Santa Monica considering beach curfew after recent late-night crimes

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- The city of Santa Monica is considering implementing a beach curfew following several violent, late-night crimes.

During a city council meeting this week, Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete said they're exploring the idea of a curfew, citing recent crimes that have occurred in the overnight hours. She said the city has seen everything from murders, rapes and even accidental deaths.

"When folks are sleeping and sometimes, if it's dark in the morning, you can't see them. It's extremely unsafe," she said. "The last few unfortunate crimes have been against young women on our beaches, and so I think it's time for us to look at a curfew."

Most recently, in February, a woman was found beaten to death in her sleeping bag on the beach.

Last fall, a woman was fatally struck by an SUV while lying in the sand near the Santa Monica Pier, and a few years ago, after sundown, two teenagers were shot at a party on the beach.

Though the crimes are concerning, some people who live in Santa Monica don't believe closing the beach is the solution.

"I don't think you can shut down outside. It's ridiculous," said Pablo Fauntleroy. "I live here in Santa Monica, and the thing that they need to do is have police officers out on the beach. Treat it just like Times Square in New York City since this is a tourist area. You need to see more police on foot. That's what deters crime. You don't see a lot of police in Santa Monica until something happens, then you see an overreaction."

During the city council meeting, Negrete said it's simply just not in the budget to have officers patrol the beach all day, every day.

Councilmembers also want to figure out a way that if a curfew is implemented, it won't affect those who come to the beach to exercise in the early morning hours.

"There are ways to perhaps tailor this where if someone needs desperately to take a jog, you know, at four in the morning they could do that, but we could still narrowly tailor this to protect public safety," said councilmember Ellis Raskin.

But without specifics, the reviews are mixed.

"I'm not really sure about it. I like to go out late at night, so maybe it might upset me. I don't know," said Trevor Coppola.

At the moment, the curfew is just a discussion and far from becoming a reality. Some are hoping it never happens.

"It's for everybody. How could you restrict something that's for everybody? It's for the public to have fun and enjoy themselves," said one Santa Monica visitor.

Curfew plans like this one have been rejected in the past. Before anything moves forward, the plan needs to be signed off by the California Coastal Commission.

No timeline has been set on when those conversations will begin.