The newly hired private security company patrolling Downtown Santa Monica reported more than 3,000 interactions during its first month on patrol and while local businesses say the systemic problems persist, some say they’ve seen signs of improvement recently.
During the first meeting of the Downtown Santa Monica Inc., (DTSM) Board of Directors for 2024, security company Legion Corporation, presented a report on its first month of operations.
“Legion has completed our first full month of partnering with DTSM and we continue to be approached daily by our local business employees and local and out-of-town visitors who express how pleased they are with our presence,” said Joseph Shelley, Founder and CEO of Legion Corporation. “Daily, we encounter individuals whose behavior detracts from the welcoming, safe and pleasant experience DTSM wants to be known for,” he added.
“We have also had multiple conversations with members of Santa Monica’s cleaning and maintenance teams, as well as Block by Block, who have praised our team’s work and the positive impact that their work has had. This includes the fact that they are noticing less trash on the streets, which they believed was due to our constant interaction and approach to safety,” Shelley said.
The Daily Press recently spoke to business owners in the downtown area and many were still upset and annoyed by the ongoing homelessness crisis.
“We had another window smashed a month ago,” said Dympna Madeley, Manager of Ye Olde King’s Head and the adjacent British-themed gift shop. “They stole one of the iPads that we use for DoorDash and it’s all on camera. The woman spent ages trying to climb in through the window. And then someone smashed two windows in the middle of the day. She just threw something through the window and of course we have to pay to get it fixed.”
However, there was a general consensus that while the situation remains largely unresolved, the Promenade and nearby retail area does in fact feel both cleaner and safer.
“I think it’s getting a little bit better than last year, just because there’s more police presence, they hired a private security company and they’re enforcing more city ordinances,” Luis Vega, General Manager of Blue Plate Taco told the Daily Press.
According to Shelley, his team has had over 3,000 engagements during this one month period and he was keen to make clear that this first round of data is actually incomplete since not every member of his team was using the tracking management software from the first day of the first week. Within this period though, there were — among many additional incidents — six arrests, 11 burglaries, 20 assaults and 63 reports of indecent exposure.
Shelley also stressed that out of the shockingly high 537 mentally disturbed engagements — approximately 17 each day — very few actually resulted in arrests or detention of any kind.
“If we were engaged and there was an outcome [that’s recorded in the tracking software] sometimes we’ll call the ambulance, sometimes they’ll get up and they’ll walk away,” Shelley said, adding, “Sometimes it’s just an engagement and we might ask ‘Hey, are you okay? Is everything okay? Is there something we can do for you? Can we get in an ambulance or something?’”
He also pointed out that many engagements were with repeat individuals. “Sandra, for example, we have incidents with her and probably engage with her 30 or 40 times in a month,” Shelley said, adding that there was even an incident when he himself was attacked and that perpetrator was later charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Since his team is very much on the front line, they are vulnerable to all sorts of unpleasantness and have had to deal with attempted assaults themselves.
Barry Snell, Vice Chair of DTSM, asked about whether the recent roll out of the Therapeutic Transportation teams was, or would have an effect.
“It is available, but it can only be requested by the police or fire departments. We’re in constant communication with them, but they determine when it’s needed,” Shelley said, adding that was an element that he was hoping to be able to utilize more, especially when it was up to full operational capability.
Interestingly, Shelley said that so far, the majority of substance abuse problems are alcohol and not, as one might suspect, something far more illicit and potentially lethal. Another specific incident mentioned was that of the street performer who actually holds a permit, but frequently performs…er, au naturel.
“I think one of the primary things that we deal with, coming from a law enforcement perspective, is that you can’t make them do anything. So once they get a certain criteria, they don’t want to get treatment, there’s no real way to make them have treatment. A lot of individuals, they don’t want treatment, they want to go back,” Shelley said, adding that there was very much a “revolving door” situation. He also added that when last he checked, Sandra was in fact accepting help.
“I have been impressed with how our security service is performing Downtown. We have gotten positive feedback about their effectiveness. I know of at least two businesses canceling their private security service because of the changes they have seen on the street. I anticipate more businesses following this lead,” Andrew Thomas, DTSM CEO, told the Daily Press.
“Our team has responded to hundreds of calls in a short period. We are working to follow up with the businesses calling us so we can incorporate their feedback into the evolution of our program. Still, based on the number of calls and the reports I have seen, I believe the program is proving beneficial and to be a good investment of our resources,” Thomas said.
Jeremy Ferguson, Operations & Placemaking Director for DTSM, presented new flyers that will be distributed to businesses all around the Downtown district and Third Street Promenade that provide all necessary contact details for anyone to call should they need to report anti-social behavior, aggressive panhandling, shoplifting or suspicious activity.
Legion began its official rollout on Dec. 1. Legion was awarded the contract after the abrupt departure of Covered 6 only a matter of hours after their contract had been signed at the end of September. Consequently, DTSM voted to move ahead with a search for a replacement. This unavoidable action essentially reset the process back to square one albeit with a significantly tighter deadline for companies to bid on the contract following weeks of uncertainty.