Barrios Seguros/Safe Neighborhoods: An Inclusive Approach to Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention

The Tucson, Arizona, Police Department (TPD) is pursuing the CVIPI grant to expand and enhance their community violence intervention (CVI) efforts, building a focused deterrence strategy initially led and coordinated by TPD, but eventually run by nonprofit Homicide Survivors, Inc. (HSI), which gives voice to victims of violence and prevents future violence through focused street outreach. TPD will partner with other government agencies and nonprofits to use all available tools to deter potential offenders from committing violent crimes, while at the same time offering social services, such as help finding jobs or housing. The proposed program will use much of the collective problem-solving infrastructure already in place at TPD through the creation of the SSIB, its specialized units addressing mental health, substance misuse, and homelessness, and its Place Network Investigations Board, but will also develop new programs with community partners impacted by violence.

TPD and its subrecipients, HSI and research partners from the University of Arizona (U of A), seek to reduce violent crimes by expanding CVI activities. The goal is to implement a focused deterrence model using social network analysis to identify those at highest risk of violent offending. The CVI Board will then coordinate call-in sessions with these individuals, presenting them with a choice: 1) swift and certain justice for future offenses; or 2) opportunities and help turning their life around. Community focus groups will help develop the process and criteria for measuring success and the U of A research partners will evaluate both.

Expected outcomes include: (1) improving public health and safety resources available to at-risk community members; (2) improving community perceptions of empowerment and ownership of public safety in their own community; (3) reducing violent crime; (4) growing capacity of community partners to successfully manage CVI programming; and (5) TPD transitioning from leading CVI efforts to being a contributing member of the CVI Board but not leading non-law enforcement CVI efforts.

TPD is seeking priority consideration under areas 1A, 2, and 3. Blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans in Tucson are disproportionately affected by violent crime relative to their share of the population as captured in the most recent census (pages 2-3 of Narrative). Tucson also has a high and increasing level of homicides per capita (pages 1-2 of Narrative). TPD has numerous existing partnerships with multidisciplinary stakeholders and team members, as demonstrated by numerous letters of commitment (page 7 of Narrative, Appendix D).