Congressman Bobby Scott this morning presented the city with a check for $760,000 for violence reduction. The community project funds, secured by Congressman Scott, will be used for the city's Gun Violence and Violent Crime Reduction Initiative.
A large portion of the funds will specifically be used to enhance the Sheriff's Office's re-entry program efforts to reduce recidivism by providing access to secure, stable housing and reliable, safe transportation to citizens returning to the community after incarceration. Some of the funds will be used to strengthen the Police Department's technological infrastructure to combat crime, and to support the victims and witnesses of crime through relocation and safety assistance.
The Gun Violence and Violent Crime Reduction Initiative is a multi-layered, synergistic approach to gun violence reduction. It engages the modalities of collaboration, prevention, intervention, enforcement, reentry, community engagement, and outreach to prevent, intervene, and interrupt cycles of gun violence amongst youth and young adults between the ages of 13 and 24.