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1996 Annual Report
Office of Administrative Services

Special Services Division

The Special Services Division is responsible for Department planning and research, crime analysis, fiscal administration and the Department payroll. The division also encompasses the Records Section which provides for the storage, retrieval and dissemination of local police records; the Identification Section which collects, analyzes and photographs evidence and fingerprints at crime scenes and maintains a fingerprint service for citizens; the Property Unit which stores evidence and property; the Fleet Maintenance Unit; and the Animal Control Section which maintains a shelter and enforces laws relating to animal care and control.

The Planning and Analysis Section is under the general supervision of a police sergeant and includes the Crime Analysis and Serious Habitual Offender (SHO) units. Primarily engaged in a supporting role, the section serves other Department units, municipal government and the city's residential and commercial populations. It is responsible for publication of the Department's quarterly and annual reports.

The Crime Analysis Unit (CA) gathers, maintains and disseminates crime information and crime trends to Department personnel and the community-at-large. It plays an integral role in the effective and efficient deployment of police personnel through statistical analysis of criminal activity by geographic district, day of week and hour of day.

Serving as a repository for all available crime information, the unit routinely assists investigators in the identification and apprehension of criminal offenders. In addition, the unit provides crime information to the general public by responding to inquiries and supplies information for Neighborhood Watch meetings.

The unit publishes the weekly Crime Analysis Bulletin distributed to all Department employees and numerous neighboring law enforcement agencies. The publication has proven effective for reporting existing crime patterns and trends; disseminating critical information on wanted persons and specific crimes to investigative and operational units; and allowing administration to communicate critical facts. As a supplement to the Crime Analysis Bulletin, the unit publishes Special Bulletins which contain timely information on crimes and suspects soon after they occur.

During 1996, the unit published 51 Crime Analysis Bulletins, 41 Intra-departmental Communication Bulletins and 10 Special Bulletins. A total of 415 special reports were completed, 281 for departmental personnel and 134 for external requestors, requiring approximately 506 hours of staff time. Most requests from citizens were for calls for service or crime activity for specified areas or locations, many of which were from prospective new residents inquiring about crime activity in particular areas. Overall, unit staff handled more than 630 telephone inquiries during the year.

The unit played an integral role in the Department's "Goals and Objectives" program to suppress selected crimes. The unit published 36 crime summaries analyzing incident and call activity involving targeted crimes, 50 updates of robbery incidents providing suspect descriptions and modus operandi and 71 profiles and composites of known offenders and persons wanted for varied offenses. The unit also provided 43 analyses of current crimes including rape, serial robberies, burglary, stalking, auto theft, theft from vehicle and prowling incidents.

Throughout the year, staff completed noteworthy research projects and reports as follows: an 18-month review of the Special Reporting District; five-year analysis of Santa Monica parks; police activity review of the Sea Castle apartments; quarterly statistics/trends relating to the Department's crime suppression goals; analysis of calls for service relating to drive-through restaurants; caseload analysis for the Office of Criminal Investigations; comparative analysis of transient arrests for 1994 and 1995; crime victim age study for the first quarter of 1996; liquor store assaults and injuries; comparative analysis of sex crime victim and suspect profiles for 1994 and 1995; 11-year activity study of Third Street Promenade and parking structures; calls for service and resource allocation study; Section Eight housing review; activity review of selected alcohol outlets in Santa Monica; and information relating to the South Side rape series.

The Serious Habitual Offender Unit (SHO) was established to address problems associated with the most serious juvenile offenders. The program, which for the past four years has been funded by a grant under the Office of Criminal Justice Planning (OCJP), was designed to identify and monitor those juveniles to ensure that they receive appropriate intervention and sanctions.

Since its inception, 49 minors have been certified as Serious Habitual Offenders under the auspices of the program. The program has also provided monitoring of more than 150 juvenile offenders who are designated as potential SHO's, youth who are one or two arrests away from fitting program criteria.

The SHO grant funds a full-time SHO Coordinator and a part-time clerk who are assigned to the program. Under the direction of SHO staff, the program has developed cooperation between various agencies serving juveniles. Through the SHO Interagency Task Force which meets monthly, representatives from parole, probation, law enforcement, the schools, and the courts have formed a network of effective communication. This communication has played an integral part in identifying, certifying, tracking, prosecuting, and supervising eligible SHO candidates.

The Budgeting & Research Unit researches, analyzes and implements new law enforcement methods and programs and emerging technological advances in order to improve service levels while expending fewer resources. It prepares and manages the Department's annual and midyear budgets, acts as a resource on various issues and responds to City Council requests for public safety information, providing various reports as needed.

Unit staff continued to play an integral role in Department-wide automation projects. Staff monitored the Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) project for police vehicles implemented in 1995, gathering information to assure officers receive full benefit from the system. MDTs allow officers in police units to have easier and quicker access to automated information. Staff also was responsible for conducting a survey on radio coverage, finding the cause of poor reception in certain areas of the City. It was determined that two additional radio receiver sites were needed. Both sites were contracted for and equipment was procured and installed. The result was better radio coverage and improved officer safety. Additionally, in anticipation of constructing a new public safety facility, staff worked closely with the building architects updating space and program needs and assisting with the schematic design. The design phase was completed and staff waited for the next phase to begin.

In addition to serving as editor of the Department's annual reports, staff is also responsible for quarterly reports. Numerous staff reports were completed during the year on varying topics including the use of federal and state grant funds, firearm dealers within the City, a needs assessment for a junk handbill ordinance and the destruction of obsolete police records. One staff member was the police liaison and wrote articles for Wavelengths, which is the employees' newsletter. The member also represented the Department on the City's Americans With Disabilities (ADA) Committee and on the Centennial Committee.

The Records Section is the Department's center for processing, storage and retrieval of documents that are the product of law enforcement activities. The Records Section uses state-of-the-art optical and data processing technology to create and maintain an archival record of arrests, crime and incident reports, and citations.

Section personnel provide direct technical support to patrol officers and investigators. They have the expertise to extract information from the Department's archival files as well as using the resources of the county wide warrant system and California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System/National Crime Information Center (CLETS/NCIC) files.

In 1996, several important crime fighting tools became available through state and federal law enforcement telecommunications networks. Among these are the Violent Crime Information Network, Supervised Release File, Domestic Violence Restraining Order, and Los Angeles County Consolidated Criminal History Reporting systems. As law enforcement's reliance on these data bases grows, administration at the local level has redefined the role of the Records Section.

As home unit for the Department's Agency Terminal Coordinator (ATC), the Records Section is responsible for ensuring that Santa Monica's linked computers keep pace with rapidly changing system requirements. The ATC attends meetings and is briefed on new and changing system requirements, provides specifications to offsite programmers, enforces installation deadlines, tests and implements programming links, and communicates and enforces user rules. As network liaison, the ATC works with Budgeting & Research staff to request terminal addresses for new mobile digital and fixed terminals. Training duties carried out by the ATC included coordination and instruction on mandatory biennial NCIC training of more than 300 department employees. The ATC prepares and serves as contact person for the annual on-site inspection by state and federal system auditors.

A forms revision committee, chaired by the section's manager, was convened in January. The committee included Department and City Attorney Office employees who work with crime reports on a daily basis. Their goal was to eliminate redundancy and capture better investigative and analytical information about crimes. The committee met bimonthly to complete a needs assessment and develop test forms. Field testing and enhancement of the forms continued through 1996.

Dictaphone Corporation was selected to provide a digital voice dictation system for arrest reports. The system includes four transcription work stations and a supervisor status monitor. Officers dial in on any touch tone phone to record arrest narratives, an alternative for officers who do not wish to return to the station to dictate their reports. At the station, it serves as a backup when all dictating machines in the report room are in use. Records Section transcribers report clearer dictation and better results on transcriptions than with taped dictation. The technology is being evaluated with respect to other emerging technologies to determine its value and prospects for expansion.

The California Department of Justice issued its report on audits conducted during this May. The Records Section reported that the Santa Monica Police Department is in full compliance with CLETS user training requirements, and system policies and procedures.

The Animal Control Section investigates all calls and complaints regarding animals, enforces animal-related violations and operates a shelter for unclaimed animals. In 1996, more than 2,100 animals were housed at the City's shelter until they could be claimed by an owner, adopted or euthanized. The Santa Monica Animal Shelter has one of the highest percentages of animal placement in the United States.

The section operates a reserve officer and volunteer program. Reserves are qualified area residents interested in volunteering their services to the shelter. They are called reserve animal control officers and have been trained by animal control officers to assist them with their duties. Volunteers perform various functions from clerical tasks to exercising and grooming animals, thereby releasing animal control officers for more field time. Without their services, animals would be difficult to place. Volunteers also seek and collect funds to aid in the care and treatment of sick or injured animals. In 1996, they raised more than $3,400 in donations plus a surplus of pet food donated by local businesses.

The City offers three public dog parks where owners may exercise their dogs in a designated off-leash area during specified daily hours. Animal control officers monitor these areas to ensure the safety of both the public and the animals using the park. The off-leash dog parks are available for Santa Monica residents who have a current license for their dog. This ordinance helps monitor registrations and current rabies vaccinations. More than 4,500 dogs were registered in the city during 1996.

Once a year, animal control officers visit schools and youth service agencies offering safety and animal care advice. Officers also advise gas companies and postal personnel on issues concerning safety around animals and how to handle animal problems. Throughout the year, they offer animal shelter tours and participate in community events. In addition, section employees assist in the care and maintenance of the Department's Mounted Patrol horses while they are boarded at the shelter.

The Identification Section's (ID) identification technicians provide the technical expertise needed for photographing and processing crime scenes for evidence. Once the evidence is collected and preserved, the section will work on trying to identify fingerprints, tool marks and shoe prints, connecting a crime to possible suspects. The ID technicians will then prepare needed evidence and displays for the court. Once the evidence goes to court, technicians may give testimony related to physical evidence they recover from a crime scene. They are court qualified experts in the area of latent fingerprint and palm print comparisons.

During the year, personnel were instrumental in solving 76 cases that may not have been solved without leads provided by identifying fingerprints and palm prints left at crime scenes by the suspects. The process of searching and identifying many of the unknown fingerprints has been enhanced with the use of special computer systems. The computers allow the section to search every criminal fingerprint card in the state in an attempt to match fingerprints from crime scenes to possible suspects. Other graphic computers are also used to enhance the quality of the latent prints found at the crime scenes, increasing the probability of identifying the suspects.

This year marks a new phase for the section. Graphic computers are now being used for digital photography and imaging. Photographs and videos of armed robberies may now be enhanced, increasing the possibility of identifying suspects. Digital photography and imaging are more environmentally friendly than the older photographic methods, eliminating the production of unsafe chemicals and silver waste.

The ID Section provides a special service that is not provided by many police departments: fingerprinting people for purposes other than crime-related reasons. In 1996, 5,400 people were printed for local and state business licenses, immigration, day care, teaching credentials and other non-criminal purposes.

The Vehicle Maintenance Section provides minor repairs and servicing and arranges for major repairs on the fleet of police vehicles. The fleet includes emergency vehicles that must be kept in a state of readiness and good repair. One vehicle maintenance person and two part-time cadets perform these duties, with assistance from the division sergeant.

In 1994, the Department began rotating patrol cars to the Office of Investigations or to administrative use at 50,000 miles. This year, the success of that program became evident. The fleet of patrol vehicles has improved both mechanically and in appearance. Major body damage has been reduced and every patrol car presents a professional image. Repairs decreased significantly for several reasons: types of vehicles used, warranty work under a nearby dealer, and scheduling preventive maintenance rather than waiting for emergency repairs.

A dramatic decrease in the cost of repairs was also realized in 1996. A total of $11,500 was spent on transmission repairs and replacement in the prior fiscal year whereas $600 was spent in the first half of this fiscal year, and that expense was only for servicing transmissions. Less money was spent for other mechanical repairs as well, due to the newer, more dependable vehicles being placed into service and the older problem-prone vehicles being taken out of the fleet. It is difficult to estimate labor savings when fewer employee hours are being spent on vehicle repairs. However, of equal importance, is the saving of police officer "downtime" that used to plague the patrol division when overlapping shifts required more vehicles.

The Property Section is responsible for receiving, keeping and releasing evidence and property. Evidence is held for use in court to help secure convictions. The section received 12,924 items during 1996. This included all evidence, safekeeping and found property, and 204 guns of all types. Staff processed 716 items for the Crime Lab. A total of 1,099 items were taken from property to court, of which 164 items were actually entered into court as evidence. Staff was able to release or purge 13,408 items.

Two police auctions were held during 1996, which generated a total of $10,766. An additional $22,176 was released to the City General fund from unclaimed or forfeited monies. In addition, staff was able to locate several victims of property crimes and helped the Office of Criminal Investigations return property to rightful owners.

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