> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # New approach to policing - URL: https://www.smdp.com/new-approach-to-policing/ - Published: 2008-01-25T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T23:08:16.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Community, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homeless *New police beats to begin Sunday* PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY This Sunday, there will be a new sheriff in town. There will be eight to be exact. While they’re actually neither technically sheriffs nor new to the city, the Santa Monica Police Department is scheduled to unleash its new Andy Griffith approach to community policing on Sunday morning when the new patrol plan takes effect. The plan includes a series of changes including the realignment of current beat boundaries for the first time in more than 50 years and a Neighborhood Resources Officer (NRO) assigned to each beat, serving a sheriff-like role in each of the eight beats, or “small towns,” according to Lt. Clinton Muir, the program manager. The NROs will serve as the point person in the beat, the connection between the residents and the police department, establishing relationships with businesses and residents in the neighborhood. The point of the program is to put a familiar face in the community, fostering trust between the residents and the police department, Muir said. “We pride ourselves on having a strong bond with the community and we want to bring that to the next level,” the lieutenant said on Thursday. “We want to make sure the community has a face to a name.” Each NRO will serve in that capacity for a period of several years while their second in commands, the patrol officers, will be assigned to the beat for about six months, a stay that could be Melody Hanatani NEW BEAT TO PATROL: The SMPD unveiled its new community policing plan at the Public Safety Facility on Thursday. extended. Under the current system, officers could be assigned to any of the eight beats on any given day, which results in residents seeing different faces every time they call the police department. “By having a constant contact for the beat, it helps build that trust,” Muir said. Of the 65 patrol officers, about one-third applied for the eight NRO positions. The officers were selected based on their experience in the particular patrol area. One of those officers is Jeffrey Glaser, who in patrolling downtown Santa Monica was assigned to the business district as a resource officer. Continuing in downtown as an NRO seemed like a natural fit, already being familiar with the business owners, the few residents, and the homeless in downtown, Glaser said. Whenever he gets a call about a conflict with a homeless person, Glaser said he is usually able to conjure an image of the perpetrator just from a brief description provided. It’s an area that presents a unique set of challenges apart from the other beats in the city — largely being a business district, the majority of crimes tend to relate to the homeless or petty theft, Glaser said. Familiarity was a reason why Officer Francisco Franco signed up for the Pico Neighborhood beat, an area he has patrolled for the past three years along with colleague, Officer Roberto Lucio, who is assigned to eastern Santa Monica, part of which includes Pico. The Pico Neighborhood is unique from the other beats in Santa Monica in that many of the families have lived there for generations and have deep ties to the community, the officers said. “They want that hometown feeling,” Franco said. The realignment results in the creation of the beach and the bluffs being one contiguous beat, from the northern to the southern borders of the city. Officer Brent Crafton, a five-year veteran of the department, has been working on the Santa Monica Pier and adjoining areas the past few years, an area whose challenges are considered to be seasonal with the waves of tourism. Issues there include illegal vending, gang activity at the late night hours and theft. The progress of the NRO will be evaluated every month by Muir. The program includes a renovated SMPD Web site that includes the photos and contact information for each NRO, helping to make each officer accessible to their assigned community. Aside from acting as a liaison to the police department, helping with duties such as coordinating Neighborhood Watch programs, the officers will also be a representative of city government, listening to residents’ concerns on everything from traffic to a malfunctioned street light, Muir said. “They are the small-town sheriff,”he said. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 25, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/012508.pdf?ref=smdp.com)