Safety Matters
Downtown Davis is safer when we know our neighbors. Here's what's happening, what to watch for, and how to reach the people who can help.
Mr. Rogers Was Right
Criminologists echo Mr. Rogers' famous "Won't you be my neighbor?" as a way to decrease crime and help communities be safer. Collective Efficacy is the term for communities using strong social connections to reduce crime. When we connect socially as business owners, our united presence creates a strong, visible community. A person considering criminal activity is less likely to target an area where it's clear that business owners communicate and look out for one another.
When we are a connected community, we can alert each other to shoplifting, vandalism, and other suspicious activity before it escalates. And the good news is: creating that community is an easy thing to do.
Introduce yourself to neighboring business owners
Exchange contact information
Share safety concerns and observations
Get to know the employees of neighboring businesses
Collective Efficacy was established as one of the most influential theories in modern crime prevention research by researchers Robert Sampson, Stephen Raudenbush, and Felton Earls (Science, 1997).
Safety Matters Mixer — Coming This October
The newly formed DDBA Safety Committee is hosting a mixer for downtown business owners to build community, make our downtown safer, and decrease crime. More details to follow — watch this page and your DDBA emails.
Meet Sergeant Matt Muscardini
Community Oriented Policing & Problem-SolvingThe Davis Police Department hired Sergeant Matt Muscardini to lead Community Oriented Policing and Problem-Solving. One area his team focuses on is building strong partnerships between the police force and downtown businesses. He prefers to address the root cause of crime rather than rely on reactive enforcement, and his team encourages open communication with downtown businesses to find solutions to shared problems together.
"If you are having a problem, our team can help you find a workable answer. Please reach out."
— Sergeant Matt Muscardini
Sergeant Matt answers your safety questions and concerns, straight from the Davis Police Department to our downtown community.
"How do I know when to call the police?"
For all calls, use your best judgment about the seriousness of the situation. You do not need to review a checklist before calling — if you need emergency services, call 911.
Is it an emergency?
911Medical emergencies, crimes in progress, fire or hazardous threats, and public safety threats. If you call 911 and it turns out not to be an emergency, the dispatcher will guide you to the best way to report it.
Non-emergency events
530-747-5400If you or someone else is physically threatened, call 911. If the situation doesn't need to be resolved immediately, report it using the non-emergency line instead.
There are so many variations on situations that come up, it's difficult to give exact instructions for every one. If you have a non-emergency question that needs more time to work through, or you just have a question, feel free to reach out directly.
— Sergeant Matt
mmuscardini@cityofdavis.org
Have a safety question you'd like Sergeant Matt to answer?
Send In Your Question