Public-safety board hears how department and community partnerships, gun-amnesty program aim to reduce gun violence

Kalamazoo — At a meeting of the Citizens Public Safety Review and Appeal Board, department representatives and community members discussed ongoing collaboration to reduce gun violence, including a gun-amnesty program that has resulted in eight firearms being turned in this year.

The discussion centered on community access to department staff and information-sharing with local nonprofit groups. "On the streets with a lot of free time, that's when we see our our gun violence explode," said a community member, urging continued attention to group activity and summer outreach.

Department representatives said the department has spent several years intentionally improving accessibility to the public and to community organizations. "I think one of the things that has been extremely helpful, and intentionally we've been doing this at the department for the last 5 years is accessibility to different folks within the department," said a department representative. The representative added that the department holds quarterly public-safety meetings and keeps lines of direct contact open, and highlighted Latanya Turner, the department's community collaborator, as a conduit for community information that helps prevent crime.

Officials described the department's gun-amnesty program, a voluntary program run through participating local churches where residents may turn in firearms without questions. "Gun amnesty program is where anyone can turn in a gun at a local church that's participating in. . . No questions asked, and it's taken down, and we would take it to and put it in safekeeping," the department representative said. "We've had 8 guns this year turned in."

Board members asked whether the department consults other jurisdictions for best practices. A board member asked: "Do you does your department reach out to other departments within the state and nationally to see what programs or lessons learned from their programs to help reduce the gun violence?" The department representative said staff routinely attend trainings and conferences and adopt models from other places; the representative cited an example originating in Tennessee and noted the chief attended a conference in Washington, D.C., where the amnesty idea was discussed.

A community member who participates in local partnerships described weekly community partnership meetings between the department and nonprofit organizations. "Every week there's a community partnership meeting where the department holds with, nonprofit organizations at the department, so that we're sharing information that can help them, accomplish their mission better," the community member said, adding that coordinated information-sharing is important to combine enforcement and community-level prevention.

Board chair business and administrative items included a postponement of the report on Policy 339, the FUSIS camera integration and monitoring platform, to a future meeting so new members can fully comment. The board announced upcoming meetings on May 13 and June 10 at 6 p.m. in the Commission Chambers and then moved into a closed work-group session.

No formal vote on policy or program changes was recorded during the portions of the meeting captured in the transcript.