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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGVPC Minutes 02.20.24Gun Violence Prevention Commission Minutes Tuesday, February 20, 2024 City Manager’s Conference Room 215 Church Ave. Suite 364 Roanoke, VA 24011 1. Joe Cobb, chair, called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. 2. Roll Call a. Commissioners Present: Eric Anderson, Joe Cobb, Kathy Cohen, Tim Harvey, Amy Hodge, Catherine Koebel Stromberg, Shakira Williams. b. City Staff: Angela O’Brien, Laura Carini c. Roanoke Police Department: Chief Scott Booth, Deputy Chief Jerry Stokes, Captain Jennifer Boswell, Lloyd Merchant d. Media: Emma Coleman, Roanoke Times e. Other: Frank Rogers, Alan Messano, Callie Messano 3. Approval of Minutes from January 16, 2024. Minutes adopted (Catherine Koebel Stromberg, motion; Amy Hodge, second). 4. Vice Mayor Cobb welcomed new Commissioners Rev. Amy Hodge and Dr. Catherine Koebel Stromberg, and reported the appointment of Jared Rose to the Commission. Rabbi Kathy Cohen and Rev. Tim Harvey were reappointed for a second three-year term. 5. Old Business: a. Gun Violence Community Assessment. The window for participation/interviews ends on Friday, February 23. Elite Business Strategies continues to work with Roanoke City Public Schools for consent to distribute survey to RCPS students. b. 2023 What’s Good, Roanoke Campaign update. The website has had approximately 9,000 total visitors; averaging 50-100 daily visits. Tommy Page of NuFocus Media is conducting community interviews to be featured on the website. c. Working Group reports. i. Education and Research: meets monthly on the second Friday at 10:00 a.m. The committee is Eric Anderson, Tim Harvey (chair), and Catherine Koebel Stromberg. Reports have been heard from Deputy Chief Stokes on RPD policing strategies and from Dr. Koebel on the correlation between gun availability and incidents of homicide/suicide. ii. Community and Neighborhood Engagement: Amy Hodge and Jared Rose will be added to this committee. iii. Grants and Fund Development: no report. d. 2024 Gun Violence Prevention Commission Grants Update. All but two MOU’s have been signed; there are compliance/eligibility questions to be resolved with the remaining two. Checks should be delivered by Friday, February 23. 6. New Business a. 2023 Year-end Data Report from RPD. Report was distributed with the agenda. Discussion focused on two events in 2024. The city went 45 days without a homicide. YTD there have been two incidents and one homicide. RPD is addressing the circumstances that led to the downtown club shooting with both club management and with Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control. b. GVI Program Coordinator Update. RPD and the City Manager’s office applied for grant money to fund this position. The two-year grant will allow hiring of a program coordinator to work with GVPC, RPD, RESET, and non-profits in efforts to reduce gun violence. The person will work out of the City Manager’s office for the duration of the grant, tasked with developing and implementing funding strategies and overall strategic planning. c. Group Violence Intervention Program Update. Captain Boswell described the “Lock in safety, unlock hope” gun lock program. 10,000 gun locks have been purchased with ARPA funds that will be available through Parks and Rec, libraries, and Department of Social Services. Messaging will include the importance of gun locks to prevent accidental shootings, lower suicide risk, and prevent unauthorized access to the firearm. A video series will be developed to communicate the messaging. Non-profits will be able to request gun locks. 7. Reports a. Roanoke Police Department Community Engagement. Chief Booth described a recent downtown walk to meet with business owners and residents, as well as a meeting with the downtown apartment managers. Several spring break activities are being planned for City youth. Further discussion involved how quickly FEDUP might learn the identity of a homicide victim, so that they can provide resources to the victim’s family. b. RESET. Lloyd merchant reported on four January deployments and how city residents are more willing to engage with the RESET team and share concerns and other needs they have, as well as a large and growing team. Updates on the Teen Apprentice Program and the Mentorship program were also provided. 8. The meeting was adjourned at 6:55 p.m.