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Act for Cincy highlights early declines in shootings, outlines youth-focused prevention steps
Summary
At a May joint meeting, city officials and Cincinnati Public Schools leaders described Act for Cincy's five-pillar approach to reducing gun violence, highlighted free gun-lock distribution and trauma-informed supports, and said citywide shooting incidents fell 17.8% year over year.
Kate Bell, the city's Violence Reduction Manager, told a joint meeting of the Cincinnati City Council Youth & Human Services Committee and the Cincinnati Public Schools board that Act for Cincy, a citywide, community-built anti-violence initiative launched in January 2025, is focused on five pillars to address root causes of gun violence.
The presentation emphasized neighborhood investment, safer storage and distribution efforts, mental‑health supports and community-driven policing innovations. "Act4Cincy was launched in January 2025," Bell said, and described targeted community investments, including 10 projects on CPS property totaling "just under $225,000" so far, which she said are placed in neighborhoods experiencing the most gun violence and involve youth.
Bell said the city is distributing free gun locks at all Cincinnati Public Libraries and that Cincinnati Police Department has begun distributing locks at some professional sporting events. "Gun locks are being distributed for free at all of our Cincinnati public libraries," she said, noting the city's safe-storage program allows gun owners to temporarily store firearms at secure CPD locations for up to six months.
The presentation also outlined the Hope and Shield network, funded by the city and led by UCHealth and Cincinnati Children's Hospital, which Bell said has four violence‑prevention professionals embedded in hospitals to provide wraparound services to people affected by shootings. The city has funded trauma‑informed care training through the Mayerson Center for city and CPS staff and parent groups.
Bell cited preliminary outcomes the city is tracking. "Our goal with Act for Cincy was to reduce incidents of gun violence by 10% in year 1. We are currently sitting, between 2024 and 2025, at a 17.8% reduction in shooting incidents and a 22.8% reduction on our three‑year average," she said, adding that the numbers come from the police department.
Board members asked for more granular data broken down by age and neighborhood. Bell and city staff said they can work with the CAPS unit to produce youth‑specific figures and that a public‑facing dashboard is in development with regular updates planned at Act for Cincy offices.
Several board and council members raised legal and policy constraints for local gun-safety regulation, with staff noting the challenge of state-level preemption. Bell said the program instead focuses on community investments, prevention, and collaborative policing strategies that can operate within state law.
The meeting concluded with officials inviting further cooperation: Bell offered Act for Cincy open houses and partner sessions to connect parents and community groups with available resources and training, and staff agreed to follow up with requested data breakdowns and dashboards.
Next steps: city staff said they will provide more detailed youth-specific data, share Act for Cincy open-house dates, and continue coordinating with CPS on outreach and safe-storage education.
