> ## 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. # SMPD changes response to domestic violence - URL: https://www.smdp.com/smpd-changes-response-to-domestic-violence/ - Published: 2002-01-21T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-22T23:58:23.000Z - Author: Andrew Fixmer - Tags: Crime, Venice, #archive-import *Police department will start using city-funded program* A publicly-funded social services program fell through the cracks of City Hall bureaucracy the past few years, resulting in a waste of taxpayer money and leaving domestic violence victims without a place to turn. Commanding officers at Santa Monica Police Department knew of the program but failed to advertise its existence to cops working in the field. Even though the city gives annually about $50,000 to “On Call Emergency Advocate Network,” also known as OCEAN, the Santa Monica-based organization has never become part of the police department’s procedures when dealing with domestic violence victims. It just wasn’t a priority for law enforcement officials. Embraced in neighboring Venice Beach, OCEAN is contacted after police respond to a domestic violence call. The program is designed to offer resources to domestic violence victims. The organization gives free legal advice, lock changes, baby-sitting, medical care assistance and counseling. When officials on the city’s Commission on the Status of Women realized last year that the police department wasn’t using the service, they wanted an explanation. At their December meeting, they wondered why battered women in Venice Beach are so different from battered women in Santa Monica. They also wanted to know why the service, used widely just blocks away, is so neglected at home. “Essentially, we were paying for something they weren’t using,” said Kelley Hayes-Raitt, a commission member who recently led the investigation into the police department. “But we also wanted to make sure battered women had access to all the resources available to them.” An internal review was launched this month by the police department into how it trains its officers for domestic violence situations, what information is contained in the reports officers file, and an overall look at the department’s protocols on domestic violence. “We want to continually improve our service to the community,” said SMPD Capt. Phil Sanchez, who acted as an intermediary between the commission and Santa Monica Police Chief James T. Butts Jr. “I listened to their concerns, looked at what we were doing and filed a report with my recommendations to the chief.” The plan proposed by Sanchez and enacted by Chief Butts is a three-prong approach on changing how officers respond to domestic violence. First, the entire department has to undergo annual training by OCEAN officials and commanding officers will get specialized training. Police reports now must include why officers did or did not choose to call OCEAN. OCEAN places advocates at the UCLA emergency room, connects them with the Santa Monica attorney’s office and provides a 24-hour hotline for police and emergency workers. “Our program encompasses an entire response model — as far as we know nobody else is doing our model anywhere in the world,” said Pat Butler, director of OCEAN. “We’re not here to tell you what to do, but what we’re going to do is tell you what services are available and help you get to them any way possible.” At the Pacific division of the Los Angeles Police Department, which covers Venice Beach and the surrounding shore communities, detectives have long been using OCEAN to help domestic violence victims. Because detectives in that division often have large case loads, many cannot afford the time to hold a victim’s hand through the process of getting a restraining order or answering questions about public assistance programs. But they can refer victims to OCEAN which gives each victim a personal counselor to talk through the stages of leaving the abusive relationship. “OCEAN allows law enforcement to concentrate on the criminal aspects without getting involved in social service,” said LAPD Det. Sue Willis, who has worked with OCEAN for three years. “We have a very trusting relationship, which is not too common in law enforcement to have with an outside agency.” > “OCEAN allows law enforcement to concentrate on the criminal aspects without getting involved in social service.” — — SUE WILLIS LAPD detective Willis said the Santa Monica Police Department has nothing to lose by cooperating with OCEAN officials. “If they begin to use them, I’m sure they will see the benefits quickly,” she said. “They bridge police jargon with what a civilian can understand. They are able to really fill an important void in how law enforcement handles domestic violence.” The Santa Monica Police Department brought in OCEAN officials to brief each shift at the roll call meeting, where senior officers brief the officers before going on duty. The question and answer session proved very popular and OCEAN already has been asked back for an encore. “The chief wants to change the educational curve,” said Capt. Sanchez. “We want to show officers this is a good resource for us and the victim.” The LAPD Pacific division responds to many more calls for domestic violence than Santa Monica, giving local officers more flexibility in helping victims and providing a more personalized approach to each domestic violence case. Last year the Pacific division responded to 740 domestic violence calls in Venice Beach and 540 in West LA. Santa Monica police responded to 317 in 2000 and 236 in 2001. “The chief wasn’t interested in using OCEAN because the LAPD were using them; he wanted to use their service because they are an additional resource,” said Sanchez. > “The chief wasn’t interested in using OCEAN because the LAPD were using them; he wanted to use their service because they are an additional resource.” — — CAPT. PHIL SANCHEZ Santa Monica Police Department However, members on the Commission of the Status of Women want to review the domestic violence calls for January at next month’s meeting. Then they will know for sure if the changes are working and OCEAN is being brought in to help. “All the new training and institutional changes the department is making are very gratifying,” said Hayes-Raitt. “But the real test will be at the end of the month when we have new figures.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 21, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/012102.pdf?ref=smdp.com)