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Attorney General Eric Holder Launches National Violence Reduction Network to Combat Violent Crime
Violent crime has reached epidemic proportions in cities across the United States. In a desperate bid to stem the tide, Attorney General Eric Holder has launched the Violence Reduction Network (VRN), a comprehensive approach to reduce violent crime in communities around the country.
Speaking at the VRN summit, Attorney General Holder said, "This new ‘all-hands’ approach to curbing endemic violence is founded on the recognition that our efforts are most effective when all criminal justice leaders stand united." He emphasized that while violent crime is a fundamentally local problem, it cannot be solved by any one community in isolation.
The VRN will provide intensive training and cutting-edge technical assistance to local officials and law enforcement executives in each of the partner communities. This support will empower them to advance anti-violence strategies and access a broad spectrum of Justice Department resources. The partnering cities announced today are Camden, New Jersey; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Oakland/Richmond, California; and Wilmington, Delaware.
Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason said, "Through our partnerships with local leaders and practitioners and the wide range of resources we have available to address America’s public safety challenges, the DOJ is putting its full support behind violence reduction efforts in these five cities."
The launch of VRN is a result of the Obama administration’s continuing efforts to address violence in communities across the country. Nearly a year ago, President Obama convened a meeting at the White House with 18 mayors to discuss strategies for reducing youth violence.
Representatives from VRN partner federal agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the United States Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Executive Office of the United States Attorneys, the Community Oriented Policing Services Office, the Office on Violence Against Women and the Office of Justice Programs.
Even with reports of national violent crime decreasing, in too many communities, crime rates have remained unacceptably high, particularly in areas where social ills like poverty, unemployment, and a lack of opportunity lead to tragic circumstances in which systemic violence can easily take root.
The VRN summit’s agenda is dedicated to collaborative working sessions analyzing each city’s violence challenges and discussing the variety of department resources available to address the issues. Following the summit, the department will work with police chiefs and city leaders, along with leading criminal justice researchers and practitioners, to develop effective approaches to accomplishing each city’s violence reduction strategies.
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Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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