Santa Monica police are intensifying traffic enforcement this summer, announcing boosted patrols targeting speeding drivers on June 30 after the 2025 California Traffic Safety Survey found speeding remains the top safety concern among California drivers statewide.

The announcement comes as SMPD's own numbers show a sharp rise in enforcement activity. Year-to-date arrests stood at 2,377 as of June 13, a 71.1% increase over the same period in 2025. During the week of June 7–13 alone, officers conducted 243 traffic stops, issued 153 citations, gave 68 verbal advisals, and made multiple enforcement arrests, according to the department's Blue Notebook recap released June 25.

Patrols that week targeted schools, Lincoln Boulevard, Pacific Coast Highway, Downtown Santa Monica, and areas where residents had filed complaints. Officer-initiated activity accounted for 45% of the department's 2,570 calls for service during that stretch.

The enforcement push comes roughly a year after the City Council voted in 2024 to lower speed limits on more than 30 miles of city streets, with new limits taking effect in 2025 on 47 stretches of roadway.

Among the incidents captured in the June 7–13 recap: a motorcyclist was ejected after striking a concrete median on Broadway and remained hospitalized as of the recap's release; a delivery driver's running vehicle was stolen on Colorado Avenue while he was dropping off a package, with a suspect arrested after officers conducted a field show-up; a traffic stop near 4th Street and Olympic Boulevard turned up approximately 12 grams of methamphetamine, catalytic converter tools, and a police-style radio; a driver was arrested for DUI after officers found a vehicle matching a hit-and-run description near 9th Street and Idaho Avenue with fresh collision damage and nitrous oxide tanks inside; and two drivers were caught street racing near the 3000 block of Ocean Park Boulevard, resulting in one arrest.

After a resident reported speeding concerns near the 1200 block of Franklin Street, Neighborhood Resource Officer Tago coordinated with motor officers to run directed patrols, resulting in multiple stop sign citations at the intersection.

Residents can report traffic concerns or suspicious activity to SMPD's non-emergency line at 310-458-8491.