Kansas City 'Call-In' Against Crime Debuts

It's Sunday so we're not going to be too skeptical.

And we'll just share this latest effort against local crime and the attempt to garner more cooperation with law enforcement by way of community outreach . . . Here's a note from the Jackson County Prosecutor's office we're sharing right now . . .

New violence-reduction effort organizes key step, a first "call-in"

SAVE KC, a new coalition of community partners, social service agencies and law enforcement, held its first “call-in” this evening in a Kansas City community space, inviting more than two dozen persons who are known to be associated with groups or gangs involved in violence.

After speakers at the call-in presented to the invitees, both shared a meal.

SAVE KC -- Stand Against Violence Everyone/Everywhere/Everyday -- is based on a focused deterrence model that has been proven in cities across the nation to reduce violence by delivering key messages at “call-ins” or smaller meetings. These messages were presented by community leaders to the invitees, who are known to be close to violence.

The messages include a genuine offer of services to improve their lives and a warning of the consequence of being associated with gun violence in the future. Speakers also discussed the high personal and community costs of violence and encouraged the attendees to choose alternative, more productive paths forward.

The speakers included community members who talked about losing a loved one to violence, Mayor Quinton Lucas and Police Chief Stacey Graves.

SAVE KC began meeting internally at the outset of 2024. This is the first call-in ever conducted by SAVE-KC. The program’s leaders have stressed that SAVE KC may use a familiar strategy, focused deterrence, but the SAVE KC coalition has meticulously developed a community-focused program designed to provide restorative support to individuals identified for assistance.

Members of the media were not allowed to attend the meeting, out of respect for these invitees.

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