‘Tis the season in Santa Monica, as the calendar flip to December has residents running out for holiday purchases and putting up their festive displays. Having fun during the holidays is a time-honored city tradition, but one that cannot be accomplished without keeping a keen eye on safe practices.
Safety in Santa Monica begins before getting back to the house, as retail purchases have been hampered throughout 2023 due a rise in retail theft and robbery rates in California. According to a Public Policy Institute of California report from September, there have been significant jumps in commercial burglaries in Southern Coastal California, with Los Angeles County having the highest commercial robbery rate in 2022.
A commercial burglary incident occurs when an individual intends to steal merchandise from a store worth more than $950, and district attorneys have the discretion to charge the crime as either a misdemeanor or felony. In 2022, Los Angeles County had the highest commercial robbery rate, with 60 incidents per 100,000 residents. To fight this criminal trend, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced in November that California Highway Patrol (CHP) is increasing statewide efforts to combat organized retail crime for the annual holiday shopping season. As part of Newsom’s Real Public Safety Plan, CHP is increasing law enforcement presence in key retail districts across the state, and the state’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force is also increasing enforcement efforts with allied agencies through the holidays.
“When criminals run out of stores with stolen goods, they need to be arrested and escorted directly into jail cells,” Newsom said. “Leveraging hundreds of millions of dollars in law enforcement investments, the California Highway Patrol — working with allied agencies — is increasing enforcement efforts and conducting and supporting covert and confidential takedowns to stop these criminals in their tracks during the holiday season, and year-round.”
Locally, the Santa Monica Police Department Community Affairs Unit offered shopping safety tips for community members and visitors, with the main retail messaging being “take it, lock it, keep it.” SMPD tips for shopping include:
• Stay alert and be aware of what’s going on around you
• Park in well-lighted areas
• Lock your car doors and windows
• Place shopping bags and gifts in the trunk
• Activate your car alarm system
• Avoid carrying large amounts of cash
• Carry purses close to the body, not dangling by the straps
• Put a wallet in an inside coat or front pants pocket
• Teach children to go to a store clerk or security guard if you are separated
Each year, online shopping has become more prominent, and as such packages delivered to doorsteps have also become a target for theft. The top tip for package delivery from SMPD is to “have packages delivered to where you are, not where you aren’t,” such as getting items delivered to your place of business instead of a home address if you work throughout the day. Other advice includes setting up alternative delivery and pickup options through local delivery services, discouraging thieves from targeting your residence with strategic home security devices, and keeping an eye out for suspicious vehicles and behaviors in your neighborhood.
Safe practices can also be applied in the homestead, particularly when it comes to fire hazards. The Santa Monica Fire Department and National Fire Protection Association put together a fire safety protocol list for those wanting to decorate their abodes for the holidays, including:
• Choose decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant
• Keep lit candles away from decorations and other things that can burn
• Remember which lights are only for indoor use and which ones are only for outdoor use
• Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections, and read manufacturer’s instructions for number of light strands to connect
• Use clips, not nails, to hang lights so cords do not get damaged
• Keep decorations away from windows and doors
The fire department also provided notes for entertaining guests during the season, starting with testing smoke alarms and telling others about your home fire escape plan. The department also suggests:
• Keeping children and pets away from lit candles
• Keeping matches and lighters up high in a locked cabinet
• Staying in the kitchen when cooking on the stovetop
• Asking smokers to smoke outside and reminding them to keep smoking materials with them so young children don't touch them
• Providing large, deep ashtrays for smokers and wetting cigarette butts with water before discarding
• Blowing out lit candles when you leave the room or go to bed
• Turning off all light strings and decorations before leaving home or going to bed, as more than one-third of home decoration fires are started by candles.
thomas@smdp.com
