Chief eyes more accountability for SMPD
PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY — Of all the city officials and community members new Santa Monica Police Chief Tim Jackman has met during his first week on the job, it was the mother of slain Santa Monica High School student Eddie Lopez who seemed to touch the 23-year-veteran of law enforcement the most.
“While I was only on the job for a few days,it was important for me to go out and talk to her and tell her that we are committed to finding the people who murdered Eddie, and to let her know that we will do anything we can for her to make things better,” Jackman said during an interview Thursday. “More than anything, I just wanted to reassure her that this police department is looking out for (the Pico Neighborhood),for her and her family,and we will continue to do so far as long as I am here.”
It has been a hectic and emotional week for the new chief, who assumed control over the SMPD on Monday after serving with the Long Beach Police Department as deputy chief in charge of the investigations bureau.
Jackman, 47, a former Marine, has spent much of the last week meeting with his support staff, city officials and community members as part of his orientation. He has already met with the City Manager’s Office to discuss efforts to address homelessness. He has also had discussions with his detectives, Santa Monica Fire Chief Jim Hone and members of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce.
On Thursday,Jackman spent time with fire-fighters, children at Grant Elementary School and volunteers at the Police Activities League.
However, it was the meeting with Arminda Lopez that seemed to set the tone for Jackman’s tenure.
“I am going to be a big advocate for that community,” said the chief, alluding to the Pico Neighborhood, which has been the target of gang violence in recent years.
Lopez, who was 15 at the time of his death, was shot and killed in February by a suspected gang member while he was hanging out with friends near his home.
“I think the kids there deserve the same resources, if not more, than other parts of the city because they are doing without, and that includes my time,” Jackman added. “I may not be able to bring city dollars, but I can bring my influence and ability to sway things. I am looking to keep crime as low as possible and we will do that by concentrating on parts of the community that have traditionally been ignored or neglected.
“That will make the community as a whole that much better.”
Jackman’s extensive background and commitment to youth is one of the main reasons he was selected by City Manager Lamont Ewell and members of a community panel charged with interviewing finalists for the position.
“He just seemed to be very honest, straightforward and personable,” said Lorraine Sanchez, a board member of the community group Friends of Sunset Park and resident of Santa Monica since 1961. “I would like to see the Pico Neighborhood integrated into the city so that the problems of gang violence can be addressed by everyone, not just those in Pico or Sunset Park. This issue affects all of us and I think Chief Jackman understands this.”
The chief said he believes that youth are the most important segment of the community because of their potential to make the city even greater.
“If we can keep them in school and out of trouble, we can keep them out of the justice system and make them productive members of society for the rest of their lives, instead of spending it in jail,” he said.
During his 23 years in Long Beach, Jackman piloted an anti-truancy program — Kindergarten of Crime — in conjunction with the Long Beach Unified School District; negotiated and implemented a permanent school resource officer program in the school district; and secured a single-source donation of more than $75,000 worth of sports equipment for the Police Activities League in Long Beach.
“Police officers deal primarily with enforcement, but the entire community, officers included, can do intervention and prevention, which is why it is so important to be building relationships and collaborations from day one, and a lot of them are already here,” Jackman said. “The level of commitment and involvement here is astounding, and for a police department and a chief to have that level of interest in a community, that is 90 percent of the battle.”
Jackman was chosen after a two-month, nationwide search that was narrowed to seven finalists. He leaves behind a department of 1,500 employees and a budget of $173 million. The SMPD has 468 employees and a budget of nearly $60 million.
The chief has a B.S. from the University of the State of New York and an M.B.A. from the University of California at Irvine. He will receive a salary of $178,000 a year, city officials said.
Jackman replaces former Chief James Butts, who left the SMPD in August after serving 15 years at the helm, during which time he added more minorities to the force, introduced officers to the latest crime-fighting technology and oversaw a unit during which time crime dropped to its lowest level in Santa Monica in 50 years.
“It’s kind of scary, because I now have the mandate of maintaining those high standards set by Chief Butts, but I think it’s a great challenge and I think folks in the department are up to it,” Jackman said.
Aside from having experience working with the SMPD, Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on regional solutions to gang violence, Jackman has also collaborated on efforts to address homelessness, a key concern for residents and business owners in Santa Monica, where on any given night there are roughly 2,000 people sleeping on the streets.
In 2004, Jackman developed a program to train officers on alternatives to cope with homeless and mentally ill persons and worked closely with mental health professionals to train more than 100 officers.
Jackman said he is still evaluating SMPD’s resources and services offered, and in the next six months will be preparing a “gap analysis” for the City Council and Ewell that will give the public a better idea as to what Jackman’s priorities are.
In the meantime, Jackman said he will be listening intently to residents, business owners, members of the SMPD and visitors to find out what they desire in a police department.
“If you come in and make change too fast, people reject it,” Jackman added. “You need to be understanding of why things are so if you do have a decision to make, you can explain why things are and why you want to do them differently. I want people to buy into change, as opposed to me shoving it down their throats.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 16, 2006. Read the original PDF.