After the shock announcement that private security firm Covered 6 had pulled out of the contract to patrol the 3rd Street Promenade, the Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (DTSM) board has voted to move ahead with a Request for Proposal (RFP) from other similar companies.
The decision essentially resets the process back to square one albeit with a tighter deadline for companies to bid on the contract following weeks of uncertainty.
Earlier this year, the City Council unanimously voted to approve a proposal from the DTSM Board to replace its existing community ambassador program with Covered 6 to provide extra security and community services within the downtown area.
The contract with Covered 6 had in fact been signed by all parties involved and were due to deploy in the first week of October before the company decided to backtrack and exercised an emergency escape clause.
As Eric Sedman, Chair, DTSM, put it, "I want everybody to be aware of the fact that we weren’t just one yard from the goal line, we’d made it to the endzone and now we’ve been called back for a technical."
An email was sent to Santa Monica City officials late on September 27 asking if Covered 6 was the right kind of company to work in Santa Monica. Within that email, claims were made that an individual named Bryce Eddy was or had been associated with Covered 6 in some way. The email did not say what role Eddy played in the company, but included links to a number of YouTube videos where he is named as affiliated with the company and pictures of him at their facility. Within 24 hours, Covered 6 made the decision to pull out and terminate the contract.
"I was disappointed by the email that came out that caused a problem here in Santa Monica, but I also have to say that the lack of tolerance for people who have different opinions with regard to social matters here in Santa Monica, is surprising to me," said Sedman, adding, "The fact that this is a community that’s supposed to have so much tolerance, but to attack somebody who has a different opinion, or is associated with somebody who has a different opinion, I think was completely wrong."
This meeting was the first time the board, gathered members of the public and the press had heard an official account of events from the DTSM Chair along with the chance to speak openly on the subject.
"At no time through the process of selection, or after selection, did I feel DTSM made a wrong decision, I still feel that it was the right decision to move forward with covered six," Sedman said, adding, "I spent a lot of time at their training facilities and understanding their philosophy about training. I think they’re a top notch organization."
"I’m particularly disappointed in anyone on this board that doesn’t open their mind to look at a vendor for what they can produce and offer our community and constituents and we will get something behind that as part of the selection process," Sedman said.
"It’s not our job, our job was to select the best vendor for the programs with this board wanting to move forward. The decision with regard to cover six withdrawing from the contract was their decision alone. It was not caused by any one event, it was an accumulation of several events.
"I have heard people talking about how it was either my fault or Andrew’s [Thomas, CEO] fault or somebody at the city staff level’s fault or even a council person’s fault or the Mayor’s or Mayor Pro Tempore’s. Nothing is further from the truth," Sedman said. "The fact is that under the deployment opportunities that were developed through the policies and procedures, and the contract negotiations with the city, Covered 6 made a business decision not to deploy it in Santa Monica."
Jeremy Ferguson, Operations Director for DTSM, said that RFPs had been sent out to 20 companies and the deadline for responses was October 25. It is hoped that a new private security company will be able to start within 30 days of officially being selected and Sedman that the proposal will not need to be brought up in front of Council again unless there are major revisions to the terms and conditions of a new contract.
Not every DTSM board member has jumped and down with joy in the past at the prospect of hiring an external security company to patrol the Promenade. However, concerns expressed in this meeting mostly revolved around the need to have at least two or three organizations present to the board, along with the reiteration of the need to hire a competent, capable company.
After some discussion, the board voted unanimously to move ahead with a motion for a process of identifying a minimum of two companies to bring before the board based on staffing draft recommendation. The board will then have an opportunity to conduct any additional research and background checks before a presentation from each will be given.
"Our selection process for choosing a private security company is guided by a commitment to compassion and a strong sense of support for our local community, including those who are unhoused and the dedicated members of our police department," Ferguson told the Daily Press, adding, "We believe in fostering a safe environment for all and our selection process reflects our dedication to this process."
