Cop kiosk is relocating to Second Street
By the beginning of the year, the police will no longer be stationed on the Third Street Promenade.
The police kiosk that for years has been located in the middle of the Promenade just south of Santa Monica Boulevard is moving to a new location on Second Street.
In its place will be a panini cafe owned by West Hooker, the restaurateur who runs Locanda del Lago, an upper-end Italian restaurant on the Promenade.
Mayor Richard Bloom said the move is in line with the long-term goal of boosting restaurant growth, and specifically outdoor tables, along the Promenade.
While some have questioned whether it’s wise to move the fixed police presence off the popular pedestrian thoroughfare, Bloom said visitors won’t notice any change.
“There is still going to be a high level of visibility,” Bloom said. “Virtually every time I see an officer on the Promenade they’re on patrol. And I think that’s the way it ought to be... having somebody sitting at a desk is not really particularly meaningful, other than the public to have access, and there’s just as much access from the parking structure.”
“Virtually every time I see an officer on the Promenade they’re on patrol. And I think that’s the way it ought to be.” — — MAYOR RICHARD BLOOM
Santa Monica Police Department Lt. Frank Fabrega said the police will begin moving into a ground-level storefront in the parking structure at 1433 Second Street next week. The Promenade kiosk will remain open through the holidays.
Under the new arrangement, the panini shop will take over the police kiosk as well as half of the space currently used by its neighbor, clothes-retailer Mudra. Mudra will keep about 250 square feet and the restaurant will use another 500 square feet, said Kathleen Rawson, executive director of the Bayside District Corp., the nonprofit that manages downtown.
“Most of the questions those police get are, ‘Where are the ATMs’ and ‘What do you recommend for an Italian restaurant?’” she said. “And for those type of questions we’re working with the Santa Monica Visitors and Convention Bureau.”
Rawson added that though discussions have only just begun, she’s hopeful the visitor bureau will be present in the area so a worker can answer visitors’ questions.
A team of community service and police officers are dedicated to patrolling the Promenade. They are supervised by SMPD Sgt. Ira Rutan. Those officers won’t reduce their patrols as a result of the move.
The new SMPD’s new location is bigger and will provide extra office space and room for people to be interviewed by police in private, Fabrega said. The current kiosk is too small for either of those uses and officers use an additional, cramped space in a downtown parking structure to fill out their reports.
“We’ll have the visibility, though the actual kiosk will be gone,” he said. “That can be remedied with proper signage. I think it’s all positive for us moving. We believe that we will be able to provide a higher level of services to that area.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 8, 2003. Read the original PDF.