‘Operation Tidal Wave’ results in drug arrests, citations
Last week, Redondo Beach Police responded to resident complaints on criminal violations with a Redondo Pier-area crackdown by way of what was called “Operation Tidal Wave.”
The operation, which took place on Jan. 5, was a coordinated effort between the department’s Pier, K-9, Patrol and Directed Enforcement units, providing what RBPD Lt. Joe Hoffman called a “targeted enforcement of people that residents were complaining about.”
Calls and emails to police and city leaders about the pier, International Boardwalk and nearby Czuleger Park dealt primarily with what Hoffman called “quality of life issues,” from littering and smoking to overt drug use.
“It’s a significant concern to our residents and a significant concern to us,” he said.
According to RBPD, officers were placed into surveillance positions to gather intelligence and document violations. Then around 2 p.m., officers converged into the area, cutting off expected avenues of escape that violators had used when approached by police in the past.
In total, officers detained eight suspects and issued five arrests and a number of citations. Violations ranged from possession of stolen goods, controlled substances or paraphernalia to public smoking, graffiti and outstanding warrants.
The Directed Enforcement Unit was created last year, conceptualized as a “flexible, quick-response team” to target problem areas and dangerous situations. In the past, DEU has
“We can deploy on short notice to combat a variety of problems in the city that may not necessarily be of the higher crime level, but are a significant concern with quality of life,” Hoffman said.
