PACIFIC PALISADES — The Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC) urged the Los Angeles City Council to continue funding the Palisades’ LAPD Beach Detail patrol. The Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness (PPTFH) joined the PPCC in a October 27 letter to the L.A. City Council.

The LAPD Beach Detail consists of two officers who monitor the coasts and hillsides of Palisades for crime activity, while also helping control levels of homelessness in the area. 

“Based upon conditions we encountered when PPTFH formed, the loss of the Beach Detail will result in more incidents of crime, including arson and illegal campfires that threaten our ‘Very High Fire Severity Zone’ community members which includes those with homes and those experiencing homelessness,” PPTFH Co-Chairs Sharon Browning and Sharon Kilbride said in the letter. 

LAPD Beach Detail patrol car, gifted by the PPFTH (Photo: Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness).

The PPTFH and the Palisades Beach Detail have been collaborating since 2016. According to Browning and Kilbride, the partnership has helped 132 homeless individuals find shelter and placed 85 in permanent housing. PPTFH also said there has been a 71 percent decrease in the number of local homeless individuals since 2016. 

Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin, who represents Pacific Palisades, responded to the PPCC and the PPTFH’s concern over the issue. 

“I fully support the beach detail, and support regular LAPD presence for Pacific Palisades,” Bonin said in his response. “I will continue to advocate on behalf of the detail and Pacific Palisades with Police Chief Michel Moore and with other LAPD officials who make the decisions regarding deployment of LAPD personnel.”

Bonin pointed out that L.A.’s budget is being reduced due to the economic impacts of the pandemic, and that every agency in the city expects to see some cuts in funding, including the Los Angeles Police Department. 

The LAPD consumes nearly 50 percent of the city’s discretionary spending, which makes it unavoidable that the department will face some budget cuts. 

“Please continue to fund the LAPD Beach Detail so we can continue our successful and effective work in Pacific Palisades,” Browning and Kilbride concluded.