The Blue Notebook - A Weekly SMPD Recap October 12- October 18, 2024

October 21, 2024 12:51 PM
by Erika Aklufi

Tech Fair- The Santa Monica Tech Fair held on Monday, October 14th, showcased cutting edge technology and innovation in the heart of the City! SMPD actively participated, featuring our Mobile Command Post and drone display that highlighted the advancements in law enforcement technology. Alongside these exhibits, the recruitment team engaged with attendees, providing information on career opportunities and demonstrating how technology is integrated into modern policing. 

Ongoing Community Engagement – Chief Batista, Captain Flores, and the Beat 1 & 2 Community Affairs Team attended the Ocean Park Association’s monthly meeting held at the Ocean Park Library to engage in meaningful dialogue about local crime trends and the department’s ongoing efforts to impact criminal behavior. The meeting provided an opportunity to hear residents’ concerns firsthand and to share the proactive measures the department is taking to address them.



Department-wide Statistics

Total Calls for Service (CFS):  2,287.  YTD (through 10/12):  102,850

 Source of calls:

Arrests: 64 total arrests.  2,201 YTD.



Patrol Operations Division 

Notable Incidents:



Crime Impact Team (CIT)

Weekly Stats:

CIT conducted a livability operation in Palisades Park, the 1500 to 2900 Blocks of Ocean Front Walk, and the DTSM footprint, yielding the following:

DART coordinated an operation with CIT, LA County Probation and the District Attorney’s office. The targeted areas were the Pier, Ocean Front Walk, the beach, and DTSM. The following was CIT’s activity during the operation:

CIT conducted a crime suppression operation in the Wilshire corridor, with a focus west of 11th Street. The follow was the activity:

Notable Incidents:



Directed Action Response Team (DART)

SMPD: 

Notable Incidents:



Directed Action Response Team (DART) 

Special Operation

Santa Monica, CA – On Friday, October 11, 2024, the Santa Monica Police Department Directed Action Response Team (DART) coordinated a special crime suppression operation.  DART was assisted in the operation by the SMPD Crime Impact Team (CIT) and Special Problems Unit (SPU) as well as two outside agency teams:  LA County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation Community Violence Reduction Team (8 Investigators and 1 Supervisor) and LA County Probation Department (1 Officer).

The focus of the operation was to address high crime areas in Santa Monica including the beach, Pier, downtown business district (DTSM) and the downtown parks. Outside agencies were partnered with SMPD personnel and deployed in Multi-Utility Vehicles, beach trucks, and patrol cars.

The officer from LA County Probation provided valuable assistance by obtaining two probation holds for violations during the investigations.   Multiple arrests were made during the operation and several weapons and quantities of drugs were taken off the street.

Notable Arrest:

A team of DART Officers and LADA Investigators conducted a periodic check of Tongva Park.  During a consensual encounter of two subjects near the children’s play area officers found one of the subjects was in possession of a dirk/dagger and methamphetamine.  The second subject was also in possession of methamphetamine.  Both subjects were arrested. 

Operation Stats:

This operation is one of an ongoing series of special crime suppression efforts in Santa Monica coordinated by various teams within the police department.



Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) Team

The HLP Team sergeant participated in a freeway survey with staff from Public Works and CalTrans. The staff from CalTrans provided updates and highlighted work performed on various locations along the Santa Monica stretch of the I-10 Freeway. All parties discussed future projects, areas for collaboration, and maintaining open channels of communication to address encampment issues in a timely manner.

Weekend monthly HLP overtime detail operations (Ocean Front Walk/Sunrise Detail) were conducted twice during the week. The areas of focus were several identified hotspots along Ocean Front Walk and the beach. The operations resulted in the following stats:



Community Affairs Unit (CAU)

Our 58th Community Academy started this week with 16 participants.  Over the course of the 10-week class, participants engage with our Command Staff, see behind the scenes of different units, and network with fellow community members.

The Community Affairs Unit participated in Coffee with a Cop at Target, 1610 Wilshire Blvd.  It was very well attended by residents and those associated with the surrounding businesses.

NRO Wang coordinated and participated in a general safety meeting with library staff at Main Library. Training consisted of evacuation strategist and active threat procedures. There were approximately 70 employees in attendance. 

Beat 1 – NRO Hollowell with CPC Lockwood

Beat 2 – NRO Navarro with CPC Barreto 

Beat 3 – NRO Galvan with CPC Barreto

Beat 4 – NRO Wang with CPC Lockwood

Authored By

Erika Aklufi
Lieutenant

Categories

Safety