City officials are considering a consultant’s advice on how to reduce violent crimes in the city as they digest new information that such violence has dropped more than 80% in the past year. The consulting firm recommended in a report on Wednesday that Salem leaders directly contact young people at risk of being involved in violence to provide personal help. City officials should also prioritize alerting underserved residents about social services that address root causes of violent crime, such as unstable housing, mental health issues and gang involvement, according to the report. The recommendations are part of a joint effort which Salem-area law enforcement agencies are calling the “Community Violence Reduction Initiative.” The work is intended to scale back what had been escalating deadly violence in the capital city with the help of community organizations and service providers.  The Salem Police Department on Wednesday also published its own report describing its recent violence prevention work as well as a drop in violent crime this year. Early data for 2024 shows that Salem’s violent crime rate is declining after a steady increase over 10 years, according to Salem police’s report.  The agency said “no definitive causal link can yet be established” between its violence reduction work and crime statistics. But fatal shootings this year have dropped by 40% compared with 2023, and shootings leaving people injured are down 82%, according to the report, which did not provide specific numbers. The Oakland-based consulting firm, Empower Initiative, said implementing its recommendations could result in fewer young people being shot or killed as well as an overall reduction in Salem’s violent crime. The organization also said in its report that Salem residents could regain a sense of safety in public spaces, heal from trauma caused by violence, and build trust among each other and with law enforcement. “This could mean fewer lives lost and a safer environment for young people vulnerable to gang violence,” the report said. “Parents will feel safer letting their children play outside, and businesses can thrive without the shadow of violence looming over them.” Here are the consultant’s key recommendations: Make Salem residents aware of services that address causes of violent crime, such as issues related to housing, mental health, food security and employment. Bring together people such as faith leaders, police, crime victims, former offenders, service providers and business owners to meet with at-risk young people for a caring, but firm intervention. Resume efforts to hire a manager to coordinate the city’s violence reduction work. The recommendations bring a broad approach instead of relying on arrests and police investigations alone to cut crime. The reports didn’t identify how much the recommendations would cost. They come as the city of Salem is facing a projected $18 million budget deficit in 2025. Absent new sources of revenue, deep cuts across city departments will be needed to balance the budget. Salem police recently applied for several grants, including $2 million of federal funding for violence reduction work such as the violence coordinator position, two police officers, training and data analysis. Salem Police Chief Womack and the consulting firm’s CEO and co-founder, Ben McBride, will present their findings and plans at a Salem City Council work session on Monday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m. READ IT: Consultant’s recommendations READ IT: Salem police’s plans to reduce violence The advice comes a year after a city report showed that local shootings had doubled over five years and were largely concentrated in northeast Salem. The report also documented a growing number of shootings involving minors as both the shooters and the victims. The city has since held five public meetings, including two in Spanish, intended to plan ways to reduce violence. Around 500 people attended in total. Local law enforcement agencies this past summer boosted vehicle and foot patrols in high-risk areas, including neighborhoods and parks in northeast Salem and downtown. Salem police said much of their summer efforts required overtime work, which cost around $39,000. A group of participants, including Salem Police Chief, Trevor Womack, discuss solutions to community violence against the unhoused during a city-hosted Community Violence Reduction Initiative meeting at the Catholic Community Services building in Salem on July 19 (Joe Siess/Salem Reporter) Spreading awareness about services Perpetrators of gun violence are mostly young men who have faced “economic hardship, lack of access to education and systemic inequality,” the consulting group’s report said. Unstable housing, mental health issues, food insecurity and unemployment can contribute violence. Many people in Salem, particularly underserved communities such as Spanish speakers, are unaware of social services that address those problems, according to the report. The firm recommended assigning an employee in the Salem City Manager’s Office to coordinate a program dedicated to making Salem residents aware of such resources. They would share information between the city, service providers and the community. The employee should create a resource guide in multiple languages, produce an outreach campaign including radio advertisements in Spanish, and train community leaders such as from neighborhood associations and faith groups how to educate people about services, the report said. Checking in with at-risk people The consulting group recommended that community stakeholders directly contact people at the highest risk of committing or being victims of violence and then meet with them as a group. Stakeholders could include faith leaders, law enforcement, victims of violence, formerly incarcerated people, service providers and businesses. The approach is intended to broadly represent the community, with law enforcement making consequence clear, and community leaders helping connect at-risk people with services they need. What the report referred to as the “call-in” approach is intended to provide both accountability and help to steer people away from violence. That could include helping people find employment or getting them access to social services, such as mental health care, substance abuse treatment and housing. Rather than relying on those at-risk to call a hotline or reach out for help, community stakeholders would reach out to them proactively. “The call-in meeting offers a clear message: the community deeply cares about these individuals’ well-being and is ready to offer comprehensive support, but continued violence will not be tolerated,” according to the firm’s report. Schools, faith groups, neighborhood organizations and families can identify and invite people to participate who are vulnerable to violence. The consultant said many high-risk people pursue illegal ways of making money because they see no other options for making a living. “Second-chance job placements,” the report said, allow people with criminal records to find stable employment, which provides both financial security and a sense of belonging. They said business networks such as the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce would be a valuable asset in providing such employment opportunities. The firm recommended appointing an employee in the city manager’s office to create the call-in strategy, and develop criteria to identify and help people at the highest risk of violence while “ensuring the process avoids any form of identity profiling.”  The report also suggested that “credible messengers” such as former offenders, faith leaders or community activists reach out to vulnerable people to connect them with state services to reduce their vulnerability. “These messengers are uniquely positioned to understand the dynamics of violence and effectively communicate the consequences of continued involvement, offering immediate alternatives and support services. Through these conversations, at-risk individuals can be alerted to the dangers of escalating conflicts and presented with a personal strategy to avoid violence,” according to the report. The report said that city leaders should test the ideas in one neighborhood or high-risk group before expanding to others. During the public meetings earlier this year, Salem residents who attended said the community needs after-school and late-night programs that provide “a safe and structured environment” with positive activities for youth, the report said. That would reduce the amount of time that teens spend unsupervised and put them at a lower risk of being exposed to violence and drugs. Parents also described a need for bilingual parenting classes “to help them better guide their teens, especially when dealing with issues like drug use, gangs, and mental health,” according to the report. “Many parents work long hours and cannot afford childcare, leaving their children home alone and vulnerable to negative influences.” Those who attended the meetings also said that more services are needed to intervene in the lives of young people who are legally adults and at risk of engaging in violence. That would include preventing gang involvement and addressing mental health crises, the consultant said. “Many (young adults) are still developing cognitively and emotionally. The community needs intervention resources tailored to this age group that consider their developmental stages and help them make better life decisions,” according to the report. Pastor Ronnie Brooks of To God Be the Glory Church led a group in prayer before they walked peacefully in a 1.5-mile loop together through the North Lancaster neighborhood with the intention of building community trust and reducing violence on Aug. 29 (Joe Siess/Salem Reporter) Other proposed solutions The consultant suggested that Salem officials resume trying to hire a manager to help with violence reduction efforts. The city intended to fill the new position this past spring, but recruitment efforts fizzled out after ending up with no viable candidate. Meantime, the group said that the violence reduction work should be co-led for the next year by Levi Herrera-Lopez, executive director of Mano a Mano, a nonprofit serving mostly farmworker and Latino families, and Kyle Dickinson, incoming executive director of the Salem Leadership Foundation, which encourages local churches to get involved in the Salem community. In recent months, several community organizations have also organized peaceful night walks, a tactic introduced during the public meetings this past spring and summer focused on violence reduction. Both the consulting group and Salem police advocated in their reports for continuing the night walks.  Addressing a room of local business and education leaders at a Nov. 7 gathering, Womack, the Salem police chief, said the city needs to find ways to increase community presence in areas at high risk for violence. He cited the recent neighborhood peace walks, as well as efforts by parents surrounding Northgate Park to host regular gatherings there, as two examples of successful efforts. “There’s huge value in what may seem like a simple night walk,” he said. Larger community efforts to address shootings are ongoing and will take more time, he said. Womack said the police department will continue to arrest and hold people accountable after shootings. But his vision is to be proactive, stopping violence before it happens instead of relying on arrests and jail. “That’s after the fact. We want to get ahead of this problem. We want to less rely on the criminal justice system to solve this problem,” he said. RELATED COVERAGE: After listening for months, city sets to work on anti-violence strategy  Salem police outline violence reduction work to begin this summer Salem shootings doubled, teen violence tripled in recent years, report finds Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post Consultant says personal outreach, dedicated staff needed to reduce violence in Salem appeared first on Salem Reporter.