FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2012
Contact: Richard Lewis, Sergeant
Phone: 310.458.8462
e-mail: richard.lewis@smgov.net
To impact crime during the holiday season, the Santa Monica Police Department deployed personnel (sworn, civilian, and volunteers) using statistical analysis to counter the spike in incidents usually seen in the Downtown area.
The holiday deployment plan was a collaborative effort between staff from Downtown Santa Monica Inc., the Santa Monica Place, the Convention & Visitors Bureau, and business groups along Main Street and Montana Avenue.
Additional resources were allocated to increase visibility at the busiest times. Officers were assigned on bicycles, foot and in vehicles on the Third Street Promenade, Main Street and Montana Avenue business districts to reduce incidents of shoplifting, auto burglary, and robbery. Volunteers staffed crime prevention information booths on the Third Street Promenade as an added component to the high-visibility approach.
As a result, there was a 26 percent (26%) decrease in Part 1 crimes in the Downtown area and a five percent (5%) decrease citywide (compared to 2010) from November 25 – December 27, 2011.
Chief Tim Jackman said “The huge success of the 2011 holiday deployment plan is due to the focused efforts and persistence of all personnel involved and our community partners.”