Kaylan Martin, Director of Corporate Relations
“We are because we belong to each other.” — Desmond Tutu
Safety has never been the responsibility of one institution alone. It is created or diminished by the choices we make together.
When people think about public safety, they often think about emergency response or law enforcement. But long before a crisis occurs, safety is being shaped by hundreds of everyday decisions, many of which happen outside the criminal legal system: The design of a neighborhood; The lighting around a shopping center; Access to reliable transportation; Safe routes to school; Local employment opportunities; Parks that invite families to gather; Businesses that invest in the communities where their employees and customers live.
These are not separate from public safety — they help create it.
How Safety and Business are Connected
Research continues to show that community conditions influence both the perception and reality of safety. Well-maintained public spaces, thoughtful environmental design, and vibrant commercial corridors encourage activity, strengthen neighborhood connections, and contribute to safer communities.
For businesses, these conditions matter. Employees commute through neighborhoods. Customers choose where they shop. Supply chains depend on thriving communities. Companies succeed when the places around them are healthy, connected, and resilient. That is why safety is no longer solely a public-sector conversation. It is increasingly a business conversation, a community conversation, and a shared responsibility.
An Opportunity for Corporations to Strengthen Community Wellbeing
At the Center for Policing Equity (CPE), we believe data is a vital tool for unearthing these systemic connections. Our work equips local governments, grassroots organizers, researchers, and institutional partners with the data needed to identify operational patterns, measure civic impact, and co-design strategies that build real community wellbeing. This data-driven approach opens a unique door for the private sector to engage differently.
Today, CPE proudly collaborates with a dynamic network of corporate, civic, and community trailblazers — including AIR, Microsoft, Dodge & Cox, Uber, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office. Together, we deploy evidence-informed frameworks that reshape public safety, rebuild institutional trust, and cultivate resilient neighborhoods.
If your team is exploring how data analytics, cross-sector alignment, employee wellbeing, or place-based investments can foster stronger communities, we welcome the opportunity to connect. Whether through strategic philanthropy, collaborative research, shared thought leadership, or participation in our emerging Corporate Council, your organization can directly partner with CPE to operationalize equity.
Rather than simply asking, “How do we react to safety challenges?” we challenge leaders to ask, “How do we actively co-create the conditions where safety can flourish?” Because safer communities benefit everyone. And building them is everybody’s business.