Explain the Youth Firearms Violence Initiative

Explain the Youth Firearms Violence Initiative

In recent times leading up to the year 1995, the rate of juveniles involved in crime and firearm violence was increasing. The exposure led to killings and the use of weapons to commit robberies with violence and other crimes (Dunworth, 2000). Further, these juveniles were committing these homicides themselves. Therefore, the Department of Justice developed a framework aimed at collaborating with local communities in different states to address this trend and reduce the number of crimes committed by juveniles with weapons.

The depart through its Community Oriented Policing Service (COPS) established the Youth Firearm Violence Initiative (YFVI) to combat the ever-increasing instances of juvenile firearm violence. Under this plan, the program offered up to one million dollars to ten cities that were participating in running interventions that used a community policing approach to reduce the number of violent firearms crimes executed by juveniles. The program was also designed to address gang-associated and drug-related crimes and incidences. The program reckoned that up to 1995, the rate of violent crimes carried out by young people had risen sharply at a period when violence associated with adult criminals was on the decline. Adult homicide rate during the period had declined by over twenty-five percent, but homicide associated with young people doubled and in some cases, tripled (Dunworth, 2000). Therefore, COPS hoped that through the initiative, these rates would reduce, and safer neighborhoods emerge as the juveniles would go through the interventions based on community policing model to fight effective solutions. The ten participating cities included Baltimore, Birmingham, Bridgeport, Cleveland, Inglewood, Milwaukee, Richmond, Salinas, San Antonio, and Seattle.

The program offered general program guidelines to the participating police departments. However, it requested them to develop action plans that mirrored local needs and interventions. These cities proposed and developed a mix of interventions and enforcement frameworks that included school-based and street-focused (Dunworth, 2000). Through the guidelines, they also developed and implemented prevention programs and information systems to enhance their efforts and attain their goals.

Selected Strategy and Tactics

The strategies and tactics suggested by the different departments in the participating cities focused on three critical facets; streets, communities, and schools. Further, every department utilized a geographical information system as well as analyzed crimes to enhance the three focus areas. Based on these strategies as well as tactics, one that looks effective is street-based activities, as this approach was implemented in the six sites highlighted in the report. For instance, in Baltimore City, this strategy comprised of having a violent crime flex team that carried out the surveillance, and gathered intelligence as well as implemented targeted enforcement activities. The activities also entailed having a team that enforced a curfew targeted at netting chronically truant juveniles (Dunworth, 2000).

In Cleveland, Ohio, the team developed a policing program in the residential areas with a high rate of violent crimes for ninety days. In Inglewood, the depart had a program that offered civil remedies to the members of gangs while a task force was created to deal with any violations of weapons. The department also had a STEP program or tactic which entailed using criminal sanctions on the street gangs. This tactic also had a task force that carried out enforcement on the streets. The department also had a probation officer who focused on members of gangs that were on probation. As such, the Inglewood street tactics allowed the city to use a raft of approaches to reduce crime and violence associated with weapons possessed or used by juveniles.  In Salinas, suppression of young people who commit violence with handguns as well as increased efforts to get firearms and track their source was effective in addressing the problem. In San Antonio, the department carried out the street arrest and formed a team that recovered weapons.