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Baltimore crime crisis: How about trying something that worked before?

Dan Rodricks

January 01, 2020 |

The Baltimore Sun |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

When Baltimore put the necessary resources behind a “call-in” program that intervenes with people likely to commit gun violence, from 2006 to 2012, homicides dropped by 30% and shootings by 40%. The program, which no longer is used in the city consistently enough or with sufficient resources, summons people on probation or parole for gun crimes. A panel of law enforcement, social workers, and community members pairs the threat of federal prosecution and imprisonment with social services to help people build a new life. This approach has been shown in many cities to be effective at reducing violence.

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The Company Behind America's Scariest School Shooter Drills

Sylvia Varnham O'Regan

December 13, 2019 |

The Trace |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

The ALICE Training Institute, a for-profit offering active shooter training, teaches participants to take a proactive approach to active shooters, differing from the long-held lock down approach. And while they’ve grown in popularity – the school security industry has grown to be worth $2.7 billion since Columbine – experts and school officials are questioning the approach’s efficacy and quality control. With constant debate and cultural shifts over who bears responsibility to prepare for and protect from shootings, parents are left wondering who or what will really keep their kids safe.

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The Sandy Hook Nonprofit Fighting Shootings by Fostering More Inclusive Schools

Amanda Loudin

December 11, 2019 |

The Trace |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Ellicott City, Maryland

Start With Hello, an initiative from the NGO Sandy Hook Promise, gives students the opportunity to diversify who they know and interact with in a long-term effort to prevent school violence and shootings. The program, funded by public and private grants, has spread to 11,600 schools across the United States, with each school also getting training on inclusivity. While an impact evaluation hasn't been finished, early studies show that those who participate in the program respond better to mental distress.

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Philly wants to bring back a version of an old strategy to fight gun violence. Specifics are pending.

Chris Palmer

December 06, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Starting in 2013, Philadelphia's focused deterrence program was credited with 35% fewer shootings in its targeted neighborhoods. The program featured "call-ins" where law-enforcement agencies would threaten potentially violent people with prosecution. On the flip side, they could receive services that help them establish a different lifestyle. As the program shifted away from the services "carrots," and was left only with the "stick," the program foundered. In 2019, the city sought to revive it as a "group violence intervention" program with a greater emphasis on services over law enforcement.

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This Baltimore anti-violence program courts youths most at risk of crime. ‘The alternative is death or jail.'

Jessica Anderson

November 26, 2019 |

The Baltimore Sun |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

In the first year of Baltimore's use of an anti-violence program for young men that has proven successful in Boston, the program successfully reached about half its targeted contacts, and from that group enrolled about 95, or just over 1%, in job training and education programs. Though extremely modest, the numbers indicate the challenges faced by a population in which several died, many got incarcerated, and many others resisted contact. The program, Roca, uses behavioral therapy to turn job training into life training. In Boston, large numbers get jobs and stay out of trouble long term.

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After positive results, Minneapolis looks to expand anti-violence program

Jessica Lee

November 18, 2019 |

MinnPost |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

About 40% fewer people were shot in gang-related disputes in Minneapolis during one interval in the first year of the city's Group Violence Intervention initiative. The program uses "call-ins" where people at high risk of shootings meet with law enforcement and other agencies. There they are offered incentives, including needed services, to stop the shootings. It also puts former gang members on the streets, without police involvement, to mediate disputes and counsel young men prone to violence. Based on the initial results, officials planned to expand the program to more parts of the city.

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The police experiment that changed what we know about foot patrol

Liz Tung

November 15, 2019 |

WHYY |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Of the three most notable experiments testing the effectiveness of police foot patrols at reducing crime, only one – the Philadelphia Foot Patrol Experiment – showed a significant reduction in violence, thanks to a three-month randomized controlled trial. By rethinking an old practice and infusing it with data-driven thinking about focusing on "hot spots," the Philadelphia brand of foot patrols debunked the myth that patrol might, at best, only improve community relations without having an effect on crime. But random car patrols, reacting mainly to radio calls, remains the dominant approach nationwide.

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How Baltimore CeaseFire Cuts Violence In Half

Jaisal Noor

October 17, 2019 |

The Real News Network |

Broadcast TV Programs |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

The Baltimore Ceasefire movement -- which asks community members to put away their guns for specific weekends -- began in 2017 when its organizers had enough of the gun violence in their city. Now, the ceasefire weekends, which happen 4 times a year, have resulted in 30-60% fewer gun-related deaths during designated weekends.

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Gun Investigators Cautiously Optimistic About New Fingerprint Technology

Ann Givens

October 11, 2019 |

The Trace |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: England, Loughborough

A collaboration between England’s Loughborough University, the UK’s Ministry of Defence, and a company called Foster + Freeman has led to a new technology that can pull fingerprints from shell casings. What was once a nearly impossible task, is showing promise, as police departments across the United States try out the new technology. That said, there are still some questions about its efficacy and ability to stand up as evidence in court.

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Gun Reform is on the Agenda. But Victims of Color Aren't.

Champe Barton

October 09, 2019 |

The Trace |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

With gun reform being a key legislative topic, the majority of time, energy, and resources have focused on preventing mass shootings, which amount to just 2-3% of gun-related homicides. The rest affect majority communities of color, which policy, lobbying, and reform efforts have largely ignored. Even with local violence-reduction efforts like Oakland’s LIVE FREE focused deterrence or a Chicago school’s focus on cognitive behavioral therapy showing impact, the allotted resources at the federal level continue to pass them by.

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