Santa Monica Lookout – Santa Monica Police Under Fire For Claiming Rise in Burglaries Due to Recent Prison Measures

By Niki Cervantes, Santa Monica Lookout

Santa Monica police are under fire by state corrections officials for claiming a recent rise in burglaries in the city is due to realignment and Prop. 47. Jeffrey Callison, a spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, called Santa Monica Police Department’s (SMPD) claims a product of “cherry-picking.” Sgt. Rudy Camarena, a SMPD spokesperson, was attributed with the contentious assertion in a March 4 article for the Lookout.