don't like police, they won't respond when you need them. Those idiots can take care of themselves".

In 2013, Officer Wes Hansen went on an extended attack against a man falsely accused of a crime. The man was later found out to be 100% innocent. His name was Kenneth Maffei. Officer Hansen, along with many other Take Back Santa Cruz members, waged a full on war on him. TBSC mobbed him in court, and vilified him in their Facebook group and on their website. The group never apologized to him when he was exonerated. His ordeal started when a TBSC member thought they saw him, thinking he was a homeless man, stealing from a large display of gifts and flowers left at a memorial for the two SCPD officers killed that year. Maffei was arrested and jailed for 18 days. Evidence was later found to corroborate his innocence.

The vile comments made by Officer Wes Hansen and other TBSC members about Kenneth Maffei are archived here:

Take Back Santa Cruz leader pulls no punches
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2016/02/27/18783385.php

Concerned community members should complain about the conduct of Officer Wes Hansen to the City of Santa Cruz and to the SCPD. Here is the original TBSC post Hansen left comments on: https://www.facebook.com/takebacksantacruz/photos/a.1089110021107516.1073741827.125545410797320/1305689152782934/

How to complain about bad conduct by the Santa Cruz Police

Contact the Independent Police Auditor:

Robert H. Aaronson
3565 El Camino Real
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Phone: 650-565-8800
Email: RAaronson [at] cityofsantacruz.com

Citizen Comment Process:
http://www.cityofsantacruz.com/departments/police/how-do-i/obtain-a-citizen-comment-form

Citizen Comment form:
http://www.cityofsantacruz.com/home/showdocument?id=9334

City Council

809 Center Street, Room 10
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831-420-5020
Email: citycouncil [at] cityofsantacruz.com

City Manager

Martín Bernal, City Manager
809 Center Street, Room 10
Santa Cruz, California 95060
831-420-5010
Fax: 831-420-5011
Email: mbernal [at] cityofsantacruz.com
§Original post
by Trinity Walker
sm_takebacksantacruz.jpg
§SCPD Officer Wes Hansen
by Trinity Walker
scpdweshansen.jpg
§TBSC Leader Samantha Olden makes excuses for leaving the posts up
by Trinity Walker
samanthaoldentakebacksantacruz.jpg
A community member complains about the inappropriate comments. Samantha Olden is a TBSC leader and she could have the objectionable posts removed, but she makes excuses for leaving them up.
§Inappropriate comment that should be removed
by Trinity Walker
edsanfordtakebacksantacruz.jpg
Ed Sanford
§Inappropriate comment with gun emojis that should be removed
by Trinity Walker
kevinmattesontakebacksantacruz.jpg
Kevin Matteson
§Speculation that the men are homeless
by Trinity Walker
homelesstakebacksantacruz.jpg
TBSC
§Inappropriate comment that should be removed
by Trinity Walker
jeffgurneytakebacksantacruz.jpg
Jeff Gurney
§Inappropriate comment that should be removed
by Trinity Walker
jaynelsontakebacksantacruz.jpg
Jay Nelson
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by Prong
How should readers know whether to trust the man's supposed sister or Wes Hansen as to establish the man's identity? Could either of them be wrong? It seems like a he-said, she-said deal instead of factual proof of identity.
by Tom Cunniff
The Hansens are way out of line here.

And Officer Hansen is obviously terrible at identifying suspects, look at him backtrack on his statement when confronted by the sister.

What a typical SCPD hack he is. There is no professionalism at all in that agency.
by Hairclub
He's bald on top like bowling ball now and still short. Wonder why he wears those sunglasses all the time, stoner eyes?
by talltalk
how do these clowns make it to police officer? he looks like a fool.
by Julia Feldman
I am a county probation officer and the person I am in a relationship with can't control himself online, which jeopardises my job. His name is Tom (he is the one who is commenting on this thread) and he is the person who stalks and trolls the Topix forum as "DBS" and "Reality Check". I've gotten him to stop lately but addictions to online trolling can be very common among civil servants and their spouses.
Many TBSC members who are part of city government and police misuse their positions to out information to TBSC that is private not for the public to TBSC's private group. SC Officer Ken Deeg has shared illegally investigation records including case numbers and notes that are not publicly available to the general public. Richelle Noroyan, Cynthia Matthews and Pamela Comstock are also guilty of this. People should share their archived screen shots of all these illegal acts here and with the proper state and federal government agencies. Time to get rid of these dirty city servants. We need real public servants that follow rules, laws and their oath to uphold the constitution.
Hi I know one of these guys in that tbsc post and he says they were not committing said crime. I complained to tbsc moderator and explained my issue with her posting that post and she refused to take it down still i can share with you our email conversation if youd like.
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