Six localities will receive funding from the Office of the Attorney General for community-based gun violence prevention programs.
Roanoke, Petersburg, Newport News, Norfolk, Hampton and Richmond have all entered into Memoranda of Understanding with OAG. Under the terms of the MOUs, each locality will receive $300,000 from the office that will be used to implement data-informed violence reduction initiatives and programming in their communities.
“Too many of our communities in Virginia know the devastating effects of gun violence and the ripple effect it can. Gun violence isn’t just the mass shootings, but more often it’s the single shootings and acts of violence that can have lasting implications for families and communities” Attorney General Mark Herring said.
“Community-based intervention and prevention initiatives have proven to be effective in reducing gun violence, and I’m looking forward to seeing what these communities are able to accomplish. The only way we truly be able to put a stop to gun violence in our communities is if we all work together and invest in the right programs for every locality.”
The localities have already begun to do their own community assessments to better inform these data-driven initiatives and programs they will put this funding towards. Each community faces their own unique set of issues, which is why the localities will decide which strategies would be best to combat the issues in their own communities, and with support or technical assistance from the Office of Attorney General.
Previous violence reduction efforts led by Attorney General Herring’s office have shown significant results in Richmond and Norfolk. A multiyear gun violence reduction project in Norfolk saw a 19 percent reduction in violent crimes and a 25 percent reduction in homicides. Additionally, two phases of a similar campaign in Richmond contributed to a 50 percent decrease in homicides, and an average decrease of 30 percent in violent crimes in priority neighborhoods.
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