At our monthly Business Advocacy Committee meeting on April 4, 2024, the business community learned about Salem’s Community Violence Reduction Initiative, led by the City of Salem and the Salem Police Department.
Salem Chief of Police Trevor Womack shared eye-opening statistics from a recent gun violence report commissioned by the City, which shows a rise in shootings in recent years, broken down by area and the demographics of suspects and victims.
See a summary of the Community Violence Reduction Initiative here.
View the entire Gun Violence Problem Analysis report here.
The City’s next steps are to engage the community in public conversations, where it will gather ideas and strategies to build a plan that attacks the issue at its core and reduces future shooting incidents.
Our other panelists (Salem Mayor Chris Hoy, Marion County Sheriff Nick Hunter, Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson, and Polk County District Attorney Aaron Felton) also shared their perspectives and experiences with recent violent crime in the area and what their respective departments are working on in coordination with our communities and with the City of Salem.
Thank you to everyone who attended in person and online. We also thank our panelists for their time and Salem Chamber Board Member Angela Williams (Huggins Insurance) for moderating.