The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) is a law enforcement agency of the city of Santa Monica, California. [2]
| Santa Monica Police Department | |
|---|---|
 Santa Monica Police patch | |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1897 |
| Employees | 460 (2012) |
| Annual budget | $77.2 million (2012) |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Santa Monica, California, United States |
| Legal jurisdiction | City of Santa Monica, California |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | 333 Olympic Drive Santa Monica, California |
| Facilities | |
| Beats | 4 |
| Website | |
| santamonicapd | |
| [1] | |
History
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The department was founded in May 1897.[3] At the beginning of the twentieth century, public drunkenness was initially a major focus for the department. As the city of Santa Monica grew, a detective bureau was implemented, as well as a call box system that allowed for officers to be alerted faster. Illegal gambling operations in the city also were an issue during the Great Depression.[4]
The police department operates a jail, which has a maximum capacity of 112 people, but is only allowed to confine each person for 48 hours at most. The Serial Inebriate Outreach Program tries to persuade people currently in the jail for drunkenness to seek treatment for alcoholism; the program has had a 25% success rate as of 2006.[5]
Santa Monica named Jacqueline Seabrooks its first female police chief in April 2012. She assumed her new post in May 2012, succeeding Timothy J. Jackman, who retired.[6]
In 2013, the department was criticized for paying 28 of its staff more than 200,000 dollars per year. Police Chief Seabrooks claimed that high salaries were partially due to overtime paid by private events employing the officers. The department's total budget that year was 77 million dollars.[7][8]
The police department has played a role in the city's efforts to reduce homelessness. As part of the Homeless Liaison Program, the department assigns a group of officers to coordinate with other agencies to provide housing to the homeless, instead of perpetuating an arrest-and-release cycle. From 2007 to 2009, the program reduced homelessness levels by 8%.[9][10] Efforts by Santa Monica police to fine homeless persons have often proved ineffective, not only because people arrested for homelessness are unable to pay the fine, but also because landlords are unwilling to lease housing to people with arrest warrants for unpaid fines. The police will also call paramedics for homeless individuals in need of medical attention. Some homeless individuals have complained that the police do a poor job of keeping track of their confiscated possessions, such that they rarely receive their items back once released from jail; while others have asked the police to pay more attention to crimes committed by homeless offenders against homeless victims.[5]
Harbor Unit
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The department's Harbor Unit performs ocean rescues at the Santa Monica Pier.[11]
Former Police Chiefs of the SMPD
edit- George B. Dexter (1896 – 1898)[12]
- Max K. Barretto (1898 – 1911)
- Ellis E. Randall (1912 – 1915)
- Fred W. Ferguson (1916 – 1920)
- Clarence E. Webb (1921 – 1936)
- Charles L. Dice (1936 – 1939)
- Clarence E. Webb (1940 - 1945 Second Term)
- Stacy Schmidt (1945 – 1947)
- Joseph P. McClelland (1947 - 1950)
- James F. Keane (1979 – 1991)
- James T. Butts, Jr. (1991 - 2006)
- Timothy J. Jackman (2006-2012)
- Jacqueline Seabrooks (2012-2018)[13]
- Cynthia Renaud (2018-October 25, 2020)[14][15]
- Jacqueline Seabrooks-Interim status (2020 - October 2021)
- Ramon Batista (October 18, 2021 - Present) [16][17]
References
edit- ^ "Santa Monica Police Department - 2011-2012 - Two Years in Review". City of Santa Monica. 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
- ^ Gagnier, Robert. "9 Questions for Santa Monica Chief of Police Jacqueline A. Seabrooks". Huffington Post. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ Gabriel, Louise B.; Santa Monica Historical Society Museum (2006). Early Santa Monica. Arcadia Publishing. p. 38. ISBN 9780738531441.
- ^ Scott, Paula A. (2004). Santa Monica: A History on the Edge. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 49, 107. ISBN 9780738524696.
- ^ a b Burt, Martha R.; Aron, Laudan Y. (December 2006). "Final Report: Evaluation of Santa Monica's Continuum of Care And Strategic Five-Year Plan" (PDF). Ending Homelessness in Santa Monica: Current Efforts and Recommended Next Steps. The Urban Institute. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ "Santa Monica names its first female police chief". LA Times. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ Simpson, David Mark (26 November 2013), "28 cops took home more than $200K", Santa Monica Daily Press, retrieved 15 June 2015
- ^ Reed, Chris (10 December 2013). "Santa Monica police a case study in excessive pay driven from top down". CalWatchdog. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ Groves, Martha (26 February 2009), "Santa Monica sees some progress in its battle to get the homeless off the streets", The Los Angeles Times, retrieved 15 June 2015
- ^ Palmiotto, Michael J. (2011). Community Policing: A Police-Citizen Partnership. New York: Routledge. p. 316. ISBN 9781136822797.
- ^ Harter, Clara (23 April 2021). "Unsung harbor guard heroes routinely save victims drowning by pier". Santa Monica Daily Press. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
- ^ "Retired Chiefs of Police". Santa Monica PD. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ Garen, Brenton. "New Santa Monica Police Chief Named". SMMirror. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ Estwick, Ace. "New Police Chief Cynthia Renaud sworn in". SM Daily Press. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
- ^ Stuart, Gwynedd (2020-11-17). "Inside the Santa Monica Police Department's Botched Response to May's Looting Spree". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
- ^ Farr, Daniel. "New Police Chief Ramon Batista sworn in". SM Daily Press. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "santamonica.gov - Ramon Batista". www.santamonica.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-01.