Dear Editor,

It was no surprise that power brokers in the City, like the former Mayor of Santa Monica Judy Abdo, are now attempting to push back against my earlier Op-ed where I presented facts about the underfunding of the police department.

Interestingly, she did so on the same day when the top two stories in this paper where about a homeless person who held a knife to the throat of an 16 year old on the Pier & a story about a homeless person who abducted a 4 year old near Lincoln and Pico.

Further, she attempted to debunk facts without presenting any actual numbers ("LETTERS -- Back to the Calculator,Please," July 12, 2024)..

Former Mayor Abdo said the numbers used were inaccurate. . . they’re not. She said the Police Officers Association should go “back to the calculator.”

The calculation used was not just the presentation of the actual data which showed the funding shortfall, fairly conveniently. Rather, the Op-ed was to confirm and contextualize people’s feeling about what they already read & see daily.

It was to stimulate conversations about how to make the City safer and to expose those who continue to push the same tired lines about policing while many feel the City is headed in the wrong direction as it relates to feeling safe.

Unfortunately, the former Mayor is asking you not to believe the women and men who do the work to keep the community safe everyday, the data that was presented in the op-ed and worst of all, your own lying eyes.

The goal of every police officer is to prevent crime, not just respond to it. I’m proud to say that our officers were able to arrest the person who placed a knife to a kids throat, while telling him, “Be careful, I can kill you.” And officers were able to arrest the person who abducted the small child, having located the child in a hotel room a few blocks away.

We profoundly appreciate Mayor Abdo’s public support of our police officers, as the work can only be carried out with broad public support. With that said, that support is more than a one liner in the paper, but appropriate funding levels. Having our own bus system, an airport and Pier drive the need for more police officers, more specialized training and thus, more funding.

The Santa Monica Police Officers Association doesn’t disparage any of the many aspirational goals of the City, in fact we uplift & celebrate them, but we also know that collectively we can do better- because we have to.

Respectfully,

Cody Green
Santa Monica Police Officers Association