Mutual Aid

What is Mutual Aid?

Mutual Aid refers to cooperative agreements among law enforcement agencies to exchange support during emergencies, major events, or situations requiring extra personnel or specialized equipment.

The Culver City Police Department (CCPD) participates in the Mutual Aid Area A group, alongside Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood (served by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department), and UCLA.

These arrangements are typically pre-planned to improve efficiency, enhance public safety, and maximize resource sharing. By leveraging mutual aid, CCPD can access additional personnel, equipment, or expertise when its own resources are insufficient. This support is crucial during natural disasters, mass shootings, civil unrest, or high-profile events such as presidential visits.

Mutual Aid ensures faster local responses, promotes inter-agency collaboration, and enhances coordination through standardized procedures and joint training. Ultimately, this strengthens CCPD’s ability to keep Culver City safe.

Mutual Aid vs. Outside Agency Assistance

It’s important to distinguish between Mutual Aid and Outside Agency Assistance, both covered in the Culver City Police Department Policy Manual (Section 406).

Mutual Aid: Formal agreements—last updated in 2024 and signed by the Chief of Police—that coordinate public safety during emergencies, disasters, or civil unrest.
Outside Agency Assistance: Immediate emergency help requested during critical incidents, typically initiated by Watch Commanders.

The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CAL OES) also maintains a statewide Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Plan to guide cooperation across local, county, regional, and state jurisdictions.

Mutual Aid Structure

The framework for Mutual Aid operates under the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS). It is organized into four levels.

City
County
Region
State of California

California is further divided into seven Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Regions, with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department serving as the Regional Mutual Aid Coordinator for Los Angeles County.

In Culver City:

If the Chief of Police (or designee) determines an emergency exceeds local capacity, assistance is requested through the Operational Area Coordinator.
If more resources are needed, the request escalates to the LASD Emergency Operations Bureau.
If those resources are insufficient, LASD contacts the State Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Coordinator at CAL OES.

Examples of Mutual Aid in Action

February 2024 – Presidential Visit
CCPD collaborated with Beverly Hills PD, UCLA PD, and Santa Monica PD to provide security support during former President Joe Biden’s visit to the Julian Dixon Library, working alongside the U.S. Secret Service.
January 2025 – Palisades Fire
When the Palisades Fire strained Santa Monica PD’s resources, CCPD deployed 19 officers and supervisors (January 7–10) to assist with burglary and looter suppression efforts.

Outside Agency Assistance

Outside Agency Assistance is immediate, urgent help requested during critical incidents:

Santa Monica Shooting
When a Santa Monica Police Officer was shot while pursuing an attempted murder suspect, CCPD responded with a supervisor and three officers. The suspect was later apprehended.
July 2, 2025 – Fatal Collision
CCPD supported the California Highway Patrol (CHP) following a fatal traffic collision at Bristol Parkway and Green Valley Circle, providing assistance until additional CHP investigators arrived. Tragically, a CHP officer lost his life during the incident.

Outside Agency Assistance Policy(PDF, 61KB)

CALOES Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Plan(PDF, 924KB)

Mutual Aid Agreement(PDF, 180KB)