The Violence Must Stop: Implementing Toledo’s Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (TCIRV)

• In Event: Posters II

Abstract

Preventing gun violence has proven difficult for policymakers in the United States. In 2005, the FBI reported that the national rate for homicide had increased by 5 percent, while smaller cities provided an increase as high as 12.5 percent. Academic researchers have suggested that the increased rate may be attributed to a resurgence of urban gang violence and the availability of firearms (Johnson, 2006). The Toledo Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (TCIRV) began in April 2012 as an effort to reduce violence in the city. Modeled after the Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV), TCIRV has organized law enforcement agencies (local, state, and federal levels), social service providers, and the community to establish a robust deterrence strategy to reduce gun violence and homicides. This research summarizes the effectiveness of TCIRV, using data from the Toledo Police Department (TPD).

Authors

• Tara Elizabeth Butler, University of Toledo

• Kasey A. Tucker-Gail, University of Toledo

• David Lilley, University of Toledo

• Megan C. Stewart, University of Toledo