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Longview launches bilingual campaign to deter celebratory gunfire after New Year’s outreach shows early engagement
Summary
City and police officials described a bilingual public-information push ahead of New Year’s that officials say reduced 911 calls for shots fired and drew thousands of online views and shares; staff said the effort will continue ahead of future holidays.
Richard Yakely, Longview’s public information officer, told the City Council on Jan. 23 that the city and Longview Police Department ran a bilingual public-education campaign aimed at reducing celebratory gunfire around New Year’s and other holidays.
Yakely said the campaign emphasized three points: that celebratory gunfire is illegal, that it is dangerous to people and property, and that messaging should be available in both English and Spanish. He credited Councilman Wade, Mayor Shehara, City Manager Roland McPhee and Police Chief Anthony Boone for raising the issue and helping develop the strategy.
Yakely showed samples of the city and LPD messaging and reported early engagement numbers: the Longview Police Department video and posts drew what he described as “nearly 33,000 combined views,” with more than 200 shares and nearly 600 interactions, while the city’s Facebook post was shared nearly 300 times with about 900 reactions and more than 200 comments. Yakely said these figures were not a comprehensive audit but indicate the messages were “received, shared, and discussed” by the community.
Yakely and Chief Boone also reported a reduction in 911 calls for shots fired in 2024 compared with 2023; Yakely described the decrease as a preliminary outcome of the outreach but said changing community behavior will require years of consistent effort.
Yakely said the communications push included sharing official posts into active community groups to amplify the message and credited Lily Duenas in the city secretary’s office for translating materials. He invited council members to help identify residents who have been impacted by celebratory gunfire so the city can highlight personal stories in future messaging.
Council members praised the campaign. Councilman Wade thanked the police department and staff for the effort and cautioned that cultural change may take years. Mayor Shehara and others thanked staff for the bilingual approach and for involving community partners.
Yakely said the city will continue targeted communications leading up to holidays where celebratory gunfire is most common and will seek to make materials accessible to all residents. He said the city plans to sustain the outreach and to use personal stories to show “the real cost” of the practice.
