Local 12 WEEKEND EDITION, MAY 3-4, 2008 A newspaper with issues Jail isn’t a fun place
PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY When the steel door slammed shut and I found myself locked in a cramped, windowless cell, my stress reflex kicked in and my heart started to pump a little faster than normal. My incarceration lasted only a minute or so, but it felt much longer than that as I paced back and forth and did some pushups.
Being locked up in Santa Monica Police Department’s jail was not an enjoyable experience and something I never want to happen again.
I can’t imagine what it must be like for those who are sentenced for years at a time. It truly is better to let someone serve life in prison than give them the death penalty. There’s something about being caged, freedom denied, that screws with the psyche. Perhaps it was claustrophobia, but as soon as they closed the door and threw away the key, I began to panic, albeit slightly since I knew I would be released. But what about those who have years to serve?
You can probably guess from the first few paragraphs that my latest session at the Citizen Police Academy focused on the department’s jail. Suzie Kim took us on a tour of the relatively new facility, showing us the “fish kits” handed out to new arrivals that included a small tube of generic tooth-paste, a toothbrush, a plastic comb and some soap. She also gave us a tour of the tiny kitchen where meals are prepared (yes, detainees are fed, and not just bread and water, but real food at a cost of $2.40 per meal, all nutritionally balanced and all provided at the expense of taxpayers).
We were also shown rooms where those locked up can talk with loved ones through a thick piece of glass by using a phone attached to the wall, one of the few things seen in moves that is actually true. As far as the “one phone call” bit, not true. You get to make three completed phone calls when you are being booked, and none have to include talking to a lawyer.
Looking at the booking process, Kim told the class that when someone is brought in following an arrest, they are searched once more, fingerprinted, photographed and their shoelaces are removed along with their belts and any other objects that could be used to do harm to one’s self.
But sometimes that’s not enough. We were shown photos of one man who broke out a lens in his eyeglasses, sharpened it, dug out a vein in his forearm and then sprayed blood all over the wall. It was disgusting.
Those who are suicidal are placed in a padded cell and are checked every 15 minutes, Kim said.
If you happen to be arrested, it might be good to be picked up by the SMPD given the state of their jail. It’s clean and rarely crowded, meaning you don’t have to share a cell (insert a joke about Bubba here).
Jailers are not permitted to place people with different levels of offenses in the same cell. Females and males are also separated. The jails are periodically inspected by various agencies to make sure that no one’s civilc rights are being violated.
To pass the time, suspects are allowed to read, and that’s pretty much it. Books are brought in by jail staff or are donated.
From the jail, we returned to the classroom where we met with Officers Josh Hall and Steve Wong of the Homeless Liaison Program, or HeLP Team, who are assigned to watch over the homeless population, arrest those who are breaking the law while encouraging others to seek help and get off the streets.
The program was created in 1991, showing that Santa Monica was once again ahead of other cities in terms of addressing homelessness. To hear Wong and Hall tell it, the program is needed now more than ever given the fact that the state’s jails are overcrowded and those arrested for offenses such as illegal camping or public intoxication are often released within hours of being sentenced. It can be frustrating for all involved.
So instead of a revolving door, it makes sense to try and get these folks into programs, the officers said. But that isn’t easy. Many are resistant.
“Sometimes it takes several arrests to get them in gear,” Hall said. “A lot of times it turns them around.”
The job is tough. These HeLP Team members have to deal with people who are abusive, sometimes violent and sometimes covered in feces. It’s not glamorous by any means, but they enjoy it nonetheless.
“When you are able to help someone off the streets, it’s rewarding,” Hall said. “That makes you feel good about what you do.”
Form homelessness to homework, we were treated to a tour of the Police Activities League on Olympic Boulevard and 14th Street, across from Tacos Por Favor, which is one of my favorite eateries (you must try the breakfast burrito with chorizo and cheese).
At PAL, kids attending Santa Monica schools can hang out after school and do their homework while upperclassmen from local high schools and colleges provide assistance. There is a kitchen that provides healthy snacks and a game room with pool tables, foosball, video games and a large TV with a VCR and DVD player.
Officer Natalie Dewberry and new PAL Director Eula Fritz and their dedicated volunteers seemed to provide the love and care these kids deserve. The children wore large smiles on their faces, obviously excited to see so many visitors. They ran around us, eager to show off their club house. Kids can play safely inside those walls and parents can rest assured that their children have a place they can go where they won’t be tempted by the negative forces that have unfortunately taken the lives of too many of our youngsters.
It’s a great program, one of many in the city for our youth.
I wish I could write more, but I’m up against deadline and I have to run to the police department so I can go on my ride along. Watch out criminals, Officer Herrera is on patrol.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 3, 2008. Read the original PDF.