Santa Monica Police Department Seeks a Few Good Men and Women to Become Officers

Like other urban departments, the SMPD could use more qualified applicants. Last Tuesday's NNO included police recruiting. A couple of booths distributed information and answered questions from those who might want to join the 222 officers of the Santa Monica Police Dept.

"We are hiring entry levels and laterals," said SMPD background investigator Pardo. "Starting salary range is $85,000 to $135,000. If you'd like to become an officer, there are 4 easy steps: A written test, physical test, background and interview. Follow us @joinsmpd." She said.

"We're looking for qualified individuals that have the passion to join law enforcement. Even if they come from a different background, like a teacher or a parent

Is police work dangerous? "Come to a ride along with us," said Lt. Gilmore, who presides over personnel and training for SMPD. "Despite some of the dangers of police work, what you hear about on TV that's not an every day occurrence. This department invests heavily in your training, in your psychological support

We offer great pay, great training, and a world class environment for policing," Gilmore said.

From Wikipedia: The department was founded in May 1897. At the beginning of the twentieth century, public drunkenness was initially a major focus for the department. As the city of Santa Monica grew, a detective bureau was implemented, as well as a call box system that allowed for officers to be alerted faster. Illegal gambling operations in the city also were an issue during the Great Depression.

The police department operates a jail, which has a maximum capacity of 112 people, but is only allowed to confine each person for 48 hours at most. The Serial Inebriate Outreach Program tries to persuade people currently in the jail for drunkenness to seek treatment for alcoholism; the program has had a 25% success rate as of 2006.

In 2013, the department was criticized for paying 28 of its staff more than 200,000 dollars per year. Police Chief Seabrooks claimed that high salaries were partially due to overtime paid by private events employing the officers. The department's total budget that year was 77 million dollars.

The police department has played a role in the city's efforts to reduce homelessness. As part of the Homeless Liaison Program, the department assigns a group of officers to coordinate with other agencies to provide housing to the homeless, instead of perpetuating an arrest-and-release cycle. From 2007 to 2009, the program reduced homelessness levels by 8%.