Washington, D.C. — A new Center for American Progress report outlines six evidence-informed, nonlegislative strategies city and county officials can implement to reduce gun violence. The strategies draw from successful programs piloted in cities and states around the country. The report recommends that officials:
- Invest in community-based, civilian-led strategies and create a government infrastructure capable of coordinating and supporting them. By establishing an office of violence prevention, local leaders can improve coordination and strategic direction for community-led violence reduction plans and provide support for the broader ecosystem of public health and safety. Investing in these local offices alongside community violence intervention programs has allowed cities such as Baltimore, Milwaukee, and Chicago to bring an all-hands-on-deck approach to community safety in partnership with residents, community organizations, and city stakeholders.
- Improve police strategies and just accountability for serious crime. Local leaders should adopt nonlegislative strategies capable of improving responses to serious crime, enhancing accountability measures that provide justice for those harmed, and helping those caught in cycles of violence rehabilitate and change behavior. Examples of this are seen in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Denver.
- Support survivors of crime. Investing in trauma recovery centers (TRC) is a promising way for cities to connect crime survivors with wraparound services. While TRCs may vary in design, these centers are typically comprehensive, trauma-informed, and culturally relevant, working to address the many needs of crime survivors, particularly those from underserved communities and communities of color who often are unable to access traditional support services.
- Invest in programs to increase economic and youth opportunity. By connecting communities to labor markets and providing support to individuals at the highest risk of violence involvement, city leaders can empower residents, reduce elevated rates of gun violence, and help address a number of public health and quality of life concerns, without exacerbating the harms of the criminal legal system. This can be done through subsidized employment programs seen in cities such as Chicago and Boston.
- Tailor solutions to community needs through improved data collection and sharing. At a minimum, these data should include all nonfatal and fatal gunshot reports, crime gun trace data, and other relevant reports of criminal gun activity—including theft of firearms—broken down by firearm type, geographic and demographic information, and victim-perpetrator relationship. By supporting data collection related to community violence intervention programming and other public health services, cities can help secure future funding opportunities and empower affected communities to take the lead in creating community safety. Examples of this are seen in Newark, New Jersey, and Milwaukee.
- Build better local infrastructure to coordinate a wide range of community organizations and government agencies. Community safety is not just the absence of violence; it also requires investments in the conditions and programs that facilitate stability and foster well-being. Given the concentrated nature of gun violence within cities and counties, strategies focusing on investing in the most affected neighborhoods can be pivotal for long-term community revitalization. Examples of this are seen in Philadelphia and Milwaukee.
“The cost of gun violence is borne by families forever mourning the loss of their loved ones, survivors forced to live with lifelong physical and psychological injuries, students who are scared to attend school, frontline workers who carry secondary trauma, communities held in cycles of trauma, and many more who live with the constant fear of firearm victimization,” said Allison Jordan, policy analyst for Gun Violence Prevention at CAP. “In order to achieve real change, leaders must adopt an approach to community safety that balances more effective and targeted accountability with strategies to prevent violence altogether.”
Read the report: “6 Ways Cities and Counties Can Reduce Gun Violence” by Allison Jordan
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Jasmine Razeghi at [email protected]