Mayor: Here's what the city is doing to ensure safety in downtown Sacramento
July 6, 2022
Friends:
Like you, I am appalled and saddened by the loss of another life to gun violence in our city, this time outside of a nightclub at 16th and L streets in the early morning hours of July 4. I grieve for the parents, family and friends of Greg Najee Grimes, a former Boise State football star, young father and coach at Inderkum High School who was killed in this senseless incident.
At times like this, I am often asked whether downtown is safe, and what the city is doing to make it so. I can assure you that the city is doing everything in our power to ensure the safety of visitors, patrons, residents and business owners in our downtown. At the same time, we must acknowledge the reality that no city or police department in the country can guarantee everyone’s safety at every moment in the face of the proliferation of weapons in this country and the willingness of a subset of Americans to pull the trigger at the slightest provocation.
This reality is in no way unique to downtown Sacramento.
My office has been working closely with our new Police Chief Kathy Lester, and I have confidence in her leadership as she presses ahead with her strategy to target hotspots in our city where most gun violence occurs, to get dangerous weapons off the street, and to partner with community-based organizations to intervene with people who are likely to become shooters or gun violence victims now or in the future.
As it relates to the Central City, I would like to share some of the specific investments we have made in the past six months to prevent violence and to respond quickly and effectively if it occurs.
We have increased our minimum patrol staffing on Saturdays, and our bike officers now work until 3 a.m. on weekends. Officers in the entertainment unit are also working until 3 a.m., focusing on hotspots in downtown and midtown. Additional officers have now been directed to patrol parking lots near nightclubs to make sure they aren’t used by people getting in fights or engaging in illegal activity. And an additional funding allocation from City Council pays for two foot patrol officers every day to respond to relatively low-level complaints and proactively walk through Old Sacramento and the downtown core, checking in with businesses and heading off problems.
We have also continued to add police cameras (Or PODS) throughout the Central City. Two have been installed at 10 and J streets and 12th and K streets since April. We now have 43 PODs in the Central City, and additional units will be coming to Old Sacramento and downtown in the coming months through a $5 million allocation of federal American Rescue Plan funding from the City Council. This money is also paying for increased lighting and private security in Old Sacramento and downtown.
Just last week, we launched an effort to beef up traffic enforcement in the Central City, and particularly to crack down on speeding and reckless driving.
When it comes to ensuring the safety of downtown visitors and patrons, our entertainment venues are a crucial partner. City Police and Code departments are working closely with them in an ongoing effort to make sure people don’t enter with weapons, don’t loiter outside the entrances and can exit and enter safely. This has been a collaborative effort, and most venues have been doing a good job. The City stands ready to fine or even revoke the licenses of venues that do not address persistent problems.
Thank you for taking the time to read more about what we’re doing. A thriving downtown is critical to the health of Sacramento, and I can assure you that it is one of my top priorities. We will continue to look for proactive strategies to prevent and respond to violence in our downtown and throughout our city.
Sincerely,
Mayor Darrell Steinberg
