Reducing Firearm Violence through Evidence Based Police-Community Partnerships
Abstract. Recent surges in firearm violence combined with public demand for sweeping criminal justice system reform underscore that fairness must be the foundation of any effective crime reduction strategy. It is not simply high-profile incidents of officer wrongdoing that seriously undermines police legitimacy, it is also city leaders’ repeated inability to reduce fatal and nonfatal shootings. Moreover, pervasive citizen mistrust of officers has been shown to negatively impact potential witnesses’ willingness to come forward with credible information that might lead to arrest. Drug- and group-based gun violence are disproportionately concentrated in distressed urban communities and are the most difficult to solve. Research consistently confirms that the aforementioned milieus are in dire need of purposeful police-citizen collaborations. Given their lived experiences and far-reaching community ties, Dr. Brunson offers that non-police liaisons (e.g., violence interrupters, neighborhood-based organizations, street outreach workers) can serve as valuable partners for police executives’ efforts to reduce violence among high-risk populations.
Dr. Rod K. Brunson is interim department chair and professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland. He is a widely sought-after speaker and has received numerous professional awards in recognition of his distinguished body of scholarly work, including, American Society of Criminology, Fellow. Furthermore, Dr. Brunson co-directs the Racial Democracy Crime and Justice Network, social scientists conducting research on crime, inequality, and the criminal justice system.
Professor Brunson’s expertise centers on police-community relations, gun violence, and evidence-based criminal justice policy. He has consistently called for effective crime reduction strategies that do not result in racially disparate treatment of minority citizens and disadvantaged neighborhoods. Dr. Brunson’s scholarship appears in the Annual Review of Criminology, Annual Review of Sociology, British Journal of Criminology, City & Community, Criminology, Criminology & Public Policy, Evaluation Review, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Justice Quarterly, Preventive Medicine, Urban Affairs Review, and the Journal of Urban Health.
The 32nd Annual Reckless Dinitz Lecture is set for April 6th 2023, beginning at 4:00 pm. The event will be in person and will be held at the Barrister Club, 225 W 11th, Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43201.
