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May 14, 2019
Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil joined with other law enforcement, community and religious leaders Tuesday morning to outline a comprehensive plan to combat crime in the city.
"ALLinLEON" is intended to focus on four areas: prevention, re-entry, enforcement and community involvement. each to be spearheaded by various agencies and organizations in the capital city.
“It is not a law enforcement problem that (just) can be solved by law enforcement, but it will take each and every one of us to work diligently to make sure we do our part to drive the violence out of our city,” McNeil said.
When drafting a plan to tackle the city's crime, McNeil said law enforcement looked to Chicago’s Cure Violence program and fine-tuned the model to work for Tallahassee. He said a united front is needed to get a handle on city-wide violence.
Since the start of the year, 29 shootings have been reported in the city according to a Tallahassee Democrat database, with at least 27 people injured and five fatalities. Shortly after the news conference a person died after being shot in Frenchtown.
City leaders plan to work with young people and incarcerated individuals looking to re-enter the community in this effort. The prevention component of the effort includes six initiatives to target youth. For example, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice's “Back on Track” initiative looks to offer mentor opportunities to 100 at-risk youth.
Hours after call for calm, another fatal shooting on Tallahassee streets
Christic Henry of the Tallahassee Peacemakers brought to the podium fellow “peacemakers” — ex-felons who work in the community to deescalate violence. Volunteers with the group spend up to 20 hours a week mentoring young people and other ex-felons looking to assimilate back into the community.
She shared their success in the past three months. During that time, Henry said, volunteers have been able to curtail crime.
“Our job and our goal is to create peace in these streets and that comes through access and opportunity for these citizens to engage in,” Henry said.
State Attorney Jack Campbell said more outreach is needed to connect with young people before they get in trouble. But he stressed law enforcement must maintain a firm stance against crime.
“Have no doubt that we have not lost our conviction that when wolves come to our house, we will protect these innocent sheep,” Campbell said. “Nothing said today should make anyone feel that we’re going soft on crime.”
For more information on the ALLinLEON initiative, visit http://www.leoncountyso.com/