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Resolution to Amend the Fiscal Year 2024 Council Approved Budget to Accept and Appropriate the FY 2024 Operation Ceasefire Grant Program - Prosecutorial Services Awarded by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services
Purpose
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND:
The purpose of this resolution is to accept and appropriate state grant funds to allow the Commonwealth's Attorney to advance efforts to prevent, intervene and provide enforcement of gun violence in the city of Hampton, Virginia.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office is continuously dedicated to reducing violence and crime within the community. The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office is committed to addressing the epidemic of gun violence and other violent crime that has taken the lives of many individuals in the City of Hampton. Therefore, The Commonwealth’s Attorney Office is seeking funding to assist in further enhancement and support of Operation Ceasefire for the City of Hampton. According to Neighborhoodscout.com, the chances of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in Hampton, Virginia is 1 in 37. Most of these individuals involved in violence are disconnected from social support, unemployed, not in school, and have been exposed to trauma - all significant risk factors for being a victim or perpetrator of gun violence. For example, a study that examined 500 African American youth in Hampton Roads, Virginia found that direct exposure to violence was the best predictor of whether an individual would later engage in gun-related crimes. .
Discussion:
The acceptance of this prosecution program will allow the Commonwealth's Attorney to establish two positions to enhance and support the Operation Ceasefire-CAVIAR program. The two new positions will be a Victim Witness Specialist and an Investigator. This expanded team will collaborate with the existing Operation Ceasefire Program Coordinator and will further the overarching goal of decreasing violent crime in the city of Hampto...
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