The Blue Notebook - A Weekly SMPD Recap October 19- October 25, 2024

October 28, 2024 2:10 PM
by Erika Aklufi

DEA Drug Take Back Event- On Saturday, October 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Santa Monica Police Department will participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The DEA and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. In partnership with local law enforcement, Take Back Day has removed 9,285 tons of medication from circulation since its inception.

Call for Community Assistance – Suspect Video

The Santa Monica Police Department is seeking the community’s assistance in identifying the individual shown in a video linked above. The suspect is described as male, Black or other, approximately 25-35 years old, with bleached blonde hair, a black beard, and tattoos on both biceps and forearms. This individual is wanted in connection with an assault that occurred on September 22^nd at approximately 12:35AM near the 1400 block of Alley 5. He was last seen fleeing the area eastbound on Santa Monica Blvd towards 7^th Street.

Department-wide Statistics

Total Calls for Service (CFS): 2,389. YTD (through 10/20): 105,239

Source of calls:

Citizen Initiated: 1,453 calls for service. 63,616 YTD (60% of total CFS).
Officer Initiated: 936 calls for service. 41,623 YTD (40% of total CFS).
Disposition for CFS: Homeless related = 18% YTD.
Encampment Calls: 36. 1,353 YTD.
5150 Calls: 14. 553 YTD.
Arrests: 48 total arrests. 2,249 YTD.

Patrol Operations Division

Notable Incidents:

Assault with a Deadly Weapon – 3000 Block Pico. Unprovoked, the suspect threw a glass bottle at the victim, struck him with his hands, and attempted to take the victim’s property. The suspect fled but was quickly located and taken into custody by responding officers.

Assault with a Deadly Weapon – Stabbing / 1400 Block of 5^th Court. Officers responded to a 911 call of person down at Alley 5 and Broadway and found a victim with a stab wound. The crime scene was in the 1400blk of Alley 5. The victim told officers he met with the suspect and a second individual regarding housing in Venice. The suspect accused the victim of being a cop and stabbed him. The victim was transported to a local hospital in serious condition. The suspect last seen northbound in the alley towards Santa Monica Blvd. The incident is under investigation.
Felony Domestic Battery - 900 Block Arizona Avenue. Officers responded to a radio call of Unknown Trouble and located the parties in their residence. The suspect and victim got into an argument that resulted in the suspect pushing the victim to the ground, causing injuries. The suspect was arrested without incident
Sexual Assault - 1100 Block of the Beach. The victim of an assault flagged down SMFD personnel at Station 7 and reported she was just raped on the beach in a tent. The victim told responding officers that she met the suspect the night before and spent the night with him in his tent on the beach. The victim woke to the suspect having sex with her and she fled with her belongings. The suspect was observed by officers breaking down his tent and attempting to leave the area. He was taken into custody. The DA is currently determining what charges will be filed.
Fatal DUI Crash - 1400 Block of the Beach. During the night, patrol responded to a call of a vehicle stuck in the sand west of Lot 2 North. The call was updated to a person stuck under the vehicle. Harbor guards and officers arrived on scene and determined the subject was unconscious and not breathing. SMFD arrived and began to assist digging out the subject who was found to be deceased. Officers determined the vehicle was driven on the sand from the beach lot to the water line. The vehicle became stuck in the sand with the subject trapped under the car. The SMPD Major Accident Response Team was called and responded. The driver was arrested for Felony DUI. The DA may file charges of vehicular homicide.
Attempt Suicide / Assault on a Police Officer- 100 Block of Wilshire Boulevard. Officers responded to a call of a female who ingested a bottle of valium and alcohol. Officers found the female unresponsive and locked inside a hotel room. Officers made entry and SMFD personnel determined she was stable. The subject met the criteria for a mental health hold and plans were made to transport her to a local hospital. During the interaction, the subject spit into an officer’s face and eye.
No Bail Warrant Arrest – 6^th Street and Colorado Boulevard. Officers consensually contacted a subject on the corner of 6^th/Colorado. The subject provided officers with identifying information and a check of his criminal history revealed the subject had a warrant for probation violations.
Auto-Ped Traffic Collision Involving City Vehicle – 1600 Block of the Beach. A city employee driving a city vehicle was travelling northbound on the beach and ran over a sleeping homeless person. The subject was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver cooperated and no DUI or other impaired driving is suspected.
Commercial Burglary – 1900 Block of Wilshire Boulevard. Officers responded to a call of two males who were seen on surveillance video using a large rock to break a glass panel to the front sliding doors, filling up a trash can with boxes of cigarettes, and leaving eastbound on Wilshire in a black SUV. The investigation is ongoing.
Warrant Arrest – Los Angeles. LAPD arrested a subject with an outstanding SMPD Warrant for felony domestic violence in the amount of $1.1 million. The warrant is for an incident that occurred on May 1, 2024, in the 2200 block of the Beach during which the suspect struck the victim in the head with a glass bottle.
Petty Theft / Foot Pursuit – 400 Block of Broadway. Officers were on scene at Target (420 Broadway) investigating an unrelated theft when they were approached by loss prevention about another theft. Officers tried to detain but suspect fled. A short foot pursuit ensued, and the suspect was quickly apprehended.
Hit & Run Felony (Auto v. Ped) - Lincoln Blvd and Wilshire Blvd. The pedestrian victim was struck by two vehicles while crossing Lincoln Boulevard. One of the vehicles fled the scene; the other stayed and the driver cooperated with the investigation. The victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
 Municipal code/Felony Warrant Arrest - 2000 Block of Ocean Front Walk. HLP Officers conducting a periodic check of the beach spotted an encampment in the area and contacted the occupant. A warrant check revealed a felony No Bail warrant from San Luis Obispo County. The subject, who was arrested without incident, was also found to have drug paraphernalia in his possession. The encampment was removed.

Crime Impact Team (CIT)

Weekly Stats:

Traffic Stops - 23
Ped Stops -11
Bike Stops - 6
Felony Arrests - 1
Misdemeanor Arrests - 2
Citations - 3
Field Interviews - 6
Radio Calls - 15

Due to an increase of graffiti in the Pico Neighborhood, CIT coordinated a crime suppression operation with members of the department’s Special Problems Unit (SPU) which yielded the following:

Traffic Stops- 11
Pedestrian Stops - 4
Misdemeanor Arrests - 1
Citations - 1
Field Interviews – 3
Radio Calls - 5

CIT, Criminal Investigations Division (CID) personnel, and members of SPU conducted a burglary suppression operation in Beat 4. The following was the activity:

Traffic Stops - 12
Pedestrian Stops – 7
Bike Stops – 3
Felony Arrests – 1
Field Interviews – 3
Citations - 1
Radio Calls - 4

Notable Incidents:

Officers conducted follow-up of a residential burglary incident and were able to identify a possible suspect. The investigation is ongoing.
Officers contacted a subject in the 1900 block of Alley 19. The suspect consented to a search and was found to be in possession of a meth pipe. The subject was cited in the field and released.
CIT officers were flagged down by a resident in the 1300 block of Cedar Street about a suspicious subject looking into a residence and possibly casing. The residence was not occupied at the time. The subject was not located.
Officers responded to a radio call in the 1000 block of Pine Street of several suspicious subjects knocking on doors and stating they were with a construction company. The individuals were not in uniform and did not leave any paperwork with the reporting party. The officers canvassed the area without success.
Officers contacted a subject on the corner of Lincoln Blvd. and Bay St. A consent search was conducted, and officers located two meth pipes. Additionally, the subject was found to have $100K warrant out of Santa Monica for grand theft.

Directed Action Response Team (DART)

Code Enforcement : 95 contacts including 56 verbal and 6 written warnings

SMPD:

2 Citations
10 Field Interviews
4 Arrests
8 Encampments Advised / Removed

Notable Incidents:

Municipal Code - 1200 Block of the Beach. DART contacted and arrested a subject for violating the municipal code by having a tent on the beach. The subject had been previously advised and cited by DART officers for the same violation. This is the same subject who was arrested two days later for sexual assault in the 1100 block of the Beach (see patrol incidents, above).
Assault with a Deadly Weapon – 1500 Block of Ocean Avenue. DART officers assisted Downtown Services Unit officers by detaining the suspect in an Assault with a Deadly Weapon on an employee of a local business. The suspect was found to be on parole and arrested.
Under the Influence of Drugs - 1400 Block of Ocean Avenue. DART officers contacted a subject appearing to have a mental breakdown in front of a restaurant on Ocean Ave. An investigation revealed he was under the influence of drugs and on probation. A hold was obtained for the subject, and he was transported to LA County Jail.
No Bail Warrant Arrest - 1500 Block of the Beach. DART officers contacted a subject who was loitering under the Pier in violation of the municipal code. The subject was arrested for a parole warrant.
Warrant Arrest - 2000 Block of the Beach - DART officers contacted a known parolee and learned he had a $30K SMPD warrant. He was also in possession of a meth pipe and shopping cart. The suspect was cited out on the warrant, paraphernalia, and shopping cart violation.

Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) Team

HLP Team Stats

122 - Calls for service
25- 311 requests handled
96 - Self-initiated activity
0 - Felony arrests
3 - Misdemeanor arrests
27/16 - Field interviews/warnings
6 - Citations
96 - Referrals to services
3 - 5150 holds completed
13 - Encampments addressed

DMH/HLP Clinician Stats

5 - Referrals to services through DMH
6 - 5150 evaluations (3 holds)

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

Multiple periodic checks of Casa Del Mar and Shutters Hotel
Periodic Checks of the 1600 to 1900 Blocks of Ocean Front Walk
2 – Radio Calls
3 - Pedestrian contacts of individuals sleeping on park benches
4- Encampments Addressed 1 citation, 4 encampments
1 - Arrest (SMPD warrant)
3 - Citations (public camping x2, one additional citation)
6 Field Interviews
16 community engagement contacts

Community Affairs Unit (CAU)

Community Academy #58 is under way with participants completing week two. Subjects covered included an introduction to Command Staff, an overall view of the department, and a session on Criminal Investigations.

Beat 1 – NRO Hollowell

Neighborhood Resource Officer Hollowell continues his focused foot patrols around Reed Park and the 7-11 on Wilshire Boulevard. NRO Hollowell has made a point of meeting with Public Service Officers at Reed Park during his patrol. He has noted a significant reduction in homeless individuals in the park over the past several weeks. NRO Hollowell has regular meetings with the employees at 7-11 as well as security at the location. NRO Hollowell has conducted pedestrian stops for municipal code and penal code violations, completed filed interviews and has been issuing warnings with the intent of deterring problem behavior.

Beat 2 – NRO Navarro with CPC Barreto

NRO Navarro contacted the non-occupant owner of a home on Grant Street that is attracting homeless individuals. The owner agreed to a security assessment and will be making improvements to improve the security of the house. The owner is making arrangements to travel to Santa Monica to meet with CPC Barreto for the assessment.
NRO Navarro conducted checks of the perimeter of the abandoned building located in the 200 block of Pico Boulevard. There were two openings in the fence allowing trespassers. The property manager was notified to have the necessary repairs completed.
NRO Navarro contacted subject who loiters under the 4^th Street / Ocean Park Boulevard overpass. Subject does not have an encampment and is not blocking the sidewalk. He stands and talks to himself but there are no violations. He also refuses any outreach or resources. CPC Barreto contacted the HLP team and DMH clinician to evaluate the subject.
NRO Navarro contacted a resident in the 2900 block of 2^nd Street regarding complaints of homeless at the beach. Upon speaking to him, he also indicated there are homeless people prowling at his apartment building. He was looking for options for him and his neighbors to report these activities. He was interested in a Neighborhood Watch Meeting and would be inviting his neighbors and landlord.
NRO Navarro attended the Ocean Park Association Community Meeting where Chief Batista gave a presentation. NRO Navarro, NRO Hollowell, and CPC Barreto provided crime statistics and answered questions.

Beat 3 – NRO Galvan with CPC Barreto

NRO Galvan received a phone call from a resident regarding a transient sleeping on the sidewalk with property strewn around him in the 900 block of Colorado. Contact was made with the individual who declined any outreach or services. The individual packed his belongings and left the area.
NRO Galvan attended the Mid-City Neighbors monthly meeting and discussed crime statistics and answered questions. The press release regarding the homicide at Santa Monica College was shared with the group and questions were answered.
NROs Galvan and Navarro attended the Pico Neighborhood Association monthly meeting and discussed crime statistics and answered questions. The group thanked the CAU and their presence in the area.
On the heels of a tragic incident at SMC, NRO Galvan completed periodic checks of public and private schools around the college and satellite campuses.

Beat 4 – NRO Wang

NRO Galvan responded to an email of a subject living in his vehicle in the 700 block of Ocean Ave. The individual was located and offered services while being made aware of parking restrictions. The individual left the area and has not been seen.

Authored By

Erika Aklufi
Lieutenant

Authored By

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