Sacramento Police Chief Unveils Plan To Combat Rise In Violent Crime
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Sacramento's police chief announced a new plan to decrease violent crime within the city with plans for community partnerships and data analysis.
Violent crime in Sacramento has increased over the last three years, with a 70.5% change since 2019. On Tuesday, Chief Kathy Lester told the city council that data gathered by the department outlined three distinct areas where violent crime was the highest within Sacramento.
"Most violent crime occurs in about seven square miles of our city and it's concentrated in three geographic areas," said Chief Lester on Tuesday.
Data showed Del Paso Heights, Oak Park and Meadowview, and Valley Hi accounted for around 45% of gun incidents in 2021. By the numbers, out of 945 incidents of gun violence, 423 were reported between those distinct geographic areas.
"The majority of violence occurs in small geographic areas, and is committed by a small number of offenders," said Lester.
There are nearly a dozen community groups cited in partnership with this plan. One of those: Brother to Brother, a mentorship program founded by Marvin Brookins.
"We're partners, we don't work for, we're partners," said Brookins.
He told CBS13 that the partnership element, alongside city-backed resources, will allow his organization to reach more individuals. He said the resources provided for economic success through the city's Office of Innovation and Economic Development, are what make this plan different from those he's seen before.
The plan, presented with comment Tuesday to the city council, will be reviewed over the next year, with a minimum of a six-month check-in by city leaders to update on progress.