The Blue Notebook - A Weekly SMPD Recap December 21-27, 2024

December 30, 2024 7:08 PM
by Erika Aklufi

December was filled with community connection and holiday spirit! From tree lightings and charity drives to graduations and safety operations, our staff engaged in meaningful events across the city.

Department-wide Statistics

Total Calls for Service (CFS):  2,237.  YTD (through 12/21):  126,059

 Source of calls:

Patrol Operations Division

Notable Incidents:

Sexual Assault Investigation – 1500 Block of 4th Street.  During a prisoner transport to a county facility, the arrestee claimed she was a victim of a sexual assault before she was arrested. The officers re-routed their drive to have her examined at a local hospital.

 

Traffic Stop/Warrant Arrest – 100 Block of Wilshire Boulevard. Officers conducted a traffic stop of a motorcyclist due to an equipment violation and red-light violation. The subject was found to have a full extradition warrant out of Texas for homicide. 

 

Robbery - 500 Broadway.  The subject entered Trader Joe’s and struck the security guard with a tennis racket. The subject then selected merchandise and exited the store without paying. The victim was in fear and unable to retrieve the merchandise. The subject initially fled from responding officers but was quickly apprehended.  The merchandise and weapon were recovered. 

 

Assault with a Deadly Weapon – 00 Block of Bay Street.  The victim got into a brief argument with the occupants of a parked car.  The driver produced a handgun and pointed it at the victim’s face. Officers detained both occupants of the car and located a loaded 9mm handgun inside. 

 

Resisting Arrest / Threats / Assault with a Deadly Weapon – 1400 Block of 2nd Street. 

Officers responded to a lewd conduct call and contacted the subject who was uncooperative. Officers observed narcotics paraphernalia in plain view and attempted to detain him. The subject threatened to kill the officers and brandished a broken meth pipe.  The subject pulled away from the officers, hits one in the head, and spits at the others.   The subject was arrested and transported to the jail where officers discovered he had concealed a broken meth pipe in his hand and was bleeding. He refused to drop the pipe was ultimately removed from the vehicle. While attempting to remove the pipe from his grasp, a jailer sustained a laceration to his hand.  

 

Parolee Arrest – 14th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard.  Officers observed a known parolee in the area.  A want/warrant inquiry revealed an outstanding No Bail Parole Violation warrant.  The subject was also in possession of drug paraphernalia. 

Probation Violation / Municipal Code - 2800 Block of the Beach.  Officers detained a subject for an encampment violation.  The subject initially lied about his name, but a fingerprint device revealed his identity.  The subject was taken into custody for an outstanding No Bail warrant.

 

Resisting Arrest / Assault on a Police Officer – 2400 Block of Chelsea Avenue.  Officers responded to a radio call of a battery and petty theft in the 2500 Block of Santa Monica Boulevard.  While investigating, the officers located the battery/theft subject in the 1300 block of Chelsea. While attempting to detain the subject, she grabbed a wine bottle and raised it over her head to strike the officer.  The officer backed away and the subject retrieved pepper spray and threw it toward the officer.  The subject was taken into custody.  The victim did not want prosecution for the petty theft.  The subject was arrested for assault and an outstanding warrant. 

 

Drug Violation - 300 Block of the Pier.  Officers conducted a pedestrian stop for drug violations.  The subject was a sex registrant from Massachusetts who failed to register in California.

 

 Firearm Arrest – 24th Street and Pico Boulevard.  Officers conducted a traffic stop after observing multiple moving violations.  The driver was unlicensed. He was instructed to exit the vehicle.  During a cursory search, the officer felt an object in the front pocket of the driver’s pants which he immediately recognized as a firearm. The driver was also found to be in possession of methamphetamine. 

 

Chelsea Ave / Wilshire Blvd – Fatal Traffic Collision (Auto/Ped).  The victim was walking southbound across Wilshire Boulevard at Chelsea when she was struck by a white Toyota RAV-4 traveling eastbound.  The victim died at the scene.  The subject fled eastbound on Wilshire.  SMPD’s Major Accident Response Team (MART) responded and is handling the investigation.  The victim was a resident of Santa Monica and a Vietnam veteran.

 

 Traffic Collision / Driving Under the Influence (DUI) - 2700 Block of Pico Boulevard.  Patrol officers responded to a call of a vehicle that crashed into a city tree.  Upon arrival, officers attempted to detain the driver, who was walking away from the scene.  A short foot pursuit ensued.  The driver was arrested for DUI.  A city public works electrician responded to repair a damaged city utility box. 

 

 Armed Robbery - Ocean Ave / Olympic Drive.  The victim heard the suspect yelling at him from across the street and then start to approach him.  The subject was holding a knife with the blade exposed.  Out of fear of being hurt, the victim threw his duffel bag down and ran away.  The suspect took the bag and fled.  Officers located the subject near Ocean Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.  The subject had the knife and victim’s bag in his possession.   

 

 Public View Death – 2000 Block of Santa Monica Boulevard.   The decedent was found unconscious inside his parked vehicle in the parking structure for his workplace.  Co-workers went looking for subject when he didn’t return from his break.  Co-workers pulled subject out of vehicle and started CPR.  SMFD continued CPR but ultimately pronounced subject deceased.  The coroner responded.

 

 Assault with a Deadly Weapon - 1700 Block of 11th Street.  Unprovoked, the suspect followed the victim and struck her several times, including throwing a brick at her back.  She sustained a minor injury but declined medical attention.  The suspect was taken into custody nearby.

   

Municipal Code / Warrant – 1600 Block of Ocean Front Walk.  Officers detained a subject for a municipal code violation.  He was arrested for a $100K warrant from SMPD for Assault with a Deadly Weapon.  

Crime Impact Team (CIT)


WEEKLY STATS:

The Crime Impact Team (CIT), Special Policing Unit (SPU) and Criminal Investigation Division (CID) used uniformed and plainclothes personnel to conduct a livability operation in the 600 block of Wilshire Boulevard.  It resulted in the following:

Incidents of note:

A plainclothes officer observed a subject looking into parked cars in the 1200 block of Alley 7. Uniformed officers detained the subject who was on parole for carjacking and in possession of a methamphetamine pipe.

Plainclothes officers observed a vehicle with multiple violations of the vehicle code at 630 Wilshire. The vehicle was stopped by uniformed officers, cited for expired registration, and impounded.

Plainclothes officers observed a subject commit a municipal code violation on the corner of 7th Street and Wilshire Boulevard.  The subject was contacted in Reed Park by uniformed officers and a want/warrant check revealed he had an outstanding warrant for narcotics violations.

CIT conducted a crime suppression operation which focused on Reed Park that resulted in the following:

Incidents of note:

CIT officers identified a possible felony vandalism suspect in the 1100 block of Alley 8 from a recent special bulletin. A field interview was completed and CID notified.

CIT officers identified known sex registrant in Tongva Park. The subject was contacted and a want/warrant check revealed $75K in SMPD Warrants for failing to register, vandalism, and a drug violation.

CIT officers assisted DSU in the arrest of an organized retail theft suspect.

CIT officers assisted officers assigned to the Pier in apprehending a sex offender with warrants out of the LA County Sheriff’s Office. 

CIT officers were patrolling the Pico Neighborhood and conducted a traffic stop at 20th Street and Pico Blvd. The vehicle was occupied by three subjects who were known SM Gang members. A search of the vehicle revealed several ounces of marijuana that was packaged for sale.

Directed Action Response Team (DART)

WEEKLY STATS:

Police Department

Code Enforcement

CRIME REDUCTION EFFORTS/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:

DART assisted with the "Mr. Beast" drone show at the Pier by providing crowd control and monitoring the event.

Notable Incidents:

Officers in the 100 Block of Broadway contacted and arrested a subject known to have a $75K warrant from SMPD for battery. 

Officers contacted a subject camping in the Target parking lot at 420 Broadway. The subject was on probation and in possession of a meth pipe

DART officers conducted a traffic stop in the 1800 block of 4th Street for a vehicle code violation.  The front passenger had a $100K warrant from Culver City PD (CCPD) for retail theft. CCPD officers responded to the location of the traffic stop and took custody of the individual.  The driver was unlicensed and issued a citation. The rear passenger was on probation for a narcotics violation.

During a consensual encounter with a subject in the 1600 block of the Beach, officers learned the subject had a $51K SMPD warrant for vehicle tampering.

DART officers contacted a known subject in the 1700 block of Ocean Front Walk.  The subject was cited in the field for an outstanding SMPD warrant (municipal code violation).

DART officers contacted a subject in the 500 Block of Olympic who was in possession of a shopping cart.  The suspect had a $30K SMPD warrant for narcotics violations.  The subject was cited in the field.

Officers monitored a radio call of subjects who stole alcohol from Meat on Ocean. Two subjects were detained near the corner of Ocean Avenue and Colorado and the alcohol was recovered.  The restaurant did not want prosecution for the theft.  One of the subjects was a wanted fugitive from out of state.  He was arrested and will be extradited to Texas.  The other subject was identified and released.

DART officers detained a subject for riding his bicycle on sidewalk in violation of the municipal code. The subject consented to a search of his person.  He was in possession of in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia and placed under arrest.

DART officers were flagged down by witnesses of a confused driver in the 1600 Block of Ocean Front Walk. DART conducted Field Sobriety Tests but found no signs of intoxication.  The driver told the officers he was hearing voices.  The individual was transported to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation.

DART officers contacted the individual responsible for a large encampment in the 2800 block of the Beach. The subject provided a false name during his detention. After using a fingerprint reader to identify the subject, the officers discovered he had a No Bail warrant.

Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) Team

HLP Team Stats

 

DMH/HLP Clinician Stats

 

Special Details:

 

Members of the HLP Team and patrol officers conducted four overtime operations during the week, focusing on hotspots along Ocean Front Walk, business corridors, and city parks. The operations resulted in the following stats:

 

The operations resulted in the following: periodic checks of Ocean Front Walk, all main parks and multiple parking structures; multiple written/verbal warnings (recycling, adult in a playground without a child, smoking in a park, loitering in a parking structure); two field interviews, two consensual encounters, and a warrant arrest.

 

Incidents of note:

 

HLP Team officers contacted a subject in the 1600 block of Alley 9 regarding an encampment. The individual was previously contacted and cited by the HLP Team on for public camping. A records check revealed the individual was in violation of registering as a sex offender.  He was ultimately arrested and booked in violation of 4.08.095(A)SMMC-public camping and 290.011(A)PC-Failure to register within 30 days. HOST assisted with discarding soiled items left on scene.

 

HLP Team Officers contacted a female subject in the 300 block of Pico Blvd (south side of Belmar Park) regarding an encampment. While on scene, she refused to provide her identifying information. The individual was ultimately arrested in violation of 4.08.095(A) SMMC- Public camping, 4.55.050 SMMC- Block/obstruct park pathway and 148(A)(1) PC- Resist/delay/obstruct peace officer. During a search incident to arrest, a methamphetamine pipe was located on her person. She was also booked in violation of 11364(a) H&S- possess paraphernalia.

 

HLP Officers responded to 1400 Block of 16th Street (Alley) regarding a large encampment and bulk trash (311 Request). The encampment was not occupied. HLP Officers contacted HOST who arrived on scene and removed the encampment and bulk trash out of the alley.

 

HLP Officers responded to a radio call at 15th Street and Wilshire Blvd regarding an encampment. Officers observed a subject in a tepee. The subject was contacted and issued a citation in the field for Public Camping and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The subject voluntarily removed the encampment and left the area. An area check was conducted later in the evening by a HLP Officer who confirmed the subject left the area and removed the encampment.

Community Engagement Team (CET)

Community Academy Week 10: GRADUATION!  Congratulations to all our graduates!  This class truly shined, with open minds, a robust learning mindset, and commitment to the program.

Community Academy is open to all residents and business owners in Santa Monica.  If you are interested in participating in a future class, please email CPC Barreto at halima.barreto@santamonica.gov.  We would love to have you join us!  Learn more here.

Beat 1 – Neighborhood Resource Officer (NRO) Hollowell and Crime Prevention Coordinator (CPC) Barreto

NRO Hollowell participated in the Meet Me Under the Fig Tree event at the Fairmont Hotel, which saw excellent attendance from the community. Officers joined in holiday festivities, including cookie decorating with children, celebrating the holiday spirit.

Beat 2 – NRO Navarro and CPC Barreto

NRO Navarro attended a Grant Street block party and met with approximately 25 residents.  The residents were concerned regarding abandoned home in their neighborhood    NRO Navarro did not see any obvious violations by homeowner but was able to arrange for a Code Enforcement investigation opened through a supervisor.  NRO Navarro also contacted the homeowner regarding nuisance complaints received.  She was advised that Code Enforcement was investigating and advised her to respond expeditiously.  

  

Beat 3 – NRO Galvan with CPC Barreto

NRO Galvan attended the Mid-City monthly meeting.  Crime statistics were discussed and questions answered.  NRO Galvan also let the group know this will be the last meeting and Christian Tago will be taking over beginning January 12th.  The group was asked to email NRO Galvan as well as NRO Tago until January 12th. 

 

NRO Galvan participated in a motor/pedestrian operation at Main and Hollister and 19th and San Vicente.  NRO Galvan walked in the crosswalk and motor officers issued citations to drivers who did not yield to the pedestrian in the crosswalk.  Over 60 citations were issued between both locations. 

 

Beat 4 – NRO Wang with CPC Barreto

 

NRO Wang received a call regarding trash/vandalism to the rear of a building in the 800 Block of Lincoln Boulevard. NRO Wang responded to the location and determined there was no vandalism; however, trash was abundant, and it appeared RRR has not picked up the trash for some time.

 

NRO Wang responded to the noise complaints at a Beat 4 multi-unit residence on 2nd Street. NRO Wang contacted the resident, who denied any wrongdoing but expressed a willingness to minimize disturbances. NRO Wang also reached out to the reporting party and the landlord. NRO Wang will continue to monitor the situation.

 

NRO Wang has been working on a persistent problem at St. Paul Lutheran church regarding a chronic trespasser. NRO Wang coordinated with the HLP team who successfully located and arrested the subject for 602 PC. NRO Wang followed up with the church and will be monitoring this situation.

 

NRO Wang spoke to a Code Enforcement Officer regarding violations at El Rincon. Code Enforcement updated NRO Wang regarding progress in correcting the violations and compliance from the business.

 

NRO Wang was assigned to be the department liaison to the PSROC to collaborate community events with. NRO Wang reached out to commissioners and is awaiting a response. NRO Wang anticipates the first event to start after the new year.

 

NRO Wang spoke to a citizen who is planning to travel cross country to California. The subject asked for legal advice regarding CCW laws and properly transporting a firearm.

 

NRO Wang handled a noise complaint from an apartment building on 6th Street. An elderly resident who has memory issues and is hard of hearing keeps the TV volume on high, disturbing neighbors. The neighbors and HOA have had little success with contacting him due to his hearing impairment. NRO Wang was able to get the subject’s phone number and spoke to him regarding this issue. NRO Wang will be conducting a welfare check on the subject and may potentially involve APS depending on his findings.

 

A resident called NRO Wang regarding a neighbor who has been smoking indoors, causing secondhand smoke to come inside his unit. The resident further explained that the smell sometimes smells like chemicals. The resident was advised to call patrol when it happens so the officer can access what the smell is. NRO Wang will be checking on this location next week.

 

CPC Barreto-

 

CPC Barreto attended Meet Me Under the Fig Tree on Sunday, December 15th and posted social media content after the event.

 

CPC Barreto and NRO Galvan visited Amai Coffee and Mr. T Boba House on Pico Blvd. regarding recent burglaries in the plaza. Amai Coffee is a fairly new establishment (formerly Rocco’s Cheesecakes) and were told about the work the Community Affairs office does, including security assessments and the partnership with the upcoming grant for Pico businesses.

 

CPC Barreto collected crime stats for Mid-City neighbors and emailed the data to the association.

 

CPC Barreto planned the Community Academy’s graduation ceremony, which took place on December 18th. The ceremony went well, and the academy participants shared what a positive experience they had and everything they learned in the process. The academy participants brought friends and family members to their ceremony.

Harbor Patrol Unit

 

Weekly Statistics:

Notable Incidents:

 

Smoke Investigation: Harbor Services Officers (HSOs) observed large amount of white smoke billowing from south side of Lobster Restaurant. HSOs entered the parking lot at the Lobster and observed smoke coming from a locked compartment on the first floor. HSOs contacted the restaurant employees and learned it was smoke from a BBQ.

Fire Assist: HSOs responded to the Pier Detail's request for the Fire Department (FD) to check on a possible fire/gas leak at the Bubba Gump restaurant. The HSOs observed smoke coming up from under the pier deck at the Bubba Gump Stairs, but no flames showing. HSOs updated responding FD units that the fire appeared to be under the Pier, possibly closer to the bike path. HSOs unlocked one of the access doors under the Pier and observed that one of the sprinklers had popped and was spraying water over a small fire. Several SMFD engines responded and confirmed the fire was completely out. HSOs assisted with shutting down the water and locating a replacement sprinkler head.

Pier Jumper: HSOs were dispatched to a report of a jumper drowning off the west end of the Pier. The reporting party pointed out a woman floating about 50 yards away from the southwest corner of the Pier. One of the HSOs donned her wetsuit and fins and jumped from the pier into the water while the other HSO handled radio communication. When the HSO reached the victim, she was conscious and breathing and floating on her back. The HSO secured the victim with a rescue tube and swam her back to the Pier. The victim was able to climb up the ladder to the harbor work area. She was evaluated by SMFD Engine 7 and transported to the hospital.

Disturbing the Peace: HSOs were flagged by special event security guards in the Newcomb Lot for an individual who was disturbing the production of the special event. Security stated the subject removed his clothes and exposed himself to several special event workers. HSOs contacted the subject who appeared agitated and under the influence of drugs.  As he was leaving the area, the subject was stopped by an officer in the 1600 Block of Ocean Front Walk. 

Medical Aid: HSOs were dispatched to the Pacific Park food court to assist a female in her 70s who tripped and fell and hit her head. The HSOs gathered information and then turned over her care to responding SMFD personnel.

 

 

Authored By

Erika Aklufi
Lieutenant

Categories

Safety