Austin City Council Passes Resolution To Help Violence Prevention

Austin TX

07 May, 2021

2:00 PM

Description

AUSTIN, TX —Austin City Council has approved a resolution to expedite the development and implementation of community violence prevention and intervention programs. The resolution item was passed by council on Thursday and will direct the city manager to expedite the development and implementation of community violence prevention and intervention programs this fiscal year and to present options to increase funding for such programs in 2021-2022. The resolution was sponsored by city council member Greg Casar and co-sponsored by Mayor Pro Tem Natasha Harper-Madison and council members Alison Alter, Kathie Tovo, and Sabino "Pio" Renteria. "Cities across the country have reduced their homicide rates using violence prevention programs, and it's time for Austin to do the same," Casar said. "We need violence intervention workers in our neighborhoods to prevent gun violence in the first place." Graph courtesy of Jeff Asher at AH Datalytics Last summer, the Gun Violence Task Force released a report highlighting goals for the City of Austin, and the council directed funding toward these goals during the reimagining public safety budget process. According to the Giffords Law Center, these prevention and intervention programs have reduced homicides by 30-60 percent in other cities. While homicide rates have increased across the country, Austin still has a very low homicide rate compared to other large cities in the state, according to FBI data. Officials said the rate is far lower than in Austin's previous history.