Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Montgomery's Office of Violence Prevention, SOS say staff on street, seek school MOU; council presses for metrics
Summary
City officials described the Office of Violence Prevention and partner SOS Save Our Streets’ recent staffing and street operations, asking the council for support on school MOUs and additional data; SOS said interventionists are active in neighborhoods and credited their work with limiting further violence after a recent downtown shooting.
The newly formed Montgomery Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) and partner SOS Save Our Streets briefed the city council on Oct. 30 about staffing, early deployment and plans to expand intervention work in neighborhoods and schools.
Terrell Kimball, OVP director, said the office has recently completed hiring and currently has seven staff focused on prevention and intervention, including a victim advocate and a communications specialist. John Riley, director of SOS, said SOS has 12 street interventionists and has been operating in neighborhoods since May.
Why it matters: Council members repeatedly asked for measurable outcomes and for clarity on how the program will coordinate with schools and existing community partners. Several councilmembers pressed staff to produce data showing impact and to finalize memoranda of understanding (MOUs) that would allow street interventionists to work inside Montgomery Public Schools.
Kimball said the office is working to secure an MOU with Montgomery Public Schools so staff can operate inside schools as prevention work expands. He described ongoing community outreach, youth initiatives and an effort to partner with youth services at Mount Meigs. Kimball said his team has been hiring and training staff and that additional interventionists were scheduled to begin training Nov. 1.
Riley said SOS operates largely behind the scenes, engaging daily with high-risk individuals and neighborhood influencers to avert retaliatory violence after incidents. In response to council questions about a recent downtown shooting in which two people were killed, Riley said SOS helped limit retaliatory incidents that could have followed.
Several councilmembers sought clearer financial and performance reporting. One councilmember asked how OVP and SOS expenditures relate to ARPA allocations and other funding sources; OVP staff said they would provide detailed figures and clarified program funding sources in follow-up communications.
Council and staff agreed to continued collaboration, to finalize the MOU with the school system, and to provide council with outcome measures and financial details in upcoming briefings.
