Davis implements new safety measures for Picnic Day year after shooting
Davis will celebrate Picnic Day on Saturday, but this year, the annual event comes with sweeping new safety measures, tighter enforcement and lessons learned from last year's violence.
The heightened approach comes as UC Davis prepares to host its 112th Picnic Day, featuring more than 200 activities on campus. While the event is centered on campus, bringing an estimated 70,000 visitors to Davis, often doubling the city's population and stretching resources across the community.
Planning between the city and university has been underway since the day after last year's Picnic Day, when a shooting at Community Park, just blocks from campus, left three people injured. In response, both agencies have introduced major operational changes aimed at improving coordination and public safety.
Safety Enhancement Zones will continue during Picnic Day and within these zones, certain Municipal Code violations will carry increased fines during the event period. Alcohol-related violations, such as open container, public intoxication and furnishing alcohol to minors, will be strictly enforced.
This year, a spokesperson for the City of Davis told CBS Sacramento these zones have been expanded to three areas that make up most of Davis.
Signage with specific violations and fines is set up around campus and in busy parts of the city. The enforcement period begins Friday at 6 p.m. and runs through Sunday morning.
The Davis Police Department will double its staffing for the event, bringing in support from multiple regional partners from Roseville and Rocklin to Sacramento and Woodland. Additional traffic control measures, including barricades, will be in place to manage large crowds, and field resources will be positioned throughout the city to improve response times.
Enforcement is also expected to be more visible and proactive, according to Todd Henry, the Davis Police Chief.
City leaders have also taken a new step of prohibiting all special event permits on Picnic Day, a move intended to reduce congestion, limit overlapping crowds and allow emergency services to respond more effectively.
Additional safety measures include expanded fire department operations, activation of the city's Emergency Operations Center and the use of drones for real-time situational awareness. The city has also secured support from the Sacramento Regional Incident Management Team to assist with coordination throughout the day.
On campus, UC Davis Police will assist along the parade route within city limits, freeing up city officers to focus on calls for service and proactive enforcement. The parade route itself has been shortened slightly to improve efficiency. University officials have also been working with student organizations, including fraternity and sorority leaders, to reinforce expectations around responsible behavior.
Together, the city and university are promoting a "Shared Commitments for Safe Celebration" pledge, encouraging attendees to celebrate responsibly while respecting the community.
For longtime Davis resident Phyllis York, the changes reflect a noticeable shift in an event she has attended for more than six decades.
"I was a student and it was really a picnic day," York said.
Over the years, she watched it grow into a much larger event, one that now brings a surge of activity just steps from her home. Walk outside and she can see the campus where she once attended as a student.
In recent years, York says her perspective has changed.
"Recently, unfortunately, I think of craziness," she said.
Despite the added enforcement and evolving rules, York remains hopeful that the spirit of Picnic Day can endure.
"I think so," she said when asked if it could return to what she once loved. "I hope it gets back."