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1997 Annual Report
Office of Operations

The primary responsibility of the Office of Operations (OO) is to provide the first response to calls for police assistance. Commanded by a police captain, the office is the largest unit of the Department, consisting of Uniform Patrol and Directed Resources Divisions.

The Uniform Patrol Division includes the three patrol watches, Communications Center, K-9 Unit, Community Service Officer II Unit and the Reserve Officer Section. The Directed Resources Division is composed of the Special Policing District (SPD), Homeless Liaison Program (HLP), Third Street Promenade Bicycle Unit, Community Service Officer I Unit, Park Ranger Section, Harbor Patrol and Mounted Patrol units.

Day Watch Division officers recorded 34,808 calls for service. They made 2,057 felony arrests, 6,635 misdemeanor arrests, 29 driving under the influence (DUI) arrests, issued 1,289 hazardous or moving traffic citations and 768 misdemeanor citations. Officers wrote 1,806 field interview cards and completed 3,616 incident reports.

As staffing allowed, plainclothes officers were deployed to address a number of issues. Street narcotics sales, car burglaries and municipal code violations were targeted with the assistance of the Office of Criminal Investigations and Office of Special Enforcement. A marked decrease in both these crimes and citizen complaints resulted.

In response to the Department’s traffic goal, Day Watch initiated a traffic enforcement unit. A vehicle was equipped for radar and a monthly supplemental report prepared by Crime Analysis provided direction for traffic deployment.

An incident occurred during the early morning hours of September 16, in which Day Watch officers assisted Morning Watch officers who were detaining a violent, mentally disturbed man suspected of an assault. Utilizing the Hostage Negotiation Team, officers established dialogue with the suspect. After a long standoff, the suspect moved from his dangerous position on the bluffs and began swinging a metal weapon at the approaching officers. A Field Training Officer (FTO) deployed a taser and safely subdued the suspect. The entire incident was accomplished with minimal amount of force, causing no injury to either suspect or officers.

On October 1, officers responded to a call of a suicide in progress. Upon arrival, they discovered a woman armed with a handgun. Two officers approached the woman with their weapons holstered to help her remain calm. By handling the situation in a restrained manner, they were able to get close enough to the woman to disarm her and save her life. Both officers were recommended for Medals of Courage.

Throughout 1997, Day Watch continued to staff ten Community Service Officer II (CSO II) positions. CSO II’s are uniformed civilian personnel who respond to incidents that require a police report when a suspect is no longer at the location and cannot be located. This furnishes the public with a timely response without depleting available police officer resources. Several CSO II positions were used to staff the Pier sub-station and Department front office to present enhanced customer service. Later in the year, a citizen volunteer was trained to work the front office, freeing up a CSO II for fieldwork.

The School Support Officer patrolled school perimeters during days. He also assisted the Office of Criminal Investigations with cases involving juveniles and participated in discussions of Megan’s Law at area schools. Attending monthly gang investigator meetings, he worked closely with local area gang enforcement units.

Night Watch Division continued to focus attention on the implementation of Problem Solving Policing (PSP). As problems were identified, officers were provided resources to impact the problem and to continue working toward a long-term solution.

Night Watch officers addressed the Department goal of enforcing driving under the influence (DUI) by concentrating on bars in the City. The "Bar Car" was staffed by two officers who conducted bar checks through the holidays. The detail proved to be very productive. Several citations were issued to establishments for violations ranging from sales to intoxicated customers to no posting of liquor licenses. Three locations were ordered to close temporarily due to overcrowding.

Night Watch officers participated in a division arrest team focusing on Grand Theft Auto (GTA) suspects. Several officers from Night and Morning Watch assisted Taskforce for Regional Autotheft Prevention (TRAP) officers, using a decoy vehicle set up for GTA’s. Once the suspects entered the vehicle, task force members arrested them. The team arrested 14 suspects for GTA. Some of the suspects were known local gang members.

Night Watch officers recorded 33,607 calls for service. They made 737 felony arrests, 1,939 misdemeanor arrests, 207 driving under the influence (DUI) arrests, issued 4,062 hazardous traffic citations and 776 misdemeanor citations. They wrote 2,733 field interview cards and completed 4,199 incident reports.

Morning Watch Division focused on the goal of narcotics sales/use, effecting over 42 arrests. One case investigation led to the recovery of a stolen vehicle and of stolen property including computers, forged credit cards and credit card manufacturing equipment. Additionally, officers uncovered two racially motivated hate crimes in which five individuals were arrested, possibly thwarting a gang war.

Morning Watch officers made 20 arrests for robbery. Three separate robbery cases were cleared, resulting in five arrests and the recovery of over $20,000 worth of merchandise and an ATM machine containing $6,000.

Traffic enforcement by Morning Watch resulted in 185 arrests for DUI. Over 1,447 citations were written for hazardous violations to help reduce the number of traffic collisions within the City. Officers also made 41 arrests resulting from the recovery of 35 stolen vehicles.

A Morning Watch officer was honored by the Santa Monica Jaycees as their 1997 Officer of the Year. The celebration was held at the Jaycees Santa Monica Gala.

The K-9 Unit continued to prove a valuable asset to patrol and other offices, using K-9 partners to search for dangerous suspects and to assist in controlling crime scene perimeters. K-9 officers and their partners Breston, Roy, Jacko and Geert gave demonstrations to the Boy Scouts of America, Neighborhood Watch meetings and also participated in the first annual Los Angeles County Police Canine Officer’s Association Dog Show. Baseball cards with photos of dogs and officers were designed and given to children at numerous events.

A Tactical Rifle Team was approved, equipped and initially trained. The team is comprised of patrol officers from various watches. It was created to respond to incidents in which tactically superior weaponry is needed to protect the community from armed threats. Instructors were chosen from among patrol watches and officers were then provided with intensive weapon training.

The Communications Center receives and dispatches emergency and routine calls for service. Communications Operators, also called dispatchers, prioritize calls, then relay them to patrol officers and other specialized field units. During 1997, the Communications Center received 103,791 calls for service. Of those calls, 76,878 were citizen initiated and 26,913 were officer initiated. Out of the total calls for service, 16,352 (16%) were emergency in nature requiring immediate police response. Compared to 1996, the total number of calls for service decreased by 5,805, with citizen-initiated calls decreasing by 4,078, and officer-initiated calls decreasing by 1,727.

A PC-based telephone system was installed in June. The telephone system was mandated by the state and includes automatic recognition of TDD callers on 9-1-1. An attached keyboard enables dispatchers to communicate with hearing-impaired callers without the use of a third party translator.

Patrol officers responded to 7,000 alarm calls in 1997. Of those calls, 47 (0.67%) were break-ins that required a police report. In 1996, the number of alarm calls responded to was 7,023 and the number of break-ins requiring a police report was also 47.

The Reserve Officer Section consists of volunteer officers who serve as an important supplement to uniform patrol and to various administrative, investigative or undercover assignments. Reserve officers serve without compensation, other than remuneration for required court appearances. Annually, reserve officers provide over 6,000 hours of service.

The Directed Resources Division includes the Special Policing District (SPD), Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) Unit, Third Street Promenade Bicycle Unit, Third Street Promenade Community Service Officer I Unit, Park Ranger Unit, Harbor Patrol Unit and Mounted Unit.

The Special Policing District (SPD) extends from Wilshire to Pico Boulevards and from Lincoln Boulevard to the beach, including the Santa Monica Pier and Palisades Park. During 1997, officers were assigned to the detail on a permanent basis.

Auto burglaries and thefts from vehicles were targeted by SPD officers. Working with Day Watch, their operation led to a significant decrease in thefts from autos occurring in the district. SPD also identified a narcotic’s problem occurring in the area of the Third Street Promenade. "Operation: Purple Dinosaur," an undercover narcotics operation, successfully apprehended several drug sellers and users. Daily deployment focused on crimes that threatened the district’s quality of life, particularly sales and use of narcotics in Palisades Park, theft from vehicles, drunkenness, aggressive panhandling and disorderly conduct.

Part I offenses in the district decreased by 12% from 1996. Part II offenses, which for the most part, resulted in arrests, decreased 9% in 1997. Thefts from auto in the district decreased 18% in 1997 compared to 1996.

Operating in its sixth year, the Third Street Promenade Bicycle Patrol continued its effectiveness in the downtown business area. With one sergeant and six officers assigned for their interpersonal skills and riding ability, they use agility, maneuverability and knowledge of the area for fast yet silent responses. High visibility and presence in the downtown area ensures the public’s perception of safety. Officers have also developed an excellent rapport with the local business community. This year, they began enforcing two new municipal code ordinances which address issues relating to people sitting and lying on the Promenade, illegal vending and street performers.

Unit officers worked closely with the HLP team and the Office of Criminal Investigations to suppress auto burglaries and thefts from auto. This operation resulted in the recovery of a significant amount of stolen property and identification of several auto burglary suspects who had been staying in vacant buildings in the downtown area.

The Community Service Officer (CSO)I Unit, is also comprised of well-trained bicycle riders assigned to the downtown business area and parking structures. It consists of 11 non-sworn, uniformed personnel, supervised by the Third Street Promenade Bicycle Patrol sergeant. CSO I officers patrol the downtown area, reporting suspicious activity to and generally assisting sworn patrol personnel. CSOs also staff the Information Kiosk at 1440B 3rd Street Promenade. During 1997, over 46,106 inquiries were handled at the kiosk. In addition, they assisted officers with 114 felony arrests, 507 misdemeanor arrests and 648 citations.

The Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) officers worked with the homeless population and social service providers to ensure that those in need were directed to appropriate locations for assistance. Daily periodic checks of problem locations related to homelessness were conducted and HLP hotline complaints from citizens were fielded by the unit. Team members handled a total of 10,258 calls in 1997, issued 739 citations and made 747 arrests. They also referred 317 individuals to social service programs.

During inclement weather, officers, in cooperation with the City’s Human Services Division, handed out foul weather ponchos. This was to keep those not taking advantage of the shelter programs from falling ill due to exposure.

The Park Ranger Unit’s primary role is to patrol City parks and report suspicious or criminal activities and unsafe conditions. Park Rangers watch for infractions, give warnings when applicable or issue citations for dog violations. This year, they issued 179 citations and assisted in 159 arrests. Rangers also maintained a uniform presence at Ocean Park Community Center’s Cold Weather Shelter pick-up area.

The Harbor Patrol Unit is staffed by one police sergeant, six full-time and seven part-time Harbor Guards. Guards provide 24-hour Pier security, and are trained in water rescue, first-aid techniques and Pier maintenance. They conduct routine beach patrols, furnish daily beach, weather, boating and fishing information, and rescue ailing marine mammals. This year, guards assigned to the Pier prepared for storms associated with El Nino, developing an emergency plan for the Pier in the event of severe weather conditions.

The Harbor Patrol coordinates with the Special Policing District to reduce crime and improve the perception of safety within the Pier and beach community. Guards assisted police in 3,643 incidents. They also helped Pier lessees in 1,410 incidents, rendered first-aid to 591 patrons, assisted Los Angeles County lifeguards 184 times, and performed 27 vessel assists and 35 swimming rescues, the majority of which were after dark.

The Pier Substation (PSS) offers assistance to Pier visitors and the beach community. PSS is staffed by CSO II’s, and is open seven days a week throughout the year. They provide information to the public and offer telephone reports to citizens to save them from having to travel to headquarters to file police reports. CSO II’s wrote a total of 1,156 reports, including telephonic and counter reports, answered over 1,471 calls for service, and responded to over 9,613 inquiries during 1997.

The Mounted Unit consisted of one sergeant and seven officers who worked on overtime assignment, primarily on Saturdays in SPD. Mounted officers also provided crowd control for the O.J. Simpson civil trial, July 4th holiday and the summer Pier concert series. In addition to patrol activities, the unit participated in many community events, including the Walk Against Breast Cancer, Stand For the Children Expo at the Federal Building in West Los Angeles, Black History Month at Virginia Park, National Night Out, and several local school functions. During the year, two of the unit’s oldest horses were retired from police work and, with City Council approval, were donated to the program for disabled children, AHEAD With Horses.

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This page was last modified on 01/26/2008