Safe Night Annual Reports

Summary of Testimony U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

In August 2021, Safe Night’s Executive Vice President, Master Police Officer Dimitrios Mastoras (Ret.), provided expert testimony to the Virginia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The Virginia Advisory Committee invited expert panelists to testify in an effort to better understand the impact of police oversight and accountability on civil rights in Virginia. The committee gathered information on several issues including the role of accountability structure; the effects of police contacts; and the use of force based on race, color, sex, disability, and national origin. MPO Mastoras spoke on various policing topics including community engagement, the co-production of community safety, police training, and the culture of police agencies. In June 2023, the Committee delivered a report, A Report to the Virginia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, with relevant findings. 

Proactive Engagement in Traffic Enforcement and Safety

The past several years have renewed calls for police reform, and communities are asking law enforcement to develop new strategies that have better outcomes for all. This report identifies viable concepts and recommendations that state and local law enforcement agencies can incorporate to enhance their traffic safety approaches. This report is made available through a partnership between Responsibility.org and Safe Night LLC.

Simsi Inc and Safe Night LLC are pleased to announce a new strategic partnership aimed at helping communities work collaboratively to address complex issues. Simsi is the only source for Risk Terrain Modeling (RTM) software to diagnose crime patterns, prioritize places in need, and coordinate resources for prevention. RTM provides a place-based approach to crime prevention, giving people in high-crime areas the opportunity to become partners in problem-solving. Safe Night assists communities in developing multidisciplinary and collaborative programs focused on the co-production of safety among municipal agencies and community stakeholders using the innovative Proactive Alliance relationship-based model.

Improving Night-time Safety and Vibrancy in Dallas, TX

In the summer of 2021, Responsibility.org recruited and sponsored Safe Night to bring their nightlife management model, A Safe Night Out, to the City of Dallas, Texas.

Responsibility.org selected the Safe Night team based on their years of experience and innovation in managing nightlife and implementing the first voluntary bar accreditation model in the U.S., the Arlington Restaurant Initiative (ARI) in Arlington, Virginia.Together with 24HourDallas, the Good Neighbor Initiative is setting the standard for safety in the City of Dallas.

The Need for Relationship-Based Policing

Safe Night's MPO Dimitrios Mastoras (Ret.) challenges law enforcement to consider evidence-based concepts from other disciplines, such as counseling therapy. The article calls on law enforcement to move beyond traditional outreach of community policing and develop individual relationships with hard-to-reach community stakeholders who are being impacted most by crime and disorder. 

Solving Complex Crime Requires Community Relationships

While law enforcement has increasingly acknowledged that improving trust and building relationships with communities are key to successful policing, the skills necessary to establish those relationships are often overlooked in police training or dismissed as ‘common sense’; Safe Night's Master Police Officer Dimitrios Mastoras (Ret.) argues that structured training for officers in building relationships with stakeholders could deliver significant benefits for both policing and the public.

Proactive Alliance: Combining Policing and Counseling Psychology

This article describes Proactive Alliance, an innovative training program that draws from criminological theory and evidence-based principles in counseling psychology to teach police officers specific, immediately applicable techniques to establish rapport and long-term working relationships with community stakeholders. 

Resource Guide to Improve Safety and Economic Viability in the Hospitality Industry

This Safe Night resource guide is meant to inform and support restaurant and bar owners in developing and implementing relevant, effective employee standards, policies, and training in an effort to reduce liability when hiring new employees and welcoming back returning staff.

Productive and Proactive

Proactive Alliance is helping agencies change the culture of policing by applying counseling concepts.

Proactive Alliance: The Ethos of Broken Windows

The Proactive Alliance policing concept was featured in an article published by IACP Police Chief magazine.

The Arlington Restaurant Initiative: A Nightlife Policing Strategy to Improve Safety and Economic Viability

Safe Night's Dimitrios (Jim) Mastoras authored a  US DOJ COPS Office Toolkit called The Arlington Restaurant Initiative: A Nightlife Policing Strategy to Improve Safety and Economic Viability. The publication was released to assist other municipalities incorporate the relationship-based approach to managing nightlife and improving safety.

OECD - OPSI Case StudyThe Arlington Restaurant Initiative (ARI) is a voluntary accreditation program which aims to increase safety and economic viability for restaurants and special events in Arlington County, VA.