Safety In Numbers
Partnerships can help police fill staffing gaps
By Jeff Harris
July 2025
How safe do you feel in Sacramento?
Speaking with citizens and elected officials, the consensus is city government doesn’t adequately address public safety. This isn’t the city it used to be.
While few people are victims of major felonies, many are harmed by thefts, burglaries, verbal and physical confrontations, and auto accidents. Often police don’t respond because the department is short staffed.
“Budget decreases and vacant position eliminations in the police department, combined with union negotiations that have increased wages and benefits means that the number of sworn officers is decreasing,” Police Chief Kathy Lester says. “This leads to an increased workload for officers, slower response times and an increase in overtime hours.”
Not a good recipe for a functional police force.
The police department has reacted to a dwindling budget by using more technology and fewer officers to staff patrol efforts. It has implemented FUSES, a public safety camera network with feeds available in patrol cars to aid officers with real-time information.
Now a new model is developing that I believe will help get Sacramento police back on track in dealing with low-level offenses and make the department better equipped to handle major crimes.
It’s a public-private collaboration between private security companies and police. Beverly Hills uses private security firms to supplement enforcement by giving actionable intelligence to police. That means faster response times and more arrests.
Think of it as a neighborhood watch on steroids, staffed with trained professionals who use technology to watch for problems in business districts and neighborhoods.
I spent time with a new local company called Community Oriented Patrol and Security. The firm is designed to help address difficulties Downtown businesses face due to transients, drug- and alcohol-related crimes, and retail theft.
The company uses drones with infrared capability, body cams, automobile cameras and advanced communications to keep eyes on clients’ properties. The command center is impressive. They know where the problems are.
These are not rent-a-cops. The staff is trained, professional and knowledgeable. They aren’t police and don’t act like cops. They don’t make arrests.
But I saw how they can gather and give police excellent information to prevent unlawful activities. The jobs are excellent training opportunities for people considering careers in public safety. The business is growing.
I asked Chief Lester and District Attorney Thien Ho about this collaborative approach.
“I agree that a private-public collaboration could be huge,” Lester says. “Some cities do a better job when it comes to working with their private partners as far as sharing information internally. You’ve got to be really careful with that.”
These relationships take time to build. But the effort will reduce crime and make everyone safer.
Ho says, “The Sacramento Police Department does the best job possible with limited resources, but a public-private collaboration can be very valuable in addressing lower-level, non-violent crime.”
The North Area police captain told me officers work extremely well with the security team at Arden Fair Mall. The model is productive, the collaboration mutually beneficial. Trust has been established with strong communications. Crime is reduced.
Is there a downside? Only that the cost of private service is carried by businesses and organizations that hire them, and those clients already pay taxes to support police.
The City Council faces tough decisions with budget deficits forecast for the next five years. More cuts to city departments and staff are inevitable. That makes alternative modes of delivering vital public safety services more important.
Jeff Harris represented District 3 on City Council from 2014 to 2022. He can be reached at cadence@mycci.net. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
