PHILADELPHIA - Mayor Jim Kenney and other city leaders announced the progress of their gun violence intervention program on Tuesday.
City workers, law enforcement officials, and volunteers came up with a program that targets gang and group violence. The program, which launched in August 2020, is an evidence-based approach to gun violence.The program's creation is based on the premise that only about 0.5 of one percent of the city’s population may be linked to 60 to 70 percent of shootings and homicides.Program Director, Deion Sumpter, says they track social media activity and meet weekly with law enforcement and other partners to discuss those very individuals and how to approach them.
On Saturdays, two or three teams deploy with a list of roughly 12 individuals to speak with."When we're out there, we knock on doors.
If someone comes to the door, we engage them, and we don't turn our backs on anyone," said Sumpter.Each team is paired with program social service providers, two police officers, a representative from the District Attorney’s Office, and often volunteers.MORE HEADLINES Cherie Ryans is one of the many women involved.