The Blue Notebook - A Weekly SMPD Recap September 28- October 4, 2024

October 7, 2024 10:16 AM
by Erika Aklufi

National Coffee with a Cop Day - SMPD hosted two Coffee with a Cop (CWC) events this week in honor of National Coffee with a Cop Day. CWC is an international program bringing police officers and community members together in a casual setting. Residents stopped by 7-Eleven (16th and Santa Monica Blvd.) and UnUrban Coffee House (Pico and Urban) to grab a cup of coffee, chat with their local officers, and help build connections.

Department-wide Statistics

Total Calls for Service (CFS): 2,723. YTD (through 9/28): 997,931.

Source of calls:

Citizen Initiated: 1,625 calls for service. 59,221 YTD (60% of total CFS).
Officer Initiated: 1,098 calls for service. 38,710 YTD (40% of total CFS).
Disposition for CFS: Homeless related = 18% YTD.
Encampment Calls: 44. 1,249 YTD.
5150 Calls: 12. 512 YTD.
Arrests: 40 total arrests. 2,080 YTD.

Patrol Operations Division

Notable Incidents

Grand Theft – 1200 Block of Princeton Street. The victim, an elderly male, parked his vehicle along the curb and walked onto the curb to pay the meter. The suspect drove alongside the victim and asked him for directions. The suspect exited his vehicle, telling the victim he wanted to thank him for his help. When he was close enough, the suspect handed the victim some worthless jewelry and placed a necklace around his neck. The suspect then quickly got back into his vehicle and drove away. It was then that the victim realized the credit card he was holding in his hand was missing as well as his necklace.
Assault with a Deadly Weapon / Robbery – 2000 Block of the Beach Path. The victim was assaulted, stabbed, and robbed by a group of young males. The victim suffered two non-life-threatening wounds to his back. The suspected fled on foot. The victim could not provide any other information about the suspects.
Gang Graffiti - 2900 Pico Boulevard. Gang graffiti was located by officers. A report was taken, and a request was made to Public Works for removal.
Assault with a Deadly Weapon – 2500 Block of 28th Street. Officers responded to a residence regarding a stabbing and discovered two brothers had been fighting. One of the suspects used a pair of small grooming scissors to stab the victim twice on the shin. The victim had two small puncture wounds and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Grand Theft – 1300 Block of Wilshire Boulevard. The victim had just parked in the lot for a business on Wilshire when the suspect approached her door and accused the victim of hitting her car. When the victim exited her car to look for damage, the suspect took the victim’s purse from the front passenger seat and fled.
Burglary – 1500 Block of Street. Officers responded to a call of a burglary at a church. The reporting party stated he heard noises coming from the main room and saw a subject exiting the building. The suspect was seen leaving in an older white sedan. A walk through of the building revealed a missing piano and a bass. The suspect made entry through a window.
Traffic Collision with Injuries - 1500 block Pico Boulevard. An adult male was riding a bicycle without a helmet westbound on Pico. The bicyclist performed a lane change and was struck by a vehicle from behind. The vehicle and driver remained on-scene. The bicyclist was transported to a local hospital and underwent emergency surgery for a head injury. Driver determined to not be under the influence and released.
Assault with a Deadly Weapon – 2500 Block of Main Street. Officers responded to a call of a stabbing. The suspect and victim were last seen running southbound on Main Street. Officers arrived and located a crime scene. An area check was negative for the suspect victim and suspect were in a verbal altercation when the suspect produced a knife and stabbed the victim, possibly in the arm. Local hospitals were advised, and the scene was processed by forensics.
Vandalism - City Hall. Unknown suspect(s) smashed a window to the City Clerk’s Office. It did not appear that entry was made to the location.
Residential Burglary (HOTPROWL) – 400 Block of 24th Street. Suspects cut the rear screen to a sliding door, entered the location, and were startled by resident who was returning home. The suspects fled the location and possibly left in a vehicle described as a white mid-sized 4-door sedan.
Threats – 2400 Block of 16th Street. Officers responded to a report regarding a student who was planning on taking a gun to school. The information was sent through text messages and FaceTime. The Department’s Youth Services Division contacted the school district and took the lead in tracking down the student and ensuring no violence would occur on campus.
Traffic Collision – Palisades Park / Wilshire Boulevard. SMPD officers responded to a single vehicle traffic collision into the cement bluff barrier in Palisades Park at the Ocean Avenue/Wilshire Blvd intersection. Both adult occupants were out of the vehicle prior to police arrival. The driver sustained a very minor injury, and the passenger was unharmed. The cement barrier stopped the vehicle from falling down the bluff, onto Pacific Coast Highway. The driver was deemed not to be driving under the influence.
Traffic Collision / DUI - 1500 Block Pacific Coast Highway. In the early morning hours, a solo vehicle rollover occurred in the southbound lanes of 1500 Block of Pacific Coast Highway. The vehicle came to rest on its rooftop, blocking the entrance to the McClure Tunnel - E/B I-10 Fwy. Due to the road closure an SM Alert was issued. SMPD and CHP Units responded and contacted the driver (sole occupant) of the vehicle and performed Field Sobriety Tests. The driver, who was not injured, was arrested for DUI.
Petty Theft / Resisting Arrest - 1406 Marine Street (Marine Park). A reporting party from the 1300 Block of Ashland Avenue called about a homeless male trespassing on their property. As the officer arrived, the subject was seen walking away holding items from the residence. When officers attempted to detain the suspect, he forcibly resisted arrest, causing minor injuries to two officers. The suspect was cited out and taken to a local medical center on a mental health hold.
Traffic Collision with Injuries – 2200 Block of Olympic Boulevard. Officers responded to the 2200 block of Olympic Boulevard for a traffic collision involving a vehicle and a pedestrian on a motorized scooter. The victim, a female in her late 40s, was transported to a local hospital for treatment of severe injuries. The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation. No DUI was involved.
 Traffic Collision with Injuries / City Property Involved - 1800 blk Ocean Ave. Two vehicle collision, resulting in damage to city property (center median electrical pole and foliage) causing debris field that shut down Ocean Ave (Olympic to Pico) for several hours. Non-life-threatening injuries to both parties.

Directed Action Response Team (DART)

Code Enforcement:

126 Contacts, including 55 verbal and 3 written warnings

DART:

8 Citations
14 Field Interviews
2 Arrests
11 Encampments Advised / Removed
Found Property - 900 Block of the Beach. DART officers responded to a call of found property in 900 block the beach. LA County Lifeguards located a firearm at the waterline. Found property report taken.
Warrant Arrest - 1100 Block of 7th Street. DART officers contacted three subjects for possessing open containers of alcohol in Reed Park. One of the individuals had a No Bail warrant for Vandalism. A second suspect had a $30K warrant out of SMPD, also for vandalism. The first suspect was taken into custody, the second issued a citation, and the third was identified and released.
Pedestrian Stop / Check the Status - 2000 Block Ocean Avenue (Lower Crescent Bay Park). DART conducted ped check on known homeless and vulnerable female. DART facilitated temporary housing for the subject at SamoShel.
Check the Status / Mental Health Hold – 300 Block of the Pier. DART officers were dispatched to a call of an agitated person on the Pier. The officers responded with the SMPD DMH Clinician who performed an evaluation and placed the person on a mental health hold. Officers transported the subject to a local hospital.
Citizen Flag/NARCAN use – Ocean Avenue/Moomat Ahiko Way. DART officers were flagged down to assist a subject who was not breathing and appeared to be suffering from a drug overdose. The officers administered NARCAN and the subject regained consciousness. SMFD transported the subject to a local hospital for observation.

Crime Impact Team (CIT)

Weekly Stats:

52 - Traffic Stops
25 – Ped Stops
12 – Bike Stops
2 – Misdemeanor Arrests
4 – Citations
17 – Field Interviews
1 - Assist

CIT conducted a crime suppression operation in the Wilshire corridor area resulting in the following:

6 Traffic Stops
10 Pedestrian Stops
1 Misdemeanor Arrest
2 Citations
5 Field Interviews

Several community engagement contacts at local businesses on Wilshire Blvd.

CIT and DART conducted a second crime suppression operation in the Wilshire corridor. The following is a recap of the activity:

7 Traffic Stops
6 Pedestrian Stops
1 Citation issued
1 Vehicle Impound
5 Field Interviews

Assisted with a radio call for a hot prowl

CIT, SPU, and CID plain clothes detectives conducted a burglary suppression operation within Beat 4 resulting in the following:

36 Traffic Stops
6 Pedestrian Stops
5 Bike Stops
5 Field Interviews
2 Citations

Notable Incidents:

A driver and passenger were stopped for a vehicle code violation. The female driver was on probation for burglary and male was on probation for firearm possession. A search of the vehicle yielded drug paraphernalia and several different types of pry tools. No burglary tool charge could be applied at the time. The driver was booked for drug possession and the vehicle code violation. The passenger was interviewed and released with the vehicle.
CIT officers observed a subject entering and exiting carports in the 1000 block of Alley 1 who matched the description of a prowling suspect from earlier in the day in the 1200 Block of Franklin Avenue. The subject was detained for investigation and found to have a $100K narcotics warrant. He was taken into custody for the outstanding warrant. The subject could not be positively identified as the prowler; his information was forwarded to detectives for follow-up.
CIT officers initiated a traffic stop for a vehicle code violation. Before the vehicle could be stopped, the driver attempted to flee by exceeding speed limits and driving through bicycle lanes. The vehicle ultimately stopped in the 2600 block of 24th Street (a dead end). Officers activated forward-facing emergency lights and conducted the stop. The driver was unlicensed and could not prove ownership of the vehicle, which was registered in Sun Valley. He was cited and the vehicle was impounded.
A traffic stop was conducted on a stolen vehicle. The officers’ investigation revealed it was the driver’s vehicle and he hadn’t reported it recovered. The recovery paperwork was completed.
Officers observed a parked occupied vehicle in the 1400 block of Michigan, and after running the plate, learned it was stolen. The officers’ investigation revealed it was the driver’s vehicle and he hadn’t reported it recovered. The recovery paperwork was completed.

Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) Team

HLP Team Stats

128 - Calls for service
43- 311 requests handled
92 - Self-initiated activity
29 - Field interviews/warnings
6 - Citation
92 - Referrals to services
9 - Encampments addressed

DMH/HLP Clinician Stats

5 - Referral to services thru DMH
4 - 5150 evaluations (3 holds)

HLP Officers and Mariposa Landscaping conducted another successful monthly cleanup operation at various locations throughout the city.
HLP officers attended the monthly Samoshel/Access Center security meeting with staff from both facilities.
A monthly HLP detail operation focused on livability issues throughout the city, including the Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica Blvd, Broadway, Pico Blvd, Lincoln Blvd and Main St corridors, as well as known hotspot areas (based on HLP Team input).
The HLP Team conducted several periodic checks of the Wilshire Blvd corridor throughout the week.
HLP Team Officers contacted a male subject in the 1400 block of 16th Street. The individual has been homeless in Santa Monica for approximately 2 years and has been contacted and cited on numerous occasions. He was initially service provider resistant. This week, the individual agreed to shelter resources and was transported to Samoshel.

Community Affairs Unit (CAU)

NROs for Beats 3 and 4 have been working their way along the Wilshire Corridor from the 800 Block eastbound contacting business owners and employees, exchanging contact information, and leaving doorway stickers for posting.

CAU staff assisted in facilitating a commercial retailers meeting promoting the S.M.A.R.T Center.

NRO Wang and CPC Barreto attended the California Crime Prevention Officers Association annual training conference.

Beat 1 – NRO Hollowell with CPC Lockwood

Neighborhood Resource Officer Hollowell conducted focused foot patrol on the Promenade and responded to calls with the Downtown Services Unit. NRO Hollowell conducts these patrols to stay aware of issues and problems going on, within the downtown service area. NRO Hollowell also went to multiple businesses on the Promenade to engage business owners and their employees and explain how the Downtown Services Unit and Community Affairs are working together to address crime, consistent with the Police Department’s Strategic Plan.
NRO Hollowell responded to multiple calls for service regarding juvenile e-bikers at Ocean View Park. None of the juveniles were at the location upon his arrival. NRO Hollowell attempted to contact the reporting parties, but his return calls either went voicemail or were not answered. NRO Hollowell is in continual conversations with Youth Services Division Detectives, Motor Officers, Public Services Officer supervisors, and the City Parks and Public Works departments for possible solutions for this layered problem. NRO Hollowell has recently spoken with building management for the towers located above Ocean View Park where the major problem is occurring. He has offered to host a neighborhood meeting for both buildings to attempt to educate the residents on the issues that the police department is facing. NRO Hollowell is waiting to hear back from building management about a possible meeting with the residents.

Beat 2 – NRO Navarro with CPC Barreto

NRO Navarro and Galvan conducted periodic checks regarding transient encampment at Clover Park. No violations observed and information will be reported to community stakeholder.

Beat 3 – NRO Galvan with CPC Barreto

NROs Galvan and Navarro attended a Neighborhood Watch meeting (2400 Block of Ocean Park Blvd) regarding the recent arrest for water meter vandalisms. The SMPD detective assigned to that case assisted in answering questions about the investigation and next steps.
NRO Galvan along with CPC Lockwood completed safety training at a business in the 400 Block of Broadway. General safety concerns were addressed regarding customers who have been refused service due to their actions.

Beat 4 – NRO Wang with CPC Lockwood

NRO Wang spoke to a community member from Montana Avenue Merchants Association regarding trends, updates and issues within the business district.
NRO Wang reconnected with library staff and scheduled a meeting for Thursday October 10th.

Authored By

Erika Aklufi
Lieutenant

Authored By

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