State's Attorney pitches Group Violence Intervention, board debates $145,000 consultant

State's Attorney Dora Villareal presented a plan to implement Group Violence Intervention (GVI) across Rock Island County, saying the goal is to "have something that is a lot more collaborative across all the police agencies" and to pair enforcement with intervention by probation and family resources. She explained the county is exploring hiring a strategy consultant—identified in the briefing as Sarah Ott—to help build data-sharing and outreach during a proposed 15-month engagement.

Board members pressed for more detail about costs and contractor commitments. Dr. Rodney Simmer said he was concerned whether Ott could give the county sufficient time; he asked for examples of partner cities and deliverables. David Adams voiced support, saying the State's Attorney and the Sheriff can be trusted to oversee the effort and called the proposed $145,000 "well worth spending." Kai Swanson suggested exploring cost-sharing with municipal police departments should the role become ongoing; Bob Westpfahl said he would withhold support until he reviewed packet materials and asked specifically "what do we actually get for $145,000?" Villareal said she would provide additional material from a national network and can print the packet for members.

The Governance committee forwarded the proposal to Finance & Personnel for further consideration; the minutes record that funding options are still under exploration and that some general fund money may be needed. No formal funding vote occurred at this meeting.