City of Davis

In democratic societies, the police are accountable for many things.  Most significantly, the police are responsible for the efficiency and effectiveness in which they address crime and disorder, as well as for the manner in which they treat citizens. The Davis Police Department has historically had 19 separate local, state and federal police review systems in place. Although, to ensure our community achieves additional levels of civilian input and oversight into police operations and to ensure that our police department remains an example of effective and responsible policing, we have implement the following changes:

1. Increased Training

In the Police Department, an effort to develop “Inclusion Training” has been in progress for almost a year.  This program will begin training all city staff  this year. “Inclusion Training” emphasizes understanding and appreciating people with different views and belief systems, and includes topics beyond diversity issues.  The “Inclusion Training” program is modeled after similar programs in Sacramento and San Diego.

2. CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies)

The CALEA accreditation process measures the Davis Police Department against 446 national standards or best practices of law enforcement.  CALEA standards demonstrate   excellence in law enforcement management and service delivery.

3. Citizen Advisory Board (CAB)

An advisory board of 12 people representing a cross-section of the community based on neighborhoods, businesses, schools, religion, race, gender, and other factors was formed the last quarter of 2005.  The members are selected by the Police Chief with the City Manager’s approval.  This board meets with the Chief on a monthly basis to provide input to the department regarding constituent concerns.  Additionally, the CAB members will take information away from the police department back into the community.  This Board has broad public representation and input into the police department.  Most importantly, CAB opens and sustains on-going dialogue with key members of the community on issues of mutual concern.

4. Annual Report to City Council

Annually, the Police Chief will make a presentation to City Council on critical issues facing the Police Department in the month of  December.  This report would include information on crime, citizen’s complaints, training, and enforcement data (e.g., number of citations and arrests).

5. Police Advisory Committee (PAC)

The establishment of a Police Advisory Committee demonstrates the significant progress the Police Department has made toward becoming a truly community-oriented policing agency. The PAC is one of several models of civilian oversight used in America. A panel of 3 people appointed by the City Manager serve as a liaison to the City Manager on police issues.  The PAC is a model incorporating many themes and best practices in modern policing.  The commission serves as an advisory body, operating outside of the police department.  Panel members are selected to represent a cross section of the interests and could even come from outside of Davis.  They are considered “leaders” in the justice system.  The members of the committee serve wholly at the will of the City Manager.  The PAC will meet on a quarterly basis, but could meet more frequently if needed. 

While the Committee will review fully adjudicated police complaints/investigations and make recommendations to the City Manager, they will not be part of the formal disciplinary process.  That role is reserved for the City Manager.  Their primary function in reviewing citizen complaints is to look for trends, thoroughness of the investigations, training, and policy issues.

Conclusion

In the last three years the Davis Police Department has responded to over 160,000 calls for service and received 72 citizen complaints, of which three citizen complaints were sustained.  The Police Department has made great strides in community outreach over the last 2 ½ years.  Examples of this can be seen in the quarterly neighborhood meetings, website revisions to provide crime mapping information, neighborhood e-mail access to officers, community workshops on cyber crime, adult and youth academies, rape awareness defense, community education forums, robbery prevention, party management, and bar safety for businesses. 

The Davis Police Department is committed to treating all individuals in a fair and professional manner.  This is a clear indication of the department’s pledge to constant improvement and community policing.  Additionally, the police department has demonstrated its willingness for openness by implementing an in-car camera program. In conclusion, the Davis Police Department is an ethical police department that does not tolerate biased-based policing in any form, from any employee.  We believe the changes listed will make an already excellent police department even better.