The National Network's approach has attracted significant media attention over twenty years. This page features the most recent coverage of our work and a searchable archive of media about the National Network's projects around the nation and abroad.
The National Network convenes regular conferences, working sessions and webinars to discuss and promote developments in its core areas of operation, showcase innovations, and set research and development priorities.
John Jay College and the District Attorney of New York are announcing the launch of a national prosecutorial think tank designed to answer that very question. The Institute for Innovation in Prosecution (IIP) will seize upon this unique moment to reimagine the role of the prosecutor in a reformed, 21st-century justice system.
"In a 20-minute speech Tuesday, new Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald touted the importance of community policing. It was clear that the 44-year-old, most recently police chief in Allentown, Pa., is serious about that approach."
"FBI agents join with area cops to the fight the violence in Rockford. They're helping start what's called the Safe Streets Task Force. The program is new to Rockford, but not the FBI. The agency uses this tool as a way to help local law enforcement go after violent criminals who are causing problems on the streets."
"The issues of street violence, as well as police brutality and community unrest are nothing new in America, however with the omnipresence of cell phone cameras, these problems are more visible than ever before. Professor David M. Kennedy, director of the National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY talks with Bob Herbert about the root causes of these issues, and what can, and is being done to bring about change."
"Before 2011 ended, the return of the Wild West to a city that had boasted of taming its streets brought a new police chief to town, a new commitment to community policing—and, eventually a new approach to addressing gang violence in cooperation with state and federal law-enforcement agencies."
MARKESHIA RICKS
John Jay College, Manhattan District Attorney aim to improve understanding of key law enforcers.
An op-ed by David Kennedy discusses what's fair and what works in violence prevention.
"Way out near the end of the 3 line, at the Hope Christian Center on the corner of Pennsylvania and New Lots Aves., 15 cops sat stiffly on little folding chairs in the bank branch turned church, waiting to hear what 20 black and Hispanic boys and men with them in the bare third-floor meeting room would have to say."
"The High Point Police Department’s initiative to deter domestic violence is grabbing the attention of law enforcement across the nation, and even the globe."
"Reports of domestic violence are on the rise in Los Angeles, yet L.A. spends a substantially smaller share of its budget than other big cities on services to help victims, and it lacks a coordinated approach to ensure that the little funding it does commit is spent wisely."
"The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) awarded the City of New Orleans Health Department three grants totaling over $500,000 to further the department’s efforts to create a healthier quality of life for New Orleans residents through violence prevention."
"Law enforcement officials believe they know who is responsible for much of the gun violence and serious crime currently plaguing the city of Erie. Officials now plan to meet with those offenders, to let them know that their behavior will no longer be tolerated -- and there will be serious consequences if they continue to break the law."
"We must strengthen ourselves. We must seek out members of our community who are considering violence, and persuade them to go another direction. We must spotlight the total cost of a flying bullet. We must reinvigorate methods that we know reduce crime and detour potential shooters."
"As local law enforcement officials prepared for another call-in Wednesday night in the Don’t Shoot anti-violence initiative, the area’s top prosecutors say two rounds of federal indictments under the program have yielded results..."
"As summer waned in recent weeks, bringing to an end what is often the most violent season of the year, New York City officials tallied 239 people killed in homicides. Los Angeles police counted 201 killed in about the same period. But Chicago, whose population is dwarfed by both major coastal cities, saw a much more grim death toll, with 325 killed in homicides by Sept. 6."
John Oubre
"Two-and-a-half years after Baton Rouge launched a crime-fighting experiment aimed at convincing young gang members to walk away from their groups, 33 people have put down their weapons and embraced social services offered by law enforcement and community members, officials said."
"The Chattanooga Police Department will use $600,000 in grant money to hire social workers who will embed with officers, respond to calls and help victims through the trauma of a crime, according to police. nChief Fred Fletcher hopes the hires will fundamentally change the way officers support victims of crime and push the department to become more "victim-centered."
Kansas City Star editorial board expresses their support for the KC NoVA strategy, even in the face of difficult crime trends.
Gary Feuerberg/Epoch Times
"Much of what we have been doing, especially in the hard hit places, in the name of crime prevention, is in fact criminogenic. So, we should stop doing those things." Director David Kennedy contributes to a panel, and article, on the future of criminal justice reform and crime.
Op-Ed by Chief Jack Lumpkin and District Attorney Meg Heap promoting the start of Operation Ceasefire in Savannah.
Adrees Latif/Reuters
"Can Susan Herman repair the broken relationship between the New York Police Department and the city’s most disadvantaged residents?" Mark Obbie profiles Susan Herman and discusses the role of NYC Ceasefire in the city's new approach.
Director David Kennedy participates in a forum on the criminal justice and crime priorities for President Obama's remaining time in office.
"In the aftermath of the Ferguson, Missouri, incident and other highly visible force incidents, public trust and confidence in the police has been shattered in cities across the United States. As a result, many police departments have sought ways to restore police legitimacy through community policing initiatives, procedural justice training, and other strategies. In fact, many have turned to Chicago, Illinois, for direction, since the Chicago Police Department has been involved in such initiatives for several years. Yet surprisingly, the law enforcement community has no way to evaluate the success of these efforts. Are the police treating people respectfully or not? Is the department improving over time? How does one city compare with other cities?"
"The National Council on Crime and Delinquency has found that local strategies being used to reduce violence in Salinas may be working, as explained in an evaluation published this month. The Community Alliance for Safety and Peace, a coalition of Salinas organizations and leaders, was created in 2008 to address gang violence in the area with an initial focus on the Hebbron Heights neighborhood."
