Resource of the Week: Connecting the Dots – An overview of the links between multiple forms of violence
Earlier this week, SARCC CEO, Ali Perrotto traveled with Tamaqua chief of police Mike Hobbs to the Bureau of Justice Assistance violent crime reduction summit in Indianapolis. We were eligible to attend the summit because of our partnership with the Tamaqua area community partnership to implement a sexual assault prevention and response program targeting Tamaqua. As a rural violence prevention grantee, we were able to sit in rooms where we were addressed by the Attorney General of the United States, the Director of the federal bureau of Justice from the department of Justice, Federal prosecutors, and lead researchers on violent crime reduction.
Through this summit and the presentation of effective programs across the country, we learned that the program we built in Tamaqua, and other parts of our communities counts as extremely effective prevention strategy. Prevention is community level, and includes the input of many multidisciplinary partners. This includes law-enforcement, victim, services, human services, medical practitioners, and community leaders Building partnerships, and a mutual understanding of the needs and concerns of each stakeholder in the process, helps to make our community safer and stronger.
We were also able to network with a number of other rural grantees, and even had a small roundtable lunch with the Director of the bureau of justice assistance. Through these opportunities, we realize that sexual violence and violence within the home, and the family are key violent crime issues in rural communities across the country from Pennsylvania to Iowa to Alaska. We also discussed the challenges that smaller communities face in applying for federal funding, despite increasing need and increasing rates of violence in our communities.
Overall, this was a great opportunity to learn, from the best of the best when it comes to cutting edge practices for violent crime reduction. It’s great to know how many partners from across the country and from so many different sectors are working on the same team for violence prevention. Are you interested in getting more involved in community level? Violence prevention work? Reach out to us today and we will get you locked in with some of our board members and staff members who are doing this work every day.
