While the status of private security in Downtown Santa Monica remains in limbo following the surprising collapse of a deal with Covered 6 security, a separate contract for private security along the Santa Monica Pier was put out to bid this week.
The City of Santa Monica sent out a Request for Proposal (RFP) on October 11 inviting qualified companies to compete for a contract of up to five years for private security on the Pier.
The initial term is for one year with four possible renewals.
Private security guards have been working on the Pier since 2021. In October of that year, Allied Security was hired through an existing contract for what was intended to be a short-term deployment due to emergency safety issues on the Pier.
While Allied took the job temporarily, the scope of work was not in keeping with their company and they were replaced by CA Panther in January of 2022. That contract was extended to provide enough time for the City to begin the formal process of hiring a company for the long term contract and will expire on December 31 of this year.
City Hall is currently seeking eight unarmed security officers and one supervisor to work one twelve-hour shift to secure and monitor points of entry onto the Santa Monica Pier
“Unarmed security officers will work in cooperation with Code Enforcement Officers and the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) by monitoring ingress points to prevent sidewalk vendors from gaining entry onto the Pier and reporting any other unusual activity on the Pier,” says the RFP.
Unlicensed street vendors became a problem on and near the Pier following the pandemic reopening of the area and the city has worked to keep unlicensed vendors from setting up on the Pier’s wooden deck.
Lt. Erika Aklufi of the SMPD said the guards have done more than just prevent vendor access by reporting suspicious activity to SMPD and being a visible reminder to visitors that the Pier has a security presence.
“They are eyes and ears and help deter all kinds of undesired activity,” she said. “It’s been extremely useful for us.”
The City’s bid for private security comes as Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (DTSM) struggles to fulfill a similar contract.
Earlier this year, Covered 6 was chosen to replace the current ambassador program following concerns about homelessness and crime in the downtown area.
The private security company has worked on security projects all over the world and has its own training facility in Moorpark, just north of Thousand Oaks. It employs many ex-law enforcement officers and former members of the armed services. Moreover, it has also already operated in the city of Beverly Hills for some time.
However, the company withdrew from the contract after concerns were raised over an individual who is or was affiliated with the Covered 6.
An email was sent to local officials stating an individual named Bryce Eddy is associated with Covered 6 in some way. The email did not say what role Eddy plays in the company, but included links to multiple YouTube videos where Eddy is named as affiliated with the company and accused him of being homophobic.
In response, DTSM asked Covered 6 to state in writing that Eddy had no affiliation with the company and to state their commitment to a “diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.”
Instead the company withdrew from the $1.7M contract.
DTSM will meet this week to begin discussions on resolving their situation and the City’s contract for Pier security is currently open for bidders.