TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Keith Stahley, City Manager
FROM: Trevor Womack, Chief of Police
SUBJECT:
title
Community Violence Reduction Initiative Policy Agenda
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
Result Area(s): Safe Community; Welcoming and Livable Community.
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SUMMARY:
summary
The report outlines the current efforts and future scope of work for the Community Violence Reduction Initiative <https://salempd.info/cvri>, including a description of the project and the work accomplished to date from the two-pronged community and law enforcement approach.
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ISSUE:
Informational report on the Community Violence Reduction Initiative.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Informational report only.
body
FACTS AND FINDINGS:
The Data
A recent analysis of shootings in Salem revealed the following:
• Salem’s 10-year average homicide rate is one to two times greater than the statewide average.
• Fatal and non-fatal injury shootings doubled over five years (2018-2022).
• Gang/group affiliation was identified in about half of the shootings.
• The number of gang/group members is relatively small, representing less than 0.01% of Salem’s population.
• Shootings are concentrated in smaller geographic areas, with about 65 percent occurring within five square miles or 11 percent of the city.
• Individual risk factors include criminal history, with many victims and shooters having multiple prior contacts, arrests, or convictions.
Strategy Development
Following the analysis, the police department initiated two concurrent efforts: (1) engaging residents in the development of a community-based prevention and intervention strategy; and (2) focused coordination of criminal justice partners on violence reduction.
The community engagement efforts involved a series of five meetings between the spring and summer of 2024 with nearly 500 people attending. Two of the meetings were presented in Spanish. Residents shared their experiences and provided input on possible solutions. These conversations also provided an opportunity to identify key stakeholders and partners.
The department also expanded its collaboration with law enforcement partners, including the Keizer Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, Juvenile Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
BACKGROUND:
In response to increased violence in Salem, the police department initiated the Community Violence Reduction Initiative (CVRI). The term “community violence” is used as referenced by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative, which reads,
Community violence generally happens outside the home in public spaces. Most community violence involves a relatively small number of people as victims or perpetrators, but its effects impact entire communities, eroding public health, causing economic disruption, and contributing to lasting individual and community traumas. Mitigation efforts typically focus on high-risk individuals, gun violence, specific violent crime problems, as well as the historical and structural challenges that often result in community violence.
To better understand the problem, a Gun Violence Problem Analysis (GVPA) was completed. A GVPA is a set of analytical exercises designed to support the implementation of violence reduction strategies; and is a research-based methodology used in several cities nationally.
On November 20, 2023, Salem’s GVPA report was presented and discussed during a joint City Council Work Session <https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/q91ineTMKmzaG> with the Marion County Board of Commissioners. The full GVPA is available online and a summary is attached to this staff report for ease of reference.
On November 20, 2023, Salem’s GVPA report was presented and discussed during a joint City Council Work Session <https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/q91ineTMKmzaG> with the Marion County Board of Commissioners. The full GVPA is available online and a summary is attached to this staff report for ease of reference.
Violence Reduction Recommendations
The GVPA identified several key strategies for reducing community violence. Research indicates substantial reductions can be achieved through collaborative partnerships and focused intervention strategies, often called "focused deterrence."
Focused deterrence is an intervention strategy directed toward high-risk groups and individuals. One example is the Group Violence Intervention (GVI) strategy. GVI involves an intervention meeting to directly, but respectfully, warn individuals of the potential consequences of violent behaviors and offer immediate resources and services to support positive behavioral change. The strategy combines access to services, legal consequences for violent criminal behavior, and support from community partners to monitor and encourage ongoing positive decision-making. Evidence strongly suggests GVI is a promising violence reduction strategy.
Salem's emerging GVI model leverages community and criminal justice system partnerships and collaboration to reduce the risk of violence in high-risk areas and for high-risk individuals.
Community Collaboration
In early 2024, the department engaged the services of consulting firm Empower Initiative to identify and develop community-based intervention and prevention programming. From March through August 2024, several community meetings were convened to (1) increase community awareness, (2) identify partners and stakeholders, and (3) solicit input for strategy development.
In March and April, the City of Salem led the first two community conversations in northeast Salem with approximately 200 people attending the first meeting. At the request of Hispanic residents from the areas most affected by violence the second meeting was entirely in Spanish. The more than 100 residents in attendance heard about the GVPA, shared their concerns, and provided feedback through breakout discussions and input cards. Hispanic resident and parent concerns centered on school safety, the lack of resources for affected youth and their families, and more access to information in Spanish. Collectively, participants from both meetings were united on the themes of neighborhood safety, increased police patrols, and partnerships with community and faith-based organizations to create programs and resources.
Empower Initiative engaged a “community working group” to plan and facilitate three meetings in July and August, as summarized in their attached report. The report synthesizes the information learned and includes recommended next steps related to community-based violence reduction strategies.
Empower Initiative’s report provided several top recommendations for Salem to create a sustainable, long-term violence prevention model in Salem. Recommendations include:
• Appoint a full-time City employee to help coordinate community resources and lead the initiative.
• Engage key stakeholders and build a coalition to spread awareness about resources.
• Expand partnerships to deepen the collaboration with key groups, including Spanish-speaking communities, schools, and youth programs.
Specific tactics were also suggested in the report as recognized, evidence-based approaches to reduce community violence:
• The “Call-In”
• Custom Notifications
• Night Walks
• Governance Strategy
Ben McBride of the Empower Initiative will present the report and take questions during the November 18, 2024, City Council Work Session.
Criminal Justice Partnerships
The Salem Police Department, in collaboration with law enforcement and community partners, continues to develop a focused deterrence model emphasizing risk reduction for the neighborhoods and individuals most likely to experience violent crime. Below are a few key strategies already in motion.
Summer Violence Prevention
Police and sheriff patrols were increased this summer in higher-risk areas, including neighborhoods and parks in northeast Salem and downtown. Officers worked to reduce the risk of shootings through positive community engagement and enforcement efforts.
Two officers were assigned twice weekly for five-hour shifts from late June through September, adding 300 patrol hours. Overall, officers made 466 positive community contacts, made five arrests, issued 30 warnings, and seized two illegal firearms.
Officers and deputies also partnered with Marion County Juvenile and Adult Community Corrections to provide oversight to at-risk individuals, including compliance visits. Teams also conducted foot patrols in the downtown corridor, contacting at-risk youth and young adults on probation or parole.
Given staffing limitations, much of the summer effort was staffed using overtime, costing approximately $39,000.
Area-based Risk Reduction
This strategy involves the use of data to focus patrols and special teams (and new partners as they develop) in the areas at highest risk for violence. Importantly, the strategy emphasizes a balanced approach that includes enforcement efforts alongside community engagement and crime prevention. The strategy is managed through a monthly “Intelligence Communication and Planning” (ICAP) meeting.
Person-based Risk Reduction
This strategy focuses criminal justice system and community resources on those at the highest risk of committing or being the victim of shootings. Partners attend regular meetings to share information and focus resources, conduct effective criminal investigations, and develop strategies for enforcement, prevention, or intervention. As community-based partnership develop, this process is also intended to make referrals to non-law enforcement service providers for effective prevention and intervention.
Youth Violence Prevention and Intervention
CVRI youth prevention and intervention work focuses on deflecting or diverting vulnerable youth away from the criminal justice system. The effort includes partnerships for youth-focused programming with organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club, the Kroc Center, and the YMCA. When appropriate, the strategy also involves coordination with partners through a long-standing multi-disciplinary threat assessment team.
Salem-Keizer Public Schools (SKPS) remains an active CVRI partner. In support of the initiative, SKPS recently announced increased school safety measures including the creation of a team of four specially trained staff who work exclusively with students who are beginning to engage in high-risk activities.
The police department sought and was recently awarded grant funding through the Department of Justice Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant which will support additional SKPS programming, offering youth more opportunities for personal growth, life skills and career development training, extracurricular activities, and mentoring.
Advanced Forensics
The department utilizes advanced forensics to enforce the illegal use, possession, manufacturing, and distribution of firearms. Federal partnerships connect the department to the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), which links crime guns across jurisdictions through ballistics evidence. Shootings involving the same offenders or guns can occur across jurisdictional boundaries, making this technology essential for connecting cases and solving gun crime. The department is one of only two regional hubs in Oregon for this type of ballistic evidence processing.
So far this year, staff have processed 1,136 expended shell casings through NIBIN, linking 142 crime guns.
Crime Gun Intelligence Center
The department is collaborating with the ATF to establish a new regional Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC). The multi-jurisdictional center will enhance real time information sharing, expand analytical capacity, and help connect incidents of community violence across different jurisdictions. The CGIC will strengthen the department’s ability to address gun-related crimes more effectively.
Technology
Through funding provided by recent Organized Retail Theft and the Project Safe Neighborhood grant awards, the department is expanding the use of Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology to solve crime and successfully prosecute violent offenders. ALPR technology helps to quickly identify or locate vehicles used in criminal activity. By establishing data-sharing agreements with surrounding agencies, the department is developing a regional ALPR network that will improve the ability to solve crimes quickly and effectively across jurisdictional boundaries.
Crime Analysis
The department needs more analytical capacity to drive effective crime reduction strategies. Through internal position adjustments, the department created a second Crime Analyst position without additional funding. Two analyst positions are insufficient, and the department will continue to explore funding options for additional staff and technology. As an example, the department sought $700,000 in funding through a federal FY2025 Community Initiated Project (CIP) Appropriations Request to add a crime analyst, two police officers, and related equipment and training. The award determination is pending.
Resource Needs
Effective violence reduction initiatives involve long-term approaches <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb4LeG101sk> that must be adequately resourced, actively managed, well-coordinated, and tailored to specific community needs. Ongoing funding is needed to ensure sustainability.
The department applied for several grants to help move the CVRI work forward, as summarized below. Notably, grants may provide funds to begin new programs, but one-time grant funding is not sustainable for staffing increases.
Department of Justice Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) Grant - $168,000 (Awarded)
Funds technology and training for investigators and crime analysts; and provides sub-grant awards to SKPS in support of youth prevention and intervention programs for at-risk youth with the Salem Keizer School District.
US Department of Justice Community Trust-Building Microgrant - $113,400
(Awarded)
Increases the department’s trust-building efforts by funding police-community procedural justice training session out in the community; allows for expert consultation services and development of program effectiveness measures.
US Government Congressional Appropriations - $700,000
(Pending)
Funds additional police department positions in support of CVRI; dependent on federal budget approval/adoption.
U.S. DOJ Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI <https://www.ojp.gov/program/cvipi>) - $2,000,000
(Pending)
Funds CVRI related work, including one full time Office of Violence Prevention position, two police officers, training, and data collection and analysis by research partners.
Governance and Management Structures
Several cities have created some version of an Office of Violence Prevention (OVP), typically outside of the police department, dedicated to developing and coordinating community- and government-based violence reduction efforts. Variations of an OVP exist throughout the country, including Oakland <https://www.oaklandca.gov/departments/violence-prevention> and Stockton <http://www.ci.stockton.ca.us/government/departments/manager/violprev.html> (CA), Portland <https://www.portland.gov/community-safety/ovp> (OR), and Albuquerque <https://www.cabq.gov/acs/violence-prevention-and-intervention/vip> (NM).
The City established a temporary “community violence intervention coordinator” position to facilitate initial cross-boundary collaborative efforts and explore the OVP concept. Two separate recruitments attracted multiple applications for the position, however, job offers were not accepted. Given current fiscal challenges and lack of sustainable funding for this position, the City has paused the recruitment effort.
Early Results
The community has responded positively to initial CVRI efforts. During the summer and fall of 2024, several night walks were organized by community partners throughout Salem. While community walks alone will not end violence, they can be an effective piece of a more comprehensive strategy.
Benefits of night walks include:
• Requires no City funding or personnel resources.
• Reduces risk of violence by increased positive presence in neighborhoods.
• Builds new relationships and a strengthened sense of community.
• Increases awareness, demonstrates community solidarity, and sends a message that violence is not acceptable.
Criminal justice partnerships are proving effective as well with multiple successful investigations leading to arrests and convictions of violent offenders. Recent examples include:
• Two men were arrested for shooting and assaulting two construction workers at a convenience store in late July. A verbal dispute in the parking lot escalated into gunfire inside the store, critically injuring the foreman. A co-worker who tried to assist was assaulted. The suspects, who ran into the nearby neighborhood, were apprehended by officers within minutes. Both were jailed on several charges, including attempted murder and first-degree assault.
• In August, an alert neighbor’s call to police concerning suspicious activity in the middle of the night at Hoover Park led to the arrest of four teens on weapons charges. The juveniles initially fled from police but were located blocks away. Officers seized two handguns in the car. Two of the teens, ages 14 and 16, had outstanding warrants.
• Detectives arrested a 19-year-old man on August 7 for shooting a 16-year-old in downtown Salem. Gunfire erupted on a Saturday night in July at the Pringle Parkade after a verbal dispute escalated between two groups of teens and young adults. The suspect was arrested on attempted murder and assault charges.
• In September 2024, Salem resident Jose Urbano pled guilty in federal court to multiple felony charges, including gun possession and drug distribution, stemming from a 2022 Salem Police Department investigation. He currently awaits sentencing and faces up to 70 months in federal prison. The conviction ends his long history of community violence in and around Salem.
• In early October, two men were arrested for their role in a July shooting incident that stemmed from a spontaneous dispute in a northeast Salem parking lot. The suspects, ages 33 and 25, were apprehended in River Road Park and a firearm was seized.
• On October 21, the Marion County District Attorney’s Office issued a press statement announcing the 275-month (22.9 years) prison sentence of 28-year-old Kenneth Felton for shootings he committed between 2021 and 2024. Charges included attempted murder, first-degree assault with a firearm, and second-degree assault constituting domestic violence.
While no definitive causal link can yet be established between current CVRI efforts and crime statistics, preliminary data indicates Salem’s violent crime rate is leveling off after a steady 10-year increase. Moreover, this year fatal shootings have decreased by 40% and non-fatal injury shootings have dropped by 82%, as compared to 2023.
Next Steps
To ensure next steps align with city and community needs and priorities, we look forward to the feedback from City Council and the Mayor’s Office to guide future community violence reduction efforts.
The police department will continue developing CVRI strategies in partnership with criminal justice and community-based organizations, to include:
• Seeking funding to support community-based and law enforcement resources, including centralized CVRI management.
• Continued engagement of residents through the Community Working Group.
• Designing and implementing a “call-in” structure.
• Continued development of a “focused deterrence” model that balances enforcement, intervention, and prevention efforts.
The release of a Marion County Gun Violence Problem Analysis is also expected soon, which will provide additional data to guide CVRI efforts in the region.
Trevor Womack
Chief of Police
Attachments:
1. Community Violence Reduction Initiative: Key Findings
2. Empower Initiative Listening Session Evaluation Report
3. CVI Implementation Checklist
4. CCJ - Violent Crime Work Group - 10 Essential Actions Summary