Addressing Safety in Our Community

April 7, 2022 10:46 AM
by David White, Ramon Batista

As your City Manager and Police Chief, we would like to address the recent local and regional news coverage of a report portraying Santa Monica as unsafe.  These messages are difficult to listen to because both of us love working, leading and living in this amazing community. Our primary focus is to collaborate with our City Council, community, and leadership team, to improve the quality of life for our residents and businesses. 

Right off the top, we want to be clear that you are heard.  As both the Chief of Police and City Manager, we have taken the time to meet and talk to residents, business owners, leaders in the faith-based community, employees, property owners, and visitors.  We have heard loud and clear your concerns over public safety in our city. We take each and every one of these interactions seriously.  

Together, we are working to provide the best service possible to our community. Below are recent steps the City and Santa Monica Police Department are taking to keep Santa Monica safe.  

In addition to these actions, and working closely with the City Council, we are looking three to five years down the road to determine where we need to be. We are eager to grow and restore services and implement new ideas, as the City continues to recover from the devastating financial impacts of COVID.  As your City Manager and Police Chief, we look forward to engaging in conversation and listening and learning from your experiences to be well-positioned to support and protect this community as we move forward. 

Authored By

David White
City Manager

Ramon Batista
Chief of Police

Categories

Safety