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States Attorney and Consultant Propose $115,000 Group Violence Intervention Strategy for Rock Island County
Summary
Rock Island County’s State’s Attorney presented a proposal to align prosecutorial practice with local law enforcement through a Group Violence Intervention (GVI) strategy and requested $115,000 for consulting, training and an audit of existing efforts. The proposal was forwarded to Finance & Personnel for budget consideration.
Rock Island County State’s Attorney Dora Villareal and consultant Sarah Ott presented a Group Violence Intervention (GVI) strategy intended to strengthen coordination between the State’s Attorney’s Office and the Rock Island Police Department and reduce group‑involved violent gun crimes.
Villareal said the proposal seeks consultant support to audit current local GVI efforts, align prosecutorial practices with law enforcement, and develop operational protocols and training. The committee discussed a proposed budget of $115,000 to launch the work, with $33,600 from opioid settlement funds, $39,200 from the unencumbered general fund and $39,200 from the State’s Attorney’s drug forfeiture funds. The item was forwarded to Finance & Personnel for further consideration.
Sarah Ott summarized the consultant work and expected deliverables, saying the plan would “strengthen collaboration between Rock Island County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Rock Island Police Department to reduce violent gun crime sustainably and efficiently.” Ott told the board the engagement would start with an audit of existing GVI activity, build a structured enhancement roadmap, clarify roles across partners, produce targeted trainings for law enforcement and community service providers, and recommend a funding roadmap to institutionalize practices.
Board members questioned consultant availability and sustainability. Dr. Rodney Simmer asked whether Ott’s full‑time employment with Davenport Schools would limit her availability; Ott replied she consults outside her school duties and emphasized that the contract is deliverable‑driven rather than time‑based. Ott cited local outcomes in Davenport, adding that since the strategy was implemented there in 2021–2022 “we have seen almost a 16% decrease in gun crimes.”
Next steps: the Committee forwarded the proposal and funding discussion to the Finance & Personnel Committee for budgeting and possible contract approval.
