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San Francisco officials outline violence prevention plan centered on 'Alive and Free' prescription
Summary
Mayor's office and community partners presented a citywide Violence Prevention Plan that reframes violence as a public-health problem and endorses the Alive and Free behavior-change model; implementation will include training for city-funded agencies, neighborhood action councils and targeted zone strategies.
San Francisco officials presented details of the city's recently adopted Violence Prevention Plan to the Police Commission on Aug. 13, describing a strategy that treats violence as a public-health problem and centers on the Alive and Free behavior-change prescription.
Maya Dillard Smith, the mayor's director of violence prevention, told commissioners the plan grew from an 18-month process engaging community stakeholders, city agencies, faith leaders and academic partners. "This plan outlines a new strategic framework to reduce violence that provides renewed attention to outcomes and coordination," she said, noting the plan is outcomes-oriented and seeks measurable reductions in recidivism and improvements in literacy and employment.
The plan proposes neighborhood action councils tied to SFPD zone boundaries, an interagency council of department heads, and a violence prevention advisory committee created by executive order. Dillard Smith said the mayor retooled the mayor's office of community development into the Mayor's Office of Community Investment to align and strategically invest public resources in the plan's priorities.
Dillard Smith described grant-funded research and partnerships that informed the plan, including UCSF, the Prevention Institute and a Department of Justice grant. She said the city has been in discussions with potential philanthropic partners, including an example of a conversation with the Gates Foundation about a possible multiyear investment.
Doctor Marshall, who leads the Alive and Free work at Omega Boys Club, described the approach as a health-oriented, behavior-change "prescription" for young people and other high-risk populations. He said the model requires training for all agencies that work with youth, so staff can teach and reinforce the Alive and Free principles as a baseline for other activities.
Commissioners asked how the plan links enforcement, courts and reentry services to prevention and accountability. Dillard Smith said the Violence Prevention Advisory Committee includes criminal justice agencies and plans for pilot programs such as "call-ins" for violent probationers and juvenile adaptations. "Accountability is a big tenet of this plan," she said, adding that the city seeks both opportunities and consequences tied to services and outreach.
The presentation included operational details: monthly trainings for agency staff, neighborhood councils in five pilot zones, and coordinated crisis-response teams for family support after homicides. Dillard Smith said the city currently spends more on enforcement and medical response than on prevention and that the plan seeks to rebalance investments toward longer-term, prevention-focused outcomes.
Public commenters offered both praise and skepticism, urging clearer coordination and cautioning that sustainable funding and broad community buy-in will be essential. The commission indicated it would review the plan in the context of ongoing city studies and implementation timelines. The presenters said they will supply further data and results from zone-strategy pilots as they are compiled.
The Police Commission meeting included discussion of technical issues and next steps; no formal commission vote to adopt or modify the plan was recorded at this hearing.
