IACP Track

Innovative Partnership: How Law Enforcement Enhance Community Violence Intervention Strategies

Location: D225/226, KBHCC

Aqeela Sherrills

Senior Advisor
Alliance for Safety, United States
Brian O'Hara

Director of Public Safety
City of Newark, NJ, United States
Tamara D. Herold, Ph.D.

Associate Professor & Graduate Director
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, United States
Solomon Middleton Williams

Deputy Director
Newark Community Street Team (NCST)

In response to surges in violence around the United States and conversations on public safety, many communities are investing in community violence interventions (CVI) such as violence interruption, street outreach, hospital-based violence interruption, and group violence interventions. Evidence-based CVI programs have been shown to reduce homicides by as much as 60 percent by leveraging trusted messengers who work directly with individuals most likely to commit gun violence; intervene in conflicts; and connect people to social, health and wellness, and economic services. As communities consider implementing CVI programs, it is essential to highlight that CVI strategies can complement law enforcement efforts as part of a comprehensive public safety strategy.