Sacramento police will increase patrols every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night starting at 10 p.m. while reassuring visitors and businesses that Old Sacramento remains a safe destination.
Five men were stabbed during a violent fight around 3 a.m. on Saturday, July 26, near Front Street and K Street in Old Sacramento. Three victims were found at the scene, each with at least one stab wound; two more victims were later located at area hospitals, with all five in stable condition.
The stabbing prompted an aggressive police and private security response.
The Downtown Sacramento Partnership expanded private security patrols, with HQ Security doubling its staffing and patrol coverage in Old Sacramento on Friday and Saturday nights.
Michael Ault, 58, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, framed the urgency bluntly.
“It’s become a destination, for some reason, late at night. We need to put a stop to that and be very clear: enough is enough down here.”
Sacramento police will implement nighttime traffic restrictions throughout Old Sacramento, with several streets becoming pedestrian-only after 10 p.m.
Aaron Zeff, CEO of HQ Security, described the company’s expanded deployment model.
“We flood the zone on weekend nights and keep at least two patrol cars and a supervisor on duty during the day, with daily patrols focused on J, K and L streets, DOCO and Old Sacramento.”
Zeff called the rollout “a modernization of security and a collaboration with all agencies in the city that has never been accomplished before,” and said officers carry only less-lethal tools while prioritizing referrals and de-escalation.
Visitors to the historic district welcomed the enhanced presence.
“I appreciate what they’re doing. I think it might help to reduce [violence] because there are more police and more checking or anything that’s going on over here so that’s going to help for sure,” said one visitor, identified as Timilsina.
Another visitor from Stockton echoed that sentiment.
“I think it would be a smart idea. It is a little cluster when it comes to all these cars so I can totally get it,” Tayondee Kelley said of the vehicle restrictions.
Sacramento police see the partnership as a way to triage lower-priority calls so officers can stay focused on urgent public-safety work.
Captain Robert Young of the Sacramento Police Department noted the practical benefits.
“Having those extra patrols down there, they can triage a lot of stuff that maybe doesn’t meet the priority level of a full police response by a police officer,” Young said.
Sacramento Police spokesperson Allison Smith said the goal is to “mitigate any future violence that might come,” and city leaders say the added enforcement is intended to ensure last weekend’s stabbing does not become the norm in one of Sacramento’s most popular tourist destinations.
The earlier private security expansion had already shown results.
Business owners and downtown leaders say the stepped-up patrols have already changed the day-to-day vibe and helped move encampments away from private storefronts.
Michael Ault said feedback from local business owners was that they appreciated the work to boost economic engagement, new lighting and marketing for downtown, but at the end of the day it was crime and blight that have been impacting their bottom line for years. “We really need to see more emphasis in the way of public safety, maintenance, security,” said Ault, noting that DSP invested $1 million into their clean and safe initiatives downtown, including the ramped-up private security patrols.
In the viral moment late last Saturday, the Sacramento Police Department responded to reports of an assault with a weapon near Front Street and K Street in Old Sacramento just after 3 a.m., finding three victims on scene, each with at least one stab wound. All five victims were reported in stable condition as of Saturday morning, and police detained three people as “people of interest” in the incident while working to determine if they should be arrested as suspects. Two men, age 18 and 19, have been arrested in connection with the stabbings.
HQ Security data shows calls to Sacramento Police 911 have gone down since HQ started patrolling, though Captain Young argues that is not always a perfect indicator of less crime, but could point to more preventative action taking place. However, the overall trend is positive when it comes to violent crime and property crimes. “Our crime is down not only in the downtown area, but citywide as a whole,” said Young.
Ault emphasized that Old Sacramento’s role in the city’s identity made the response necessary.
“Old Sacramento is an iconic destination and part of this city’s identity,” Ault said.
A new traffic management plan from the Sacramento Police Department and Downtown Sacramento Partnership takes effect Friday, July 31, restricting vehicle access in part of the historic district during late-night hours.