Partners to Reduce Gun Violence

Partners to Reduce Gun Violence

Operation Ceasefire- Boston set the example of this program.  This was created to combat an increasing amount of violence related to guns.  Much of this violence was gang related.  The city collaborated with prosecutors and others to combat this issue.  The police and prosecutors set up meetings with known gang members.  The gang members were apprised of the law and threatened with prosecution if the city did not see a decline in gang related gun violence.  Gang members were forced to sign a pact that the violence would cease and they would “forswear the possession of guns and ammunition (Worrall, J, 2008).”  According to statistics this operation was a success.



Federal State Partnerships

Project Exile -As a result of enhanced gun-related homicide in Richmond, VA in 1994 a team coordinated effort was put in place by contributions from individuals to create a three-pronged approach to gun violence. The first prong consisted on a federal approach to gun violence.  The federal laws allowed for tougher penalties and sentences for those convicted of gun related crimes.  The second prong consisted of a coordinated effort from local, state and federal law enforcement and prosecutors to combat the homicide rates.  The third prong consisted out involving the community and promoting a media campaign to get the message out to criminals that the gun violence was not going to be tolerated.  According to statistical data the homicide rates dropped 57% so the program was a success.  The rates of conviction also rose 75%.  The police were also able to seize and take approximately 1000 guns off the street.

Texas Exile- Texas followed suit and put into place Virginia’s Project Exile Model during the year 2000.The high levels of re-offenders and incidences of violent crime prompted Texas to initiate this strategy.  The Texas Exile strategy consisted of creating a collaboration between” the Criminal Justice Division of the Governor’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office, district and county attorneys, the local U.S. Attorney’s office, local and state law enforcement agencies and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms(Worrall, J.L., 2008).” They incorporated community outreach and funded a public awareness program.  The campaign had the slogan of “Gun Crime Means Hard Time” which was promoted through advertisements and local media attention. It had a fairly successful rate of lowering crime.  There were 1500 indictments, 1000 convictions, 2000 guns taken off the streets, tougher sentences and more federal prosecutions.



Washington’s Firearm Crime Enforcement Coalition-Program implemented in 1999 to combat the increase in juvenile firearms crimes and an increase in firearms prosecutions seen in Seattle, Washington.  Face operated in collaboration with the” King County Sheriff’s Office, King County Prosecutor’s Office, Washington State Crime Lab, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Washington Fish and Game and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (Worrall, J. L., 2008).”   The programs two key elements were to have a coordinated prosecution of gun violence and increased supervision and monitoring of repeat offenders.  The goals they had were to speed the processing of firearms cases by law enforcement and prosecutors, to increase effectiveness of criminal prosecutions, to identify armed career criminal cases for federal prosecution, to increase cooperation and the exchange of information between agencies and to improve the quality of police reports and investigations.  There is no concrete evidence that this program has worked but due to the collaborative efforts between various agencies it is hard to say that is has had no effect.



Project Safe Neighborhoods -Designed to promote interagency coordination to find new ways to deal with gun violence.  It uses a five pronged approach to gun violence.  Partnerships (multiagency collaborations), strategic planning (taking a proactive approach by crime mapping, identifying hotspots, tracing and enacting enforcement techniques), training (coordinating training and cross training), outreach (campaigning the message and using various sources to promote the stance) and accountability (measuring the success based upon outcome) along with their elements were used to reduce gun violence.  This was done by networking existing agencies and programs and providing them with additional tools necessary to be successful.

Cross-Designation -permits a local prosecutor to act as an uncompensated U.S Attorney.  This program allows local prosecutors the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the much more punitive federal gun laws.  It is a local-federal approach to reduce gun violence.

Victim Assistance-This is a way for prosecutors to have the victims be involved in the case.  The thinking behind this is that a ‘satisfied victim is a person who is likely to be cooperative in the future and likely to assist authorities in responding to crime (Worrall, J. L., 2008).”  This program allows for victims services.  It also allows for victims to play an integral part of the sentencing phase of a case by being allowed to provide a victim impact statement.  They can also be involved in the parole process of an offender.

Community Prosecution-this is a program similar to community policing.  The goal is to have a working relationship with the individuals and communities in which they serve.  They hope to collaborate and identify immediate and specific crime problems.  It is connected to the broken windows idea that low level offenses should be targeted to discourage more serious crimes.

My top three strategic approaches would be the ones with proven track records of success that deal with the most serious of crimes and offenders.  I would want to choose them based upon success rates of prosecution, lowered crime statistics and positive outcome for the communities they were enacted in.  As a result of these main criteria I would select to enact the Texas Exile Program, Project Exile and Operation Ceasefire initiatives.

RESOURCES

Worrall, John L. Crime Control in America: What Works? Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2008. Print.