Darkness in Davis: Police say added lighting not necessary after stabbings
DAVIS — The series of violent attacks in Davis have some people calling on the city to improve safety by adding more lighting.
All three stabbings happened at night, and business leaders say they want to brighten up the downtown area. But not everyone's convinced that more light will actually cut back on crime.
"This is shaking our city at a different level than we're used to," said Brett Maresca, the executive director of Davis Downtown.
Maresca represents the 600 downtown business owners.
"We have been trying to get more lighting in areas that might be of issue with safety," he said.
But Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel says there's no need for more lights.
"I don't have any recommendations right now," the chief said.
Pytel said making areas brighter can actually increase crime.
"Crime requires light, and so when you have dark areas, people need to use flashlights in order to be able to see," he said. "Flashlights stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of the night."
Darkness in Davis has been a political hot topic for decades. In 1998, the city passed a dark sky ordinance designed to prevent light pollution from interfering with star-gazing.
"You don't want to have light going up into the sky," said UC Davis lighting expert Michael Siminovitch."This doesn't do anything in terms of increasing safety."
Siminovitch agrees that too much light can create crime problems, but he says a proper balance can help keep people safe.
"The issue we're facing today, you really want to be able to see down a street, or walkway, or parking lot," he said.
Just this January, volunteers at UC Davis conducted a lighting safety survey on campus looking to fix burnt-out bulbs and dark areas that could create a hazard.
"Generally, this makes for a safer more secure environment," Siminovitch said. "People feel safer."
Businesses are looking for grant money to add additional lights, saying brighter streets will help bring people back downtown.
"With the recent events, this might be excellent timing to put more money into something like this to make downtown Davis safe," Maresca said.
Downtown Davis business leaders will be meeting with the police chief and other officers Thursday to discuss lighting and other crime prevention efforts.