The Santa Monica Police Officers Association took aim at former Chief Cynthia Renaud as it formally responded to an independent assessment of the response to last year’s looting and rioting.
“On May 31st, line officers in the SMPD were left flat-footed and unprepared due to Chief Renaud’s decision not to place the department on tactical alert despite numerous indications that such a state of readiness was necessary,” the response said.
Citing Renaud’s “leadership deficiencies” the union noted that “rank-and-file personnel bear no fault.”
More than 200 businesses were vandalized or destroyed during the city-wide crime spree which broke out during an otherwise peaceful Black Lives Matter protest.
Many residents believe the lawlessness could have been prevented.
The SMPOA contends cost savings were prioritized over public safety.
“Tactical alert would have required overtime compensation and the activation of other resources necessitating additional budgetary commitments that Chief Renaud simply wasn’t willing to make based on the direction of the City Manager’s Office,” the response says.
“This lack of tactical alert status created a situation in which officers were playing catch-up all day, often self-deploying with little or no direction.”
“Moreover, as the OIR report pointed out, Chief’s Renaud’s inexplicable decisions to deploy command staff into the field further exacerbated the leadership void and substantially increased confusion in an already chaotic situation.”
Chief Renaud was hired in 2018 to oversee the department with 460 personnel and an annual operating budget of $86.6 million. She received an annual salary of $265,440.
Renaud — who was out of town in the days leading up to the riots — “retired” last fall.
Santa Monica is currently seeking a new police chief and city manager.
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