Cops defend loud noises not normally heard in these parts
CITYWIDE That loud noise buzzing overhead on the weekends isn’t coming from a bird or a plane.
Santa Monica residents say they are annoyed by the blaring sound of Santa Monica Police Department helicopters flying in the sky, the noise filling their homes and making it hard to hear primetime television shows.
“We do get some complaints from our neighbors, especially since our community is not used to it,” Lt. Alex Padilla, spokesman for the Santa Monica Police Department said last week. “When we do have a helicopter flying overhead and it has to come down lower, people are alert to that because they’re not used to hearing the helicopter.”
In parts of Los Angeles where the sounds of the helicopter is as common as the birds chirping, residents don’t even notice, Padilla said.
The SMPD does not own the helicopter and leases it for three to four days at a time. The helicopter is stored at the Santa Monica Airport when it’s not in use. In emergencies — such as when 22-year-old Miguel Martin was shot and killed on Pico Boulevard in December — the department borrows a helicopter through a mutual assistance agreement with the Los Angeles Police Department or LA County Sheriff’s Department.
The presence of the helicopter seems to always spark interest from the general public.
“When the helicopters are up, people want to know what’s happening,” Padilla said. “They just want to make sure they’re safe and if there is anything going on, people like to know.”
The helicopter is occasionally used to augment policing and has been used in the Pico Neighborhood recently. The helicopter also comes in handy to survey the entire city during calls regarding stolen vehicles and robberies.
Long-time Ocean Park resident David Feldman said he usually hears the helicopters coming from the Venice/West LA region during the middle of the week in the evening. Whenever he calls the police department to inquire about the reason for the helicopter flying overhead, he is usually met with a general response, Feldman said.
There are better alternatives to patrolling the streets for crime other than the use of a chopper, Feldman believes. For example, residents could form neighborhood watch groups to keep a look out for crime.
In the past five years, Feldman and his wife has seen crime increase in their neighborhood. He recalls an incident when they heard a woman screaming late at night and saw that she was fighting off a man just a few yards away.
“A good neighborhood watch organization is the key,” Feldman said. “The problem is coming together, which is hard because we’re all very individualistic.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 26, 2007. Read the original PDF.