Would better policing reduce gun violence in Philly like it has in Camden?

Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

May 10, 2021 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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Response Location: United States, Camden, New Jersey

For a city like Philadelphia, with rising violence and a lack of community trust in the police, Camden and Newark serve as examples of the positive changes that come about when outside forces impose the kinds of reforms that the community seeks. After significant makeovers, both cities' police departments have earned greater trust by being more effective and less brutal. Crime is down and police use less force, including not a single police shooting in Newark in 2020. The lesson in both cities: community involvement in crime reduction is key, but better policing also must be a part of the response.

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Study Shows Gun Violence Program Working

Vicki Gonzalez

May 06, 2021 |

Capital Public Radio (Sacramento) |

Radio Talk Show |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Sacramento, California

Advance Peace mentors young people at risk of committing or suffering gun violence, guiding them through a "life map" process to exit street life and set goals for a safer, healthier future. The program, which started in Richmond and has expanded to other cities in California and beyond, contributed to a 22% decrease in gun homicides and assaults in an 18-month period. The decrease was 39% in the first targeted neighborhood. Mentoring includes linking youth to cognitive behavioral therapy, jobs, and field trips to expand their experiences. When they meet certain goals, they get paid a "life map allowance."

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How a US strategy is helping gang members in Malmö turn their lives around

Anne Grietje Franssen

April 29, 2021 |

The Local |

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Response Location: Sweden, Malmö

When drug-gang violence reached intolerable levels in Malmö in 2017, Swedish crime prevention officials traveled to New York for tips. There they learned about a gang violence intervention strategy in which gang members are summoned to a meeting with law enforcement, community, and social-services representatives. They are told about the harm they are causing, are offered help in changing their lifestyle, and are warned that they will be prosecuted otherwise. In Malmö since then, hundreds heard that message, dozens accepted the help, and violence dropped significantly year after year.

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Philly Under Fire Episode 4: A Fresh 24

Jo Piazza

April 29, 2021 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia's PowerCorpsPHL and a larger program it resembles, Chicago's CRED, spring from one reality: Young men prone to gun violence will readily leave street violence and the underground economy if offered the opportunity for a legitimate job. In Philly, the strategy worked even when the jobs barely pay minimum wage. When pay jumped $3 per hour, the rate at which program participants got arrested dropped from 8% to 3% immediately, versus the city average recidivism rate of about 50%. The programs also provide GED classes, trauma counseling, and other services meant to change lives permanently.

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What Dallas can learn from Oakland's experience in lowering violent crime

Krista M. Torralva

April 25, 2021 |

Dallas Morning News |

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Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

The "striking resemblance" between the gun violence problems of Oakland in 2012 and Dallas in 2020 argue in favor of Dallas' adoption of Oakland's Operation Ceasefire approach to violence reduction. By using a "focused deterrence" strategy of targeting people most at risk of committing or suffering violence, and offering services to change their lives' trajectory, Oakland saw six consecutive years of violence reductions, cutting gun violence rates in half. The program was disrupted by the pandemic, but its reliance on community resources and not just law enforcement is seen as a lasting effect.

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"Get In Front of the Beef"

Jo Piazza

April 22, 2021 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia's Cure Violence program uses violence interrupters whose street credibility can mediate disputes before they turn deadly. This program and a related group violence intervention program, focused deterrence, have been successful in certain neighborhoods. But the city's support has been inconsistent as competing priorities or lack of focus undercut the programs' effectiveness. Oakland's Ceasefire program provides an example of a long-term success in a marriage of law enforcement, community-led interventions, and data showing whom to target and what is working.

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Denver police are solving more nonfatal shootings with a new unit

Kelly Reinke

April 21, 2021 |

KUSA-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Denver police solve far more nonfatal shootings than in the past because they created a special detectives unit to centralize and prioritize such investigations. In its first year, the Firearm Assault Shoot Team (FAST) solved two-thirds of the 165 cases it investigated, up from about 25% in the past, when investigations were a lower priority and handled at the police district level. Police in Texas and Connecticut have expressed interest in modeling programs on FAST. Denver police hope more arrests mean fewer shootings, and fewer reasons people feel a need to carry guns in the first place.

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Berke attributes Chattanooga's drop in gang violence to Violence Reduction Initiative

Rosana Hughes

April 19, 2021 |

Chattanooga Times Free Press |

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Response Location: United States, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Seven years after the creation of Chattanooga's Violence Reduction Initiative, gang violence in the city is down by two-thirds even while other types of gun violence have increased. The program uses an approach called focused deterrence to target people suspected of being at highest risk of committing violence, offering them social services if they stop the violence. It got off to a slow start and has encountered numerous obstacles. But, while no formal evaluation proves that the initiative caused gang violence to decline, city officials believe that the correlation is no coincidence.

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No badges. No guns. Can violence interrupters help Minneapolis?

Martin Kuz

April 13, 2021 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

MinneapolUS puts unarmed community members on Minneapolis streets to prevent street violence, part of the city's effort to redirect resources from the police to other crime-prevention efforts. Four teams of 20 to 30 members, many of them former gang members and formerly incarcerated, have intervened in beatings and potential shootings. They use a public-health approach pioneered by the organization Cure Violence, which has proven effective in other cities.

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A teen's death by suicide with her father's gun divides a small Missouri town

Kaitlin Washburn

April 07, 2021 |

The Kansas City Star |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Sedalia, Missouri

Seven teen suicides in one county over a two-year span prompted residents whose lives were touched by suicide to form DeFeet, an educational and advocacy group devoted to the message that suicide is preventable. Thanks in part to its trainings, public speakers, support groups, public education campaigns, and advocacy for gun safety, local schools now screen all students for suicide risk starting in middle school. A local health clinic now screens all patients and credits DeFeet, named for its annual 5K memorial walk, with creating "an environment where we are not as afraid to talk about suicide."

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