The Police IndexStop data: 2024 · Pay and hiring checked Nov 2026
What the job looks like at Santa Monica Police
7,479 people stopped in 2024Busiest hour 4pm to 5pmSalary $120,636 to $148,932Los Angeles County
Santa Monica Police is the police department for the city of Santa Monica, in Los Angeles County. This page shows what its officers spend their time on, from the stops the department reported to the state for 2024.
People stopped
About 20 a day
7,479 people in 2024. A stop is a detention or search, so calls with no detention are not counted. Most common reason: speeding, 17%.
Busiest hour for stops
4pm to 5pm
16% of stops are between 10pm and 5am
44th of 53 in Los Angeles County
Stops that came from a call
11%
The rest the officer started
24th of 53 in Los Angeles County
Stops on foot
33%
2,479 of 7,479
5th of 53 in Los Angeles County
Median stop length
10 min
Pay at Santa Monica Police in 2025
Published salary range
$120,636 to $148,932
Lowest and highest base salary for officer or deputy titles, as the employer reported it.
Median total pay
$236,643
What a full-year officer was actually paid, with overtime. Half earned more.
Median overtime
$57,606
40% on top of median regular pay. One in ten earned $141,050 or more.
The main reason recorded for each of 7,479 people stopped in 2024, grouped from the offense code.
When the work happens
16% of stops happen between 10pm and 5am.
Santa Monica Police
Los Angeles County average
12am3am6am9am12pm3pm6pm9pm
Darker means a larger share of stops in that hour.
How the work is done
Each dot is a department in Los Angeles County. Santa Monica Police is highlighted.
On foot33% 5th of 53 in Los Angeles County
0%20%40%60%80%
For a traffic violation65% 48th of 53 in Los Angeles County
0%20%40%60%80%100%
After a call for service11% 24th of 53 in Los Angeles County
0%20%40%60%80%100%
Person perceived as unhoused14% 2nd of 53 in Los Angeles County
0%20%40%
How stops end
Verbal warning26% 41st of 53 in Los Angeles County
0%20%40%60%80%
Citation43% 22nd of 53 in Los Angeles County
0%20%40%60%80%
Arrest17% 7th of 53 in Los Angeles County
0%20%40%
Psychiatric hold1% 14th of 53 in Los Angeles County
0%20%40%
One person can have more than one outcome, so these do not add to 100%.
Searches and handcuffs
Person searched6% 35th of 53 in Los Angeles County
0%20%40%
Handcuffed20% 6th of 53 in Los Angeles County
0%20%40%
Hiring steps and test rules for this department are not on the site yet. Agencies differ in how consistently they record handcuffing and searches, so small gaps may not be real.