The city of Santa Monica and Santa Monica Place formally announced the upcoming opening of a new police substation in the heart of the downtown retail district last week — a cornerstone investment in the city's newly adopted realignment plan that prioritizes public safety and downtown revitalization.
The 863-square-foot facility on the ground level of Santa Monica Place will serve as both a public safety command center and community engagement hub, allowing officers to respond quickly to incidents and coordinate operations in one of the city's busiest commercial corridors. The substation, located along the Broadway corridor, represents a collaborative effort between the city and property management team Prism Places.
"This is about restoring confidence, safety, and vibrancy to our downtown," City Manager Oliver Chi said. "The new substation — paired with enhanced police deployments — represents the kind of visible, meaningful action we're taking to make Santa Monica a place where residents, businesses, and visitors once again feel safe and proud to be."
The substation is expected to open later this fall, with full deployment of a new patrol model phased in through early 2026.
Acting Police Chief Darrick Jacob called the facility a tangible result of the city's realignment work. "This is about partnership, presence, and prevention," he said.
Expanded Downtown Patrols
As part of the realignment plan, which the City Council approved unanimously in October, the city will roll out a revised and expanded police deployment strategy in the downtown area. The plan concentrates resources on an area that accounts for 36% of crime calls and 50% of homeless-related calls citywide, according to Chi.
The Downtown Services Unit will double its sworn personnel to a base staffing level of eight to 10 officers per day dedicated to foot and bike patrols throughout the Promenade, Transit Mall, Pier and surrounding areas. Through a realigned patrol schedule, the Santa Monica Police Department will add three to five additional officers per day assigned to the downtown corridor.
Two dedicated Homeless Liaison Program officers will now be assigned to the downtown area to enhance coordination with outreach teams and strengthen service connections for unhoused individuals. The city is also adding eight new Public Safety Officers to supplement sworn operations by providing non-emergency response, visible presence and direct support for both law enforcement and business assistance needs.
The substation will serve as a coordination point for the police department's collaboration with Metro, the city's Clean & Safe Ambassadors and private security teams across the downtown network. The space will also function as a community outreach hub, hosting safety briefings, business walks and events.
The realignment plan, developed by Chi after he was hired as city manager in late 2025, is framed as a multiyear investment of roughly $60 million from reserves to restore safety and vitality.
Business and Resident Concerns
The enhanced safety measures come amid years-long frustration from downtown businesses and residents about crime and visible disorder in the area. Despite the area including the Third Street Promenade, Palisades Park and Santa Monica Pier acting as a major tourist and retail hub, it was looted during a riot in 2020. Since then, merchants and visitors have reported shoplifting, bike thefts and aggressive homelessness.
In past public meetings, retailers have called homelessness and petty crime an ongoing crisis in the downtown core, with business owners accusing the city and police of doing too little to tackle encampments, public defecation and panhandling. In 2024, nearly 70% of all arrests involved people who were unhoused, and the department handled roughly 24,000 homeless-related calls, representing 19% of its total.
Hope for a turnaround
The new substation comes as officials push to revitalize the Promenade in specific. The city opened an Entertainment Zone downtown this year that allows alcohol purchased from Promenade restaurants to be taken outside. Initial results have been encouraging prompting officials to consider expanding the zone. Recent special events have also drawn praise, most recently a series of popular watching parties for the World Series.
"The new substation marks a vital step for Santa Monica Place and its return as a thriving retail destination," said Stenn Parton, founder and CEO of Prism Places.
An official opening date and additional details will be shared in the coming weeks as the city and police department prepare to make the substation fully operational and accessible to the community.