Special to IFN
RALEIGH — Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday announced the release of North Carolina’s first Community Violence Prevention Strategic Plan, a milestone in the effort to reduce violence, harm from violence and firearm misuse across the state.
The three-year plan was developed and released by the N.C. Office of Violence Prevention, which was created by Cooper in 2023 to coordinate with state and local leaders to reduce violence and increase public safety.
“Every North Carolinian deserves to feel safe in their homes, schools, and communities,” the governor said. “This plan is a roadmap to advancing a public health approach to violence prevention by upporting law enforcement, local communities, grassroots organizations and public health professionals to create safer and healthier communities.”
“The evidence shows that violence is preventable,” added Siarra Scott, acting director of the Office of Violence Prevention, “and it also shows that maintaining healthy and safe communities throughout our entire state is achievable. This plan provides a strategic roadmap for partnership, informed by leaders who are dedicated to helping our office build an ecosystem across the state and expand on existing efforts to reduce violence.”
The plan will serve as a roadmap to foster collaboration among various partners, leverage a public health approach to violence prevention and support local, evidence-based programs. The plan was created with input from the Community Violence Advisory Board, which is composed of leaders from law enforcement, healthcare, public health, government and local communities, and was released by the Office of Violence Prevention, which Gov. Cooper created in 2023.
The strategic plan outlines three priorities for building a North Carolina where all communities have the tools, resources and expertise needed to create and maintain safety and wellbeing.
1. Enhance Collaboration and Coordination
The Office of Violence Prevention will focus on breaking down silos between law enforcement and public health officials and increasing collective impact across the state through interagency data alignment and increased partnership and coordination between local, state and federal agencies.
2. Strengthen the Community Violence Prevention Workforce
The Office of Violence Prevention aims to ensure that violence prevention professionals have the tools, support and resources necessary for success. The office will focus on establishing core competencies, enhancing reach and clearly demonstrating the benefits of prevention and intervention strategies.
3. Prepare and Empower Local Communities
The Office of Violence Prevention is committed to equipping communities with the infrastructure, knowledge and resources to act on violence prevention strategies. This includes training on evidence-based models and the application of a public health approach, as well as access to the tools needed to implement local solutions.
Established in 2023, the Office of Violence Prevention works in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services as well as the state’s Community Violence Advisory Board.
Next week the Office of Violence Prevention will host its first statewide professional conference, which underscores the emphasis the office places on connecting existing community violence prevention professionals and programs. The N.C. Violence Prevention Conference’s theme will be Building Sustainable Partnerships and Transforming Community Safety. The event is expected to bring more than 200 community violence prevention professionals from across the state together in Raleigh.
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