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Developers looking for ways to reduce crime in Sacramento's alleys have grabbed onto an idea that will draw mounted police.

That idea is to provide places where horses can get water and hitch up securely for short periods. While that conjures up Old West visions of water troughs and hitching posts for many, — including developers who described them as such — the reality may be much more 21st century.

An ideal way to provide water would be a small fountain or water feature such as the small Native American drum fountain at City Hall, said Sacramento police Sgt. Chris Taylor.

The idea is to make alleys more charming and useful, he said.

"Right now, our alleys — they're kind of no-man's land," Taylor said. "It's almost like we've made a social decision that we're willing to give them over to the miscreants and the bad guys.

"As a community, we don't strive to make them beautiful spaces where people want to be," he said. "If you change that and make them spaces where people want to socialize and do things that contribute to the community, then it will be a safer place because the bad guys will feel uncomfortable in the alley."

Taylor, who heads the Police Department's Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design program, made a list of suggestions to make developed alleys safer.

Horse-friendly facilities are just one recommendation. The right lighting and more windows are two more.

Rather than flood alleys with a lot of overhead lights, Taylor suggests installing vandal-proof, heavy-duty footlights in pavement to create pedestrian-level light and eliminate hiding spaces.

"Some people think the more light you put in a space, the safer it is," he said. "What I'm talking about is a nice, even light that doesn't create harsh shadows. People can drop back into those shadows and think about committing a crime."

He also suggests that builders add windows that face alleys.

"If you look at our downtown, buildings are appropriately built to face the street," he said. "The back of the building was the alley. The front was much more heavily windowed.

"Buildings were built without a lot of opportunities for people inside to look out at the alleys," Taylor said. "I've encouraged them to consider adding widows to the alley side, so people in structures have more opportunity to look into the alleys. If (criminals) see a lot of windows, they're going to be less likely to commit a crime because they don't know who's watching."

For horses, Taylor recommends water features without high walls so horses can reach the water.

A place to hitch horses could be as simple as a ring secured to a concrete building or a metal decorative sculpture that could double as a bike rack, he said.

Design plans being considered for two pilot alleys stretching from 17th to 19th streets between L Street and Capitol Avenue would include public and private space. Horse-friendly features likely would go in private space on the property line, said Taylor and Stacia Cosgrove, a senior planner for the city.

Funding would come from private donations, not from money for public infrastructure, Cosgrove said.

California Highway Patrol's mounted officers are as likely to use the facilities as the city's mounted unit, said Taylor, who spoke to members of the CHP unit.

Mounted police officers would clean up after their horses in the alleys, Taylor said. The officers already clean horse droppings in Old Sacramento and anywhere pedestrians may go, said Sgt. Sherry Bell, who leads the Mounted Police Unit.

Mounted police can serve several purposes in alleys. They can be a deterrent just by being there, but in a way that builds community and evokes Sacramento's roots, Cosgrove said.

"If the police were to have a presence on an alley, to have them idle in a patrol car is not as warm and approachable as an officer on horseback," she said. "I think it would be a nice way to draw the community closer together."

Taylor said he was surprised alley developers have embraced features for horses. He's made the same recommendations to other developers, but the idea didn't get far — partly because their projects were further along, Taylor said.

"These people who are working on the alleys liked the idea and scooped it up," he said.

Photo by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.