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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Thank you for your patience!


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

    Register for the event here!

    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!


    Resources


    Black Davis residents are arrested at 5x the rate of white Davis residents.

    Calls about Violent cRIMES ARE RARE (4% OF TOTAL)


    statements by city council


    A look at Davis Police Reform Efforts written by Gloria Partida and Lucas Frerichs
    Council Member Arnold Calls for Reimagining Public Safety in Davis

    all things Temporary joint subcommittee


    Reimagining Public Safety in Davis - Recommendations of the Temporary Joint Subcommittee Nov 21, 2020

    Click above to read the report

    Click below to watch previous Commission meeting videos on the City of Davis Youtube channel.

    Screenshot of the City of Davis Youtube Channel homepage

    all things city council


    Davis District Election Map - 5 Districts Total

    City Council District Map

    District 1: Dan Carson

    District 2: Will Arnold

    District 3: Lucas Frerichs
    (Vice Mayor)

    District 4: Gloria Partida (Mayor)

    District 5: Josh Chapman


    Learn more about each member of City Council

    Watch previous City Council Meetings

    Read all City Council Meeting Agendas


    Policing and Public Safety Teach-In


    Everyday Injustice Podcast -
    Community Policing Discussion


    Continued Learning

    About Us


    The research team

    We are a group of current and former graduate students (MS or PhD) in various scientific fields committed to using our academic research and data analysis skills in an effort to assist the City of Davis in its quest to re-imagine public safety and improve safety for all members of the community. We devote our time to literature review, data analysis, and public outreach/ education on these issues.

    Morgan Poindexter

    (Immunology)

    Dr. Julea Shaw
    .

    (Ecology)

    Aarthi Sekar
    .

    (Genetics)

    Jordan Varney
    .

    (Psychology)

    Not pictured:

    Caitlin French, Rowan Boswell, Nusrat Molla & Victoria Dearborn


    The broader collective

    Outside of the research team, there is a group of Yolo County residents, and community activists and organizers committed to envisioning justice and true public safety for all. They want to see a society where all individuals and communities are respected, and kept safe. This group is diverse in its opinions, thoughts, political stances, etc. They are unified around their shared dedication to social justice, equity, and anti-racism.

    To contact YPP, email: [email protected]


    This page is under construction! Thank you for your patience!

    Take action!


    Current Calls to Action

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

    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]


    Upcoming Events


    Past Events

    Ask Vice Mayor Frerichs your questions

    The Davis Vanguard is hosting a Zoom meeting Friday Dec. 18, 2020 Noon to 1:30 pm 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.


    Dec 15 City Council Meeting Link


    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.

    Missed our Community Conversation?
    Watch the video here!

    Passcode: dNfp&59u

    View the Powerpoint presentation

    Read the Questions and Answers from the event

    Resource List from the event Zoom Chat



    Policing and Public Safety Teach-In


    Join our team

    To join our research team, please email [email protected] and tell us a little bit about yourself and how you think you could help us research public safety!

    To join Yolo People Power, click the icons at the bottom of the screen!

    Common Misconceptions


    Crime rates

    California Crime Rates (property and violent crime) are at historic lows
    • Both violent crime and property crime rates are at historic lows in California, including Davis.

    • Davis is a very safe city, consistently ranking in the top safest cities in California.

    • In 2018, Davis's violent crime rate was 62% lower than the statewide figure, while the property crime rate was comparable to the CA rate.

    • In 2019, DPD only reported a total of 107 violent crimes to the FBI.

    • In 2019, DPD reported 2,190 property crime incidents to the FBI. That is a rate of 3,155 property crimes per 100,000 people per year. As the graph above shows, California's property crime rate in 1980 was more than double that number.

    • Of those 2,190 property crime incidents the vast majority (83%) were for larceny (such as shoplifting, or petty theft) not more serious crimes like burglary or robbery.

    • Slight variations (increases or decreases) in property crime from year to year do not change the fact that our cities are safer than they have ever been.


    Deterring crime- What works and what doesn't

    National Institute of Justice - Five Things about Deterrence

    Click the picture above to read about what are and what are not effective deterrents of crime.

    • Long prison sentences do not deter criminals from committing future crimes.

    • Increasing punishment does not deter criminality.

    This page is under construction! Thank you for your patience!

    Background & History of the process


    This summer in the wake of the brutal murder of George Floyd and countless other BIPOC at the hands of police officers, Davis residents flooded City Council meetings with hours of public comment asking Council to re-evaluate the role of police in our city, and to divest away from law enforcement in favor of investments directly into our community through social services. In response, the City Council asked three city commissions, called the Temporary Joint Subcommittee (TJS), to identify and recommend community health and safety improvements that could be implemented in Davis.

    From July through November, the TJS worked with city and county stakeholders and researchers like us, to outline the current public safety system and its shortcomings and propose recommendations to improve the system as a whole.

    After monthly meetings, the TJS proposed 9 recommendations to improve public safety which broadly fell into two categories:

    • Decreasing racial disparities and excessive use of force

    • Increasing public safety through the expansion of social services for vulnerable groups

    The 9 recommendations are:

    1. Determine why racial disparities in arrests, recommended charges, and stops exist in Davis.

    2. Encourage the DPD to dialogue with the Police Accountability Commission (PAC) on the content of its Use of Force Policy.

    3. Evaluate the impact of de-escalation, crisis intervention, procedural justice, and implicit bias trainings.

    4. Shift non-violent service calls to unarmed personnel.

    5. Reinvent the police-community conversation.

    6. De-prioritize, decriminalize, and offer restorative remedies for minor, victim-less offenses through warm hand-off programs, an expansion of the specialty court system, and other measures.

    7. Work with County partners to build an integrated, "Crisis Now"-type model for behavioral health emergencies.

    8. Expand the City's community navigator workforce.

    9. Commit to a vision of re-imagined public safety by creating either a New Department or a New Structure Model

    At the City Council meeting on December 1st, the TJS presented their findings and recommendations to City Council and City Staff for the first time. City Council will continue discussion of this agenda item on Tuesday Dec 15, 2020.

    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.

    Don't have time to read the full report?

    No 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.

    Summary and Guide

    Will Arnold's post


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    Mauris porta ex id nisl eleifend blandit a eu ex. Praesent nunc massa, lorem sed finibus ac, vehicula eget diam. Sed faucibus feugiat neque eget amet interdum. Nunc at tortor eget purus faucibus tempor. Donec sagittis suscipit porta. Duis mollis orci non erat convallis fringilla. Mauris porta ex sed nisl eleifend magna nisl et magna feugiat neque eget interdum. Nunc at tortor eget purus faucibus tempor. Donec sagittis suscipit porta. Duis mollis orci non erat convallis fringilla sed interdum.

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