Improving Policing & Public safety in davis

Current Call to action

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Update on city council actions

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Our conceptual framework of public safety

This framework is based on the principles of the social determinants of public safety. It represents a public health style approach to keeping communities safe where safety is dependent on basic necessities such as economic security, and access to affordable housing, education and healthcare. Without any of these pieces, public safety is threatened - therefore both social and racial equity are fundamental to a safe society.Evidence shows that moving away from a reactive, law enforcement centric model of public safety is the only way to keep every member of our community truly safe.

click "background" above to see the 9 recommendations from the temporary joint subcommittee

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Why is this necessary?

Systemic racism and social inequity permeate every aspect of our society in the United States, such as our economic and education systems. They are particularly apparent in our law enforcement and criminal justice systems, and in the lack of sufficient social services, namely mental or behavioral health treatment and support. Our city and county are not outliers in this respect.In fact, Davis has roughly double the racial disparities in median household income and likelihood of arrest when compared to the United States as a whole. This is an uncomfortable truth we must face head on, and work in earnest to reverse.

For example: The median household income in Davis is 68% lower for Black people than white people. In California and the country, that number is 40%. Both are terrible statistics, but the inequality is much greater in davis.

Graph of median household income in Davis and the United States by race.

Why should I take action?

Overwhelming support for meaningful public safety reform would no doubt encourage the City Council to act in accordance with the will of the people of Davis and help move our city closer to true social and racial equity.In the past, substantial public comment in support of particular policies has persuaded the City Council to take bolder action.

You can help spread the word about these improvements by sharing this website, watching/ reading the available resources, and talking to friends and neighbors about these issues. And by making your voice heard by the Davis City Council and City Manager. (Click the "Take Action" tab)

Even with public pressure, the police don't seem to be taking these racial disparities seriously.

Quote from the December 15, 2020 City Council meeting discussion (Agenda Item 4).

Learn more

If you belong to any group, club, society, etc. that would be interested in learning more about these issues and how restorative justice approaches can reduce crime, and increase public safety, please email us at [email protected] .Our researchers can tailor a virtual presentation to your group's specific interests and questions, or host a panel discussion, or do a combination of both.We pride ourselves on fostering meaningful dialogue between community members on difficult subjects using evidence-based academic literature in criminology, social sciences, psychology, etc.

We would love to come learn and talk with your group today!

Ask Vice Mayor Frerichs your questions

The Davis Vanguard is hosting a Zoom meeting Friday Dec. 18, 2020 Noon to 1:30 with Vice Mayor Lucas Frerichs. You can ask any questions you have for the Vice Mayor. We suggest asking him what he will do to make concrete improvements to public safety. (Why did he and council not direct staff to make a formal financial inquiry into the implementation of each recommendation? Why did the city not give staff a deadline for "investigating" things further? Why does council feel that these issues are not urgent and highly important? Register for the webinar here.

Countdown to city council meeting on dec 15

Looking to learn more about how the City of Davis is "Re-imagining Public Safety"? Heard about the 9 recommendations in the Temporary Joint Subcommittee (TJS) Report, but aren't sure exactly what they are or how they'd impact you?

To learn more, please join us Monday December 14th at 7 PM for a virtual community conversation.
Our researchers, who's literature review on behavioral crisis response models is included in the TJS report, will be presenting the content of the 70+ page document. The TJS commission members will be there to answer your questions! Submit questions before or during the meeting here.

The presentation will unpack what the TJS means by "a public health approach to public safety" and the merits of such an approach. We will explore the 9 recommendations - what they say, what they don't say, and if they were adopted, what that might mean for Davis residents.After the brief presentation, we want to have a dialogue with you, the community members! We want to discuss these topics, hear your questions, comments, and concerns. We are all part of this Davis community, and every single community member's opinion is valuable and deserves to be heard!

City council process update

Click here to send an email to all City Council members quickly and easily!

Or to do it yourself- Email: [email protected]
Council cannot respond to emails from the above email address, but will read them. If you would like a response, email City Councilmembers individually at: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]And City Manager Mike Webb at [email protected]

How?

***MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT ***Anytime from Noon to 8 PM on Tuesday December 1st,
call (530) 757-5693 and leave a voicemail public comment.State your name, Item 7, and your comment supporting the proposed improvements to policing in Davis.
Comments need to be 2 minutes or less.

If you are an overachiever:
You can leave 2 voicemails (one for Item 2 and one for Item 7)
You can also send an email public comment to [email protected] AND a separate email to each council member individually [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
(so thats 6 emails total)

background / history

On June 16, 2020, in response to over 2 hours of public comment asking that Davis divest from the police and re-invest in true community health and safety, the Davis City Council created a Temporary Joint Subcommission (TJS) tasked with making recommendations to re-envision the public safety system in the city. After months of work, the joint subcommission has produced a report to present to City Council with 9 main recommendations. They will be presenting this report at the Dec. 1 City Council Meeting.

Read the full report

We want to see City Council vote to move forward with these changes. We need them to vote yes and support divesting from police in order to invest in our community!This is our chance to remind Councilmembers that a bold restructuring of our public safety system to be more equitable and just is a priority.

Summary and Guide

Don't have time to read a 70+ page report? No worries! We've created a summary of the commission process and their recommendations. In the guide are our opinions about each of the recommendations from the report.

We need you to:
MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT ON DECEMBER 1ST ANYTIME FROM NOON - 8 PM AND TELL CITY COUNCIL YOU SUPPORT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS!