City of Davis

In order for crime to occur, three elements must be present: desire, ability and opportunity.

The main objective of Crime Prevention is to reduce the opportunity for crime and victimization. The Crime Prevention Unit reduces the opportunity for crime by providing programs and information to the Davis community. Currently, the Crime Prevention Unit consists of three full-time employees that perform the following functions:

• Neighborhood Watch Facilitation
• Crime Free Multi-Housing Facilitation
• Crime Analysis

Importantly, the Crime Prevention Unit is firmly rooted in the Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) philosophy. In short, COPPS is a policing philosophy that brings police and citizens together to prevent crime and solve neighborhood problems. With Community Policing, the emphasis is on stopping crime before it happens, not responding to calls for service after the crime has occurred. The Community Policing philosophy is constant; it doesn’t vary by police department, though how it is realized may change frequently.

The Crime Prevention Unit fits into the COPPS philosophy by interfacing with the Davis community through its programs and informing the community through analytical reporting. In providing these resources, the Crime Prevention Unit aims to share the responsibility for social order with the community and work cooperatively to identify pro-active community-wide solutions to emerging or existing problems.

Want To Learn More About COPPS?

Please visit the following links for more information about COPPS, and the successes attributed to its implementation in police departments nation-wide:

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

COPPS Inovations: Problem Solving Partnerships (.pdf)

COPPS Resource Information Center: Publications, Training, and Tools