“As we begin our implementation of the strategies mentioned here, we’re asking for the community’s support because we need a truly collective and collaborative effort to be able to make a significant and sustainable impact on reducing the gun violence inn the area, and to ultimately make our community safer,” Caleb Perkins, who serves as Clark County’s gun violence prevention coordinator, told city leaders.
To address Springfield’s gun violence problem, Perkins said the group plans to implement four strategies:
- Coordinate with existing programs to establish at-risk mentoring for youths and young adults,
- Develop a violence interrupter program to engage at-risk individuals and mediate conflicts,
- Design a youth center to be a safe space for youth and provide additional services,
- Create pathways of communication and collaboration to get the community involved in the services.
Credit: Jessica Orozco
Credit: Jessica Orozco
Perkins was hired as part of an alliance formed by the city, Springfield City Schools, the Clark County Combined Health District, OIC, the Mental Health and Recovery Board, Community Health Foundation, Springfield Foundation, Clark County Juvenile Court and NAACP designed to address juvenile violence.
Perkins said that the group, along with Case Western Reserve University, collected and analyzed data from agencies like the Springfield Police Division, the Clark County Dispatch Center and the Clark County Combined Health District for a community assessment.
In terms of gun violence offenders, the 18-24 age group was followed by 25-30, 31-26 and 14-17.
A heat map identified areas of the city in which there were the most shots-fired calls from 2023 to 2024, as well as firearms-related arrests from December 2020 to January 2024. Perkins said the highest concentrations were in census tracts 3, 12 and 13 — all areas in southeast Springfield.
The group has identified some other potential partners for the future. Commissioner Tracey Tackett said it’s important to work with organizations and people already doing some of the things the violence prevention group wants to do, saying there is “no need to reinvent the wheel.”
Assistant Mayor Dave Estrop lauded the group’s effort.
“It’s going to take more than just city government to make an impact, a positive impact on this issue,” Estrop said.
OIC received a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice and created the violence prevention coordinator position to lead a three-year effort to develop, implement, coordinate and enhance community programs intended to reduce gun violence in Springfield.
Case Western Reserve University is also doing research in conjunction with the grant and will compare similar communities to identify successful approaches to reducing gun violence so that recommendations can follow to help address Springfield’s gun violence issues.
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