The use of grant funding will be used for the implementation and expansion of the comprehensive DE-escalation training programs within the santa monica police department (smpd)

The Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Program awarded the City of Santa Monica $486,760 on October 1, 2025, to implement and expand comprehensive de-escalation training programs within the Santa Monica Police Department under the Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants program (CFDA 16.710).

The funding supports training that equips SMPD officers with communication, emotional intelligence, and situational awareness skills to defuse potentially volatile encounters safely and effectively. The initiative integrates de-escalation practices, mental health crisis response, and referral protocols into daily operations, with the goal of reducing the frequency and severity of force used, improving community trust, and increasing officer and civilian safety.

Performance occurs in Santa Monica, California. The period of performance extends from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027.

In recent years, heightened public scrutiny and high-profile incidents involving the use of force have underscored the critical need for alternative conflict resolution strategies. DE-escalation training equips the smpd officers with communication, emotional intelligence, and situational awareness skills necessary to defuse potentially volatile encounters safely and effectively. By prioritizing these non-lethal techniques, smpd can reduce the frequency and severity of force used, improve community trust, and increase officer and civilian safety. This proposal outlines the framework for a scalable, evidence-based training initiative aimed at integrating DE-escalation practices, referrals, and mental health crises into the daily operations of smpd.