The Blue Notebook - A Weekly SMPD Recap - August 9-15, 2025

September 2, 2026 1:29 PM
by

Executive Summary

SMPD made 123 arrests during a week marked by coordinated enforcement across Downtown Santa Monica, the beach, parks, and major commercial corridors. Officers responded to assaults involving edged weapons, an armed catalytic converter robbery, burglary, narcotics offenses, warrant cases, retail theft, and an impaired-driving collision. Specialized teams paired visible patrol with investigative follow-up and SMART Center resources to locate suspects, recover stolen property, and address recurring public safety concerns.

Key Takeaways:

· Overall calls for service declined by 32, or 1.3%, from the prior week. Within that, officer-initiated activity increased by 57 calls, or 5.1%, and accounted for 48% of all activity, up from 45% the week before.

· Arrests increased modestly to 123 for the week, while year-to-date arrests reached 3,347, a 68.6% increase over the same period in 2025. Downtown Services Unit activity was a major contributor, with 32 arrests and 38 citations, with an additional 10 arrests and four citations in the beach and Pier area.

· SMART Center resources supported several operational outcomes. Personnel helped locate suspects after theft and felony vandalism incidents and assisted officers in assessing repeated false reports of an armed subject or bomb threat on the Pier, where coordinated searches found no active threat.

· Focused enforcement remained concentrated in Downtown Santa Monica, the beach lots, Palisades Park, Tongva Park, the Lincoln corridor, and areas near Pico Boulevard. The week’s activity produced arrests involving weapons, narcotics, supervised-release violations, outstanding warrants, burglary, and retail theft.

By the Numbers: August 9 - August 15, 2026

· From August 9 through August 15, SMPD handled 2,474 calls for service, 32 fewer than the prior week.

· Resident-initiated calls declined by 89, while officer-initiated activity increased by 57 and represented 48% of all calls.

· Year-to-date calls for service are 10.9% above 2025, and year-to-date arrests are up 68.6%.

	This Period	Last Period	YTD 2026	YTD 2025	YTD Change vs. 2025
Calls for Service	2,474	2,506	81,051	73,087	+10.9%
Resident-Initiated Calls	1,289 (52%)	1,378 (55%)	42,625 (53%)	45,215 (62%)	-5.7%
Officer-Initiated Activity	1,185 (48%)	1,128 (45%)	38,426 (47%)	30,334 (42%)	+26.7%
Homeless-Related Dispositions	527 (21%)	562 (22%)	18,433 (23%)	19,895 (27%)	-7.3%
Total Arrests	123	120	3,347	1,985	+68.6%

Crime Suppression

This week’s enforcement combined rapid response to violent and property crimes with proactive patrol, supervision-compliance checks, and investigative follow-up. Activity was concentrated in Downtown Santa Monica, the Pier and beach area, parks, and the Lincoln and Pico corridors, producing arrests and evidence recoveries across several offense categories.

Key Crime Suppression Incidents:

Incident Type	Description
Armed Catalytic Converter Robbery 1700 Block of Centinela ACTIVE INVESTIGATION	Three masked suspects were confronted while removing a catalytic converter from a parked vehicle. One suspect held a metal pipe, and another displayed a firearm when the vehicle owner attempted to recover the converter. The suspects fled. The investigation remains active.
Concealed Weapons and Narcotics 1200 Block of Euclid Street ARREST	A call involving a disturbance led officers to recover a concealed eight-inch dagger, a concealed 13.5-inch butcher knife, and drug paraphernalia. The suspect was arrested following the investigation.
Commercial Burglary 1500 Block of Ocean Avenue ARREST	An officer responding to an audible alarm found a business door ajar and requested additional units. Officers located a suspect inside an employee-only area where several lockers had been forced open. The suspect, who was also on probation, was arrested for burglary and a probation violation.
Downtown Retail Theft and Felony Vandalism Third Street Promenade and 500 Block of Wilshire Boulevard TWO ARRESTS	SMART Center resources helped officers locate suspects after a theft from Sunglass Hut and a separate shoplifting and vandalism incident at CVS. Officers recovered stolen merchandise in the first case. In the second, the suspect was arrested after a foot pursuit.
Narcotics and Supervision Compliance Downtown, Palisades Park and Tongva Park MULTIPLE ARRESTS	Proactive contacts and compliance checks resulted in the recovery of methamphetamine, fentanyl, PCP, and drug paraphernalia. Arrests included individuals on parole or probation, subjects with no-bail warrants, and a fugitive wanted for a parole violation in Louisiana.
Stolen Property Search Warrant ARREST AND RECOVERY	The Crime Impact Team assisted the Criminal Investigations Division with a search warrant connected to the theft of an electric bicycle valued at approximately $1,500. Officers recovered the bicycle and arrested a suspect.

Traffic Enforcement

Traffic activity combined patrol enforcement with focused attention to pedestrian safety and corridors identified through recent community concerns.

August 9 - August 15, 2026

Traffic Stops	Citations	Advisals/Warnings
259	164	90

Notable Traffic Activity:

Incident Type	Description
Injury Hit-and-Run and Impaired Driving Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard TWO ARRESTS	A vehicle involved in an injury collision continued from the scene, struck parked vehicles, and became disabled. The driver and passenger fled on foot but were located by officers. Drugs were recovered, and the driver was arrested following an impaired-driving investigation. The collision victims were transported to hospitals with moderate injuries.
Focused Corridor Enforcement Wilshire, Lincoln, Colorado and Broadway	Officers focused on pedestrian safety in the Wilshire and Lincoln corridors and coordinated additional enforcement near Colorado Avenue and Broadway. Traffic Unit personnel conducted periodic checks near construction sites and contacted site personnel regarding double parking and stop-sign compliance.
DUI Checkpoint Santa Monica ONE DUI DRUG ARREST	At the Traffic Unit's third grant-funded sobriety and driver's license checkpoint, 1,113 vehicles passed through and 303 drivers were screened. Officers administered 22 field sobriety tests, made one drug-related DUI arrest, documented five violations involving unlicensed or suspended drivers, and impounded one vehicle.

Homelessness Response

HLP combined directed deployments, enforcement, outreach, shelter connection, and behavioral health response across Downtown Santa Monica, the beach, parks, and major corridors assisting two people with accepting interim housing.

HLP Team Stats:

Radio Calls	SAMO Bridge / Samoshel Referrals	HLP Self-Initiated Activity	Citations	Total Arrests	Encampments
168	5	130	16	27	18

Key Homeless Response Incidents:

Incident Type	Description
Interim Housing and VA Connection Downtown Santa Monica TWO PLACEMENTS	HLP officers contacted a Navy veteran sleeping in a tent near the 1300 block of Wilshire Boulevard, built rapport, and transported him to SAMO Bridge. He was later accepted into Samoshel and began pursuing a VA housing voucher. In a separate contact, officers connected another individual with SAMO Bridge and Samoshel for interim housing.
Directed Deployment Beach, Downtown, Tongva Park and Clover Park	HLP directed deployments generated 17 contacts, five field interviews, three citations, four advisals, and four arrests in areas experiencing recurring calls, camping concerns, and quality-of-life violations.
Warrant and Registration Compliance Downtown, Beach and Parks MULTIPLE ARRESTS	HLP contacts led to arrests involving no-bail parole warrants, a felony assault warrant, outstanding SMPD warrants, sex-offender registration violations, and a Downtown stay-away order. Officers also recovered cocaine and drug paraphernalia during one registration-compliance arrest.
Narcotics and Public-Space Enforcement Downtown, Beach and Palisades Park MULTIPLE ARRESTS	Public-space enforcement addressing sidewalk obstruction, camping, doorway violations, and disorderly conduct led to arrests and the recovery of methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, ketamine, and drug paraphernalia.
Behavioral Health and Officer Assault Lincoln and Olympic Boulevard On-Ramp	During a camping-related contact, a subject kicked an officer and spat at responding personnel. The subject displayed signs of being under the influence and was later evaluated by the Department of Mental Health.

Community & Youth Engagement

Specialized services and personnel remained visible through animal care, public demonstrations, training, and workforce development. These activities supported community education, strengthened operational readiness, and reflected the range of services provided beyond traditional enforcement.

Incident Type	Description
Fatal Residential Fire Response 500 Block of Lincoln Boulevard	Officers supported the Santa Monica Fire Department during a residential fire by assisting with evacuations, traffic control, and scene security. Two residents were pronounced deceased during the incident.
K9 Demonstration and Recognition LACPCA Annual K9 Demonstration	The K9 Unit represented SMPD at the annual Los Angeles County Police Canine Association demonstration. Officer Bacarella and K9 Frenkie placed first in the fastest K9 competition.
Animal Care and Enforcement Citywide	Animal Control handled 63 dispatched calls, facilitated the adoption of three dogs and one cat, and reunited one dog and one cat with their owners. Animal Control also cited a vehicle owner after finding a dog unattended inside a parked vehicle without the vehicle’s pet climate-control mode activated. The dog was not injured.
Training and Workforce Development Departmentwide	Officers completed training on restraint devices, bomb threats, traffic-stop law, use of force, radio discipline, narcotics identification, and tactical decision-making. Three lateral officers completed their first week of field training, while three additional trainees continued in the final phases of the program.