Pier Crime Holds Steady as Citywide Crime Rate Drops

By Jorge Casuso

Crime at the Santa Monica Pier - the scene of a widely publicized Fourth of July shootout and hostage takeover - has remained steady over the past decade, while crime citywide has shown a precipitous drop, according to police statistics.

There were 40 serious crimes committed on the pier last year, exactly mirroring the annual average since 1989. None of the crimes have been homicides. (The numbers do not include crimes committed around the massive structure.)

By comparison, crime citywide has fallen from a high of 10,891 in 1993 to 4,884 last year, a 55 percent drop, police statistics show.

"The pier is an entertainment area that attracts three million people a year," said Lt. Gary Gallinot, the police department spokesman. "When you have that number of people in an outdoor entertainment area it draws visitors from around the world."

"Other assaults," which numbered 18, topped the list of crimes. Less serious than aggravated assault, the category includes everything from verbal assault to simple assault, Gallinot said.

The number of aggravated assaults on the pier has been on the decline, dropping from a high of 16 in 1993 to three last year. Rapes and robberies also have dropped, from a high of 16 rapes and 16 robberies in 1993 to one rape and four robberies last year.

The largest increase has been in pickpockets, which rose from zero in 1992 to 10 in each of the past two years.

Area residents, who recently have called for beefed up security on and around the pier, contend that the statistics fail to reflect the rising fear in the neighborhood. They note that the homicide of a German tourist near the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel in 1998 is not reflected in the crime statistics for the pier; neither are any of the other crimes that have occurred near the 95-year-old landmark.

"All I know is that the perception down here is that it has become more dangerous," said Ellen Brennan, president of the South Beach Neighborhood Association. "We have a feeling that there's an incredible amount of crime around."

When Brennan moved into an apartment building just south of the pier five years ago, she would take late night walks on the beach, where she would see couples strolling. "Now the beach is empty," she said.

"There's a fear in the neighborhood, there's a fear in the air, and that's different," Brennan said. "Fear is up."

An increased police presence around the pier, Brennan said, is a mixed blessing.

"Having police with guns is disturbing," Brennan said. "God bless them, but to us that's an indication that there's more crime here."