NEWBURGH – The City of Newburgh Group Violence Intervention collaborative held its third Group Violence Intervention call-in at Orange County Community College this week. The Group Violence Intervention strategy is a national model utilized by many large cities across the country.
Newburgh is the smallest jurisdiction in which the model is being used.
The strategy focuses on the small percentage of the population that is committing the majority of the violence. Those likely to cause violence or who are at risk for being victimized by violence are called in to hear a message. The attendees are then tasked with repeating that message when they leave.
The message simply states that if they or the people they associate with cause violence they will have the undivided attention of a law enforcement collaborative consisting of the City of Newburgh Police, Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Orange County Probation, NYS Parole, United States Attorney’s Office, FBI, and ATF.
What follows the message is an offer of assistance that is led by Catholic Charities who has coordinated a team of service providers to provide assistance to those who need it. During the call-in, recent law enforcement operations were discussed as an example of the collaborative keeping the promise that we will focus our attention on those who choose to cause violence.
Eleven people were called in to listen to speakers from the Police Department, District Attorney’s Office, United States Attorney’s Office, a mother who lost her son to violence, an ex-convict who has reformed, and a pastor.
The strategy is not limited to the call-ins. There is a daily team effort that is utilizing the National Network For Safe Communities’ Group Violence Intervention program to address violence in the city.
