Perkins told commissioners that gun violence is a national problem affecting communities across the country, and Springfield is no exception. He said between March 2023 to the end of June 2024, Clark County dispatch received 1,170 shots fired calls, including 880 in Springfield.
“Based off the assessment that we’ve done up to this point, other programs throughout the nation have implemented violence interrupter programs, mentorship programs, group deterrence interventions,” Perkins said. “As part of our assessment process and the initiative, we are entering out strategic planning to actually guide us in finalizing that programming.”
The majority of offenders were between the ages of 18-24, with many others being 25-30 and 14-17, Perkins said.
Some areas in Springfield appear to be “hot spots” for gun violence, like east of The Dome and Selma Road, Perkins said.
Perkins said he expects to wrap up strategic planning by the end of the year and begin plan implementations in January 2025.
At the end of June, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory calling firearm violence a “public health crisis.” According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 54% of adults or their family members have experienced a gun-related incident in their lives. Gun-related violence is the leading cause of death among children and adolescents.
Perkins said that gun violence rose nationally 87% from 2013 to 2022, and Black children are 20 times more likely to die from this kind of violence than their white counterparts.
Perkins said that the literature indicates a correlation between poverty and systemic racism and violence, but that has not been part of the study thus far.
OIC received a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice and created the violence prevention coordinator position to lead efforts to a three-year effort to develop, implement, coordinate and enhance community programs intended to reduce gun violence in Springfield.
Case Western Reserve University is also doing research in conjunction with the grant and will compare similar communities to identify successful approaches to reducing gun violence so that recommendations can follow to help address Springfield’s gun violence issues.
City Manager Bryan Heck said that the issue requires the community to work together.
“This would not be possible without the collaborative nature that this is taking on; this is not going to be solved in a vacuum,” Heck said. “It’s going to take us as a community and community organizations working together to address the problem ...”
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