RAND Study Found Crime Concentrated in Santa Monica
Researchers identified that a small portion of the city accounts for half of all aggravated assaults.
Updated on Oct. 3, 2026 in Property Crime
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A new study by RAND revealed that 50 percent of aggravated assaults and 71 percent of robberies in Santa Monica occur within just 5 percent of the city. These criminal activities are heavily concentrated in the downtown area.
Why it matters
Understanding the precise geographic distribution of crime allows officials to better allocate resources. The findings highlight that while violence is clustered downtown, other property crimes like burglary and vandalism remain dispersed elsewhere.
The Santa Monica Police Department transitioned to the National Incident-Based Reporting System in 2024 to modernize their crime tracking. Researchers adjusted these newer records to ensure consistency with data spanning from 2010 to 2023.
The players
RAND
This is a non-profit research organization that provides objective analysis and data-driven solutions to public policy challenges.
Santa Monica Police Department
This is the primary law enforcement agency responsible for maintaining public safety and investigating criminal activity in Santa Monica.
The details
The analysis compared crime data across Santa Monica, Venice, and West Hollywood over the past 13 years. While Venice saw a higher proportional increase in aggravated assaults compared to Santa Monica since 2010, West Hollywood recorded no increase at all.
Timeline
Researchers analyzed crime trajectory data between 2010 and 2023.
The Santa Monica Police Department adopted a new reporting system in 2024.
Legal Context
The adoption of the National Incident-Based Reporting System marks a broader shift toward granular, standardized crime data collection in municipal law enforcement. This evolution allows for more precise geographic mapping of crime patterns compared to traditional summary reporting methods.
Residents should be aware that criminal activity remains highly localized within the downtown corridor. This concentration allows the city to implement targeted safety measures and security adjustments that directly benefit the local neighborhood.
The takeaway
Crime in Santa Monica is not uniformly distributed, with activity heavily favoring the downtown district over the last decade. Residents living outside of this 5 percent zone have experienced largely stable rates of violent and property crime since 2010.
Further reading
Learn more about local trends in Property Crime in the area.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Patch.
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