Research Reports

Reducing Crime in American Cities: An Opportunity to Lead

Share

The following article was originally published on January 26, 2017 by The Trace.

Police Groups to Trump: Here’s How You Can ‘Send in the Feds,’ and Actually Make a Dent in Urban Crime

Law enforcement leaders recommend more money for the ATF, stricter gun laws, and sharper focus on the "alarming recent trend of increasing homicides and shootings" in major U.S. cities.

By Miles Kohrman

A day after President Donald Trump threatened to “send in the feds” if Chicago can’t get a grip on its gun violence problem, a new report coauthored by two leading police groups reveals what many in the law enforcement community already know: that the majority of cities already receive federal assistance to combat violent crime, and that federal government resources and personnel are broadly welcomed at the local level.

The report, published by the Police Foundation, a nonprofit founded by law enforcement officials, and the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which represents police chiefs and sheriffs of the 68 largest law enforcement agencies in the nation, also includes a series of recommendations that puts it at odds with the gun lobby and its allies in Congress and the White House. The police groups call for an expansion of background checks to cover all gun purchases, a ban on high-capacity magazines, the repeal of a National Rifle Association-backed amendment that severely restricts the federal government’s ability to share data about guns used in crimes, and increased levels of federal funding for gun violence research.

The report also urges Congress to pass a federal gun-trafficking law that includes penalties for straw purchasing; an increase in the budget for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; and making investigation tools, like ballistic imaging, more widely available to local law enforcement.

About The Joyce Foundation

Joyce is a nonpartisan, private foundation that invests in evidence-informed public policies and strategies to advance racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation in the Great Lakes region.

Related Content

Webinar

Emerging Research into Concealed Carry Licensing

Researchers from The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions discussed two new research studies about the changing policy landscape regarding state concealed carry gun laws.

Grantee Spotlight

Collective Engagement for Community Peace: Understanding the Black & Brown Researchers Collective

We caught up recently with Dr. Buggs, one of the nation’s leading experts on community violence intervention and using anti-racist methods to reduce gun violence, about the status of the Collective and what’s to come.

Grantee
Black & Brown Researchers Collective

Webinar

Reimagining Public Safety: Community Listening Sessions with Black Communities and Defenders

A discussion on the report "Reimagining Public Safety: Community Listening Sessions with Black Communities and Defenders" which aims to help build sustainable public safety reforms formed on a responsiveness to community needs.

Webinar

Using Public Funding for Community Violence Intervention Strategies: Successes and Challenges

Panelists discussed new report "Coordinating Safety: Building and Sustaining Offices of Violence Prevention and Neighborhood Safety" which examines the current landscape of Offices of Violence Prevention and identifies policy recommendations.

Grantee Spotlight

Gun Violence Prevention Advocates Reflect on “Aspirational” Work During 11th Annual Vigil

In December 2023, Joyce grantee Newtown Action Alliance held it's 11th annual vigil. Hundreds of survivors, many carrying pictures of fallen loved ones, packed St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.

Grantee
Newtown Action Alliance

Webinar

Working with CDC’s National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)

Panelists presented NVDRS, discussed how NVDRS data was used in their work, and showcased how other researchers can access NVDRS for their own work through the Restricted Access Database, or RAD.

News

Justice Reform Convening Inspires Infinite Hope

Joyce hosted a first-of-its-kind convening of policing and public safety grantees. GVPJR Program Officer Dr. Quintin Williams shared his thoughts about the gathering and why, despite so many challenges in creating safer communities, he still has hope.

In The Media

'The Gun Machine': A podcast about how America was forged by the gun industry

Produced by WBUR and The Trace, the podcast looks into the history of the relationship between the gun industry and the U.S. government. 'The Gun Machine' debuts on Oct. 4, 2023.

Source
WBUR; The Trace