POA Vacancies
Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Vacancies
• In nearly 24 years, SMPD has been fully staffed once and only for a period of a few months.
Reasons:
Unrealistic funding - forcing management to hold back on filling officer ranks to use salary savings when & where needed.
Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Vacancies
With a crime rate of 56 per one thousand
residents, Santa Monica has one of the
highest crime rates in America compared
to all communities of all sizes - from the
smallest towns to the very largest cities.
One's chance of becoming a victim of
either violent or property crime here is one
in 18. Within California, more than 98% of
the communities have a lower crime rate
than Santa Monica.
Santa Monica has both a higher general
crime rate & violent crime rate than
Inglewood, CA.
Reflects 2023 calendar year; released from FBI in October 2024 (latest available). https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ca/santa-monica/crime#description Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Vacancies
• The Police Department is funded for 232 Officers.
• SMPOA currently has 214 members- 7 of those members are in the training process and are not ready to operate in the field independently.
• SMPD has hired 9 other people to be officers who are not yet SMPOA members- in the academy or soon to be in the academy.
Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Vacancies
• It takes 12-24 months to hire and train an officer to operate in the field independently.
• The cost to hire a brand-new officer until they can be deployed is over $150K.
• Hiring and training Police Officer positions is fundamentally different from hiring other employees due to the extensive vetting and training requirements.
Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Vacancies
Personnel eligible for retirement By the time the Olympics arrive 26% of all current POA members will be retirement eligible- 55 Employees.
118 POA members holding the rank of Police Officer
have 9 years of service or less- These are the officers susceptible to being recruited away by other police
departments- Over 55% of all POA members fit this
category.
Due to changes in the retirement system and potential
changes to other pay and benefits, this is a real threat.
Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Vacancies
• In June alone, there are over 300 + uniform overtime shifts to be filled.
• SMPD is understaffed; the stress felt by any vacancy is real. • SMPD currently has a 4% (+/-) vacancy rate but historically operates with a vacancy rate significantly higher.
Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Vacancies
• California’s police staffing levels are at a 30-year low. • Departments are struggling to recruit and retain qualified staff, straining our existing workforce.
• Staffing shortages are increasing emergency response times in California.
https://porac.org/wp-content/uploads/2024-PORAC-Police-Staffing-Brief-Press-Release.pdf Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Vacancies
• Recent research using data compiled by the California Department of Justice is clear and the benefits of investing in policing are proven– each additional sworn officer hired directly correlates to both fewer violent crimes and fewer property crimes per year, primarily through deterrence.
https://porac.org/wp-content/uploads/2024-PORAC-Police-Staffing-Brief-Press-Release.pdf Item 12-A
May 27, 2025
Item 12-A
May 27, 2025