The city of Santa Monica may only be eight miles square, but it offers one of the most reliable and robust emergency services platforms in the region, including both the fire and police departments together with the supporting infrastructure that makes both of those so effective.
Part of that infrastructure is the Office of Emergency Management, which administers the implementation of disaster planning, training and proactive community-based preparedness programs to ensure that the City of Santa Monica is a resilient community. And while there aren’t a great many tsunamis or earthquakes, thankfully, the benefit of preparedness cannot possibly be overstated.
SMAlerts is the City of Santa Monica’s mass notification platform. The system is designed to provide residents, businesses and visitors notifications about incidents that pose imminent, unmitigated threats to public safety that require the public to take an immediate action or are a severe burden on the surrounding area. SMAlerts are typically distributed during incidents that result in extended closures of major local roads, severe weather alerts, or require evacuation or shelter-in-place actions.
SMAlerts are primarily sent to residents who enroll in the system via santamonica.gov/alerts. The City of Santa Monica also has the capability to distribute emergency information to individuals who do not opt into receiving SMAlerts, via Wireless Emergency Alerts or E911 databases, but this type of messaging is only done in severe life safety emergencies and disaster events.
And almost always, the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) will send a SMAlert regarding any serious or semi-serious events currently unfolding in the city. However, for what is rapidly turning into one of the most talked about — and heinous — crimes in the last few years, there was no alert and that itself has left many residents wondering why.
Kayla Denise Mackey, 27, is accused of killing William Edwards III last week on the 2600 block of 29th Street, just off Ocean Park Blvd. Details of the crime remain scant but Mackey is due in court today (The Sheriff’s database and online background checks identify her as Kayla Delise Mackie).
The Daily Press reached out to the SMPD and received this response from Lieutenant Erika Aklufi from the Office of the Chief of Police. “The Santa Monica Police Department is proud of our officers’ exceptional response to last week’s homicide, particularly the solid investigative work that led to the capture of the suspect within a day. As the incident was still unfolding, we prioritized social media as a means of getting verified information to our community. In retrospect, we regret that with the resources we had in place we did not initiate an SM Alert. This was simply an oversight that was addressed the same day.”
The two-block strip of Ocean Park Blvd between 28th Street and 30th Street is a bustling focal point of an already beloved neighborhood. Within this small stretch of Sunset Park are a number of extremely popular restaurants and cafes along with other businesses that are essential to everyday existence.
On Thursday morning however, this serene suburb was shaken when a 46-year-old resident of Los Angeles was shot in broad daylight and found still sat in his vehicle outside of The Counter burger restaurant on the corner of Ocean Park Blvd. and 29th Street.
“We didn’t see it [the shooting] because we were inside working, so just the sound, we heard gun sound [sic] and we closed [after the police arrived]. It happened around 10 in the morning, but they didn’t clear up until 4pm. This area is a very safe place and we have been here for over 10 years, but first time like this, I’m very scared,” said Sarah Suh of Executive Cleaners at 2901 Ocean Park Blvd.
“We do have a lot of elementary schools, middle schools, but also the college around so we worry about them. And then at the end of the day, if it was just random that sucks, but if there was a personal thing that’s even worse, for whatever reason, I mean, no one should lose their lives like that,” Jesse Flores, supervisor of the Starbucks at Ocean Park Courtyard.
“There’s not a lot of violence in this area, it’s a very quiet community, so to hear that is pretty bad,” she said. “The investigators been asking us if we know anything, but we don’t know ourselves So it really sucks, but at the same time and it’s probably just rumors and everything, but supposedly they were in here and I’m like that’s weird because we would have been more precautious about everything, but it’s more about the little society here, the little community here and that everyone keeps in touch.”
Anyone with information related to this individual or incident to contact Detective Burciaga or Detective Sergeant Gradle or the Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310-458-8427.
scott.snowden@smdp.com
