For a reported 15 years, alleged mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger—one of the most wanted men in the world—lived in Santa Monica, apparently unbeknown to the community and law enforcement.

Bulger and Greig were arrested in Santa Monicaon Wednesday night. They had been on the run from the FBI; Bulger was wanted for 19 murders and other felony charges, and the FBI had previously charged Greig with harboring a fugitive.

Upon the arrests, at least one Santa Monica Patch resident wondered why the Santa Monica Police Department hadn't noticed that Bulger was living in the city.

"We had one of the nation's biggest crime bosses under the nose of the Santa Monica Police Dept.," Santa Monica Patch blogger Eddie Greenberg wrote. He added, "SMPD is a good dept. with many fine officers."

Santa Monica Patch caught up with Sgt. Richard Lewis on Thursday afternoon to get a response.

"It's not unreasonable for someone to live here in this city and go unnoticed by the police," he said. "We're a large city; a high percentage of people in the city will never have contact with law enforcement in their entire lives."

Lewis added that, while he hasn't yet seen a booking photo of Bulger, he heard that the FBI has said that Bulger did not resemble his previous appearances upon being arrested.