LAW ENFORCEMENT – MBPD Chief addresses perceived property crime wave
by Mark McDermott Manhattan Beach Police Department Chief Rachel Johnson told concerned residents at Tuesday’s City Council meeting that the department has increased patrols, particularly over the holidays, in the wake of a recent spike in property crimes. But the council and the chief rejected the idea of hiring a private armed security firm to increase policing presence between now and when MBPD staffing is increased. “This year, I’m pleased to report our staffing in the patrol and traffic divisions is 20 percent higher than last year and 11 percent higher than 2019 and 2020,” Johnson said. “This increase in patrol staffing has allowed us to fill the second school resource officer vacancy as well as bring back our swing shift, which allows for increased coverage in the afternoon and evening parts of the day. Additionally, for this holiday period, we have brought in officers on an overtime basis to patrol the commercial and residential areas of our city to address issues that generally increased during this time period, including shoplifting and package theft.” Johnson said average response time to “priority calls,” including in-progress calls involving violence, averaged 2…
Read this story on easyreadernews.com