The incident at Community Park has raised questions about the City’s process and status and we hope the information below helps answer some of the questions you may have. 

The City’s preparation:

• The Davis Police Department and Picnic Day organizers engaged in pre-event briefings and operational meetings. These efforts focused on logistics, staffing and public safety strategies.
• The Davis Police Department assign additional personnel to patrol throughout the weekend, working with nine different regional law enforcement agencies to provide mutual aid support and ensure a robust and visible safety presence.
• Multiple City departments assisted with resource management throughout the weekend.
• Safety Enhancement Zones are established to discourage inappropriate behavior by increasing fines for violations within areas that have been historically problematic.  

The permit:

• The City of Davis has a detailed Special Event Permit process for a variety of events and gatherings, especially those located in parks.
• Event organizers for the Community Park event only had a permit for amplified sound and did not obtain other required permits from the City for an event of this size in park space.

The investigation:

• The Davis Police Department continues to investigate the crime with support from regional, state and federal law enforcement partners, including the FBI, to ensure a thorough and accurate investigation.
• Based on preliminary information, the shooting does not appear to be random, and thus, the Davis Police Department does not believe that our community is at ongoing risk.
• The Davis Police Department does have descriptions of those involved in the incident, but does not want to jeopardize the integrity of the investigation by prematurely releasing descriptions.

Community Park:

• Community Park is currently open.
• The only area that is closed is the tot lot at Rainbow City due to equipment repair.

Moving forward:

• The Davis Police Department continues to work on the investigation and will provide updates.
• The City of Davis is actively evaluating our planning, communication and response strategies to strengthen future operations, including special events and notifications.
• We welcome feedback from the community that will help us improve and move forward together.