Midtown Neighborhood Association

Neighborhood Safety

Sac PD has a daily activity feature on their website. To see major activity in our area click here!  Midtown is part of Central Command. For any given date, check the next day - it takes PD about 24 hours to log the days activities. 

Also, check out the Home Burglary Prevention Guide & Personal Safety Guide  from the Sacramento Police Department. Excellent resource on crime prevention.  

Sac City 311 lets residents request services, report problems or get information from the City. 311 is a single point of contact for City services. Operators  handle requests for building permits, stray animal reports, utilities services, etc. Customer service agents are available 24 hours a day, including weekends & holidays. 

 Please light up your block - Light is the most cost effective crime deterrent available. Turn on your outside fixtures. Many people don't have timers or dusk to dawn sensors on their outdoor fixtures so they don't turn them on. Check out these CFL light sensors that go right on the base of the bulb. The are a dusk to dawn that turns the bulb off during the day. They've been on the market for a couple years and are about $10 available at most hardware stores. These are amazing little devices.

Graffiti 

Graffiti is an onoging problem. When it occurs:   

1. Photograph and report     2. Remove immediately

"Broken Windows Theory" says that ignoring seemingly little problems -- graffiti, litter, shattered glass -- creates a perception of an area in decline which then attracts elements that perpetuate neighborhood decline. It is critical to report and remove graffiti ASAP.  

Prevention: Add exterior lighting. CFL or LED bulbs use little power - the more light on your block and in the alley the better. Many blocks and alleys lack sufficient lighting. Use your exterior fixtures and add some if needed. If you have a SMUD pole on your property you might be able to add a SMUD 'nightlight' through the SMUD Security Lighting Program. The montly fee is low and often well worth the investment. See the SMUD flyer.

As an example - in 2008 Sac PD caught three juveniles who inflicted heavy damage in Midtown. Only a few property owners filed reports so the result was that the District Attorney obtained only a minor sentence for these repeat offenders.

If a property owner/ manager is not timely in removing graffiti, report them. The city levy's fines on owners who do not remove it.  Enforcement on private property is a lengthy due process but do report. Dumpster and trash bin tags are very common. Some neighbors paint the dumpsters in their alleys themselves.   

You can attach digital photos to the online complaint form.  graffiti complaint form

Code Enforcement

The City has adopted Codes (laws) to address blight and nuisances to maintain a clean environment for all. The City of Sacramento does this by working in partnership with the people of Sacramento.

Code Enforcement seeks to keep a safe living & working environment through enforcement to correct violations of codes and land use requirements.

Code Violation Complaint Form

online code complaint form

If your complaint is about reporting for graffiti abatement and enforcement, please use the

graffiti complaint form

The Police department also allows you to file crime reports online: Not all crimes are suitable for online reporting: Read the how to page. The link to the form is at the bottom of the how-to page.

filing crime reports online

Midtown Streetlights 

Currently, Midtown streetlighting is piecemeal and incomplete. Help us urge Councilmember Steve Hansen to help us finish lighting our streets and alleys. See the section on graffiti above on how individual property owners and tenants can do their part to light our streets and alleys.  

Weed Abatement

Vacant overgrown lots pose an urban fire hazzard. If you have a vacant lot in your area that is overgrown please contact the Sacramento Fire Department. They handle weed abatement on vacant lots. Tall, dry weeds on private property are considered a fire hazard. Call the Fire Department’s Weed Abatement Section at 916-808-5417