This is the Annual Report (September 2014-December 2015) of the Violence Reduction Network (VRN), through which local criminal justice leaders and community stakeholders share with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) what is working to reduce violence in their jurisdictions, and then DOJ leverages its resources to assist in addressing the distinctive public safety needs of each jurisdiction.
The VRN focuses on delivering strategic, innovative, and evidence-based technical assistance and funding to local jurisdictions needing support and guidance to reduce violence. The guidance and training provided through the VRN is based on federally funded research to determine what policies and practices do and do not reduce violence. This annual report highlights the achievements of the VRN during its first 15 months (September 2014 - December 2015). This report indicates that VRN communities have increased collaboration among local agencies, received numerous training sessions from subject-matter experts, and learned best practices from their peers. These activities have laid the foundation for changes in policies and practices, increased information sharing, and improved community relations. This report highlights the key resources offered to the VRN sites by the DOJ law enforcement partner agencies, which are listed in this report. Training, technical assistance, and other resources provided by programmatic agencies are detailed in the report's sections on VRN Site Success Stories and Core Components. VRN Phase 1 and Phase 2 sites are described separately. This annual report concludes with the statement that the future of the VRN is based in the "One DOJ" concept of a justice-wide effort to provide intensive tools, training, and technical resources to some of the nation's most violent cities in a strategic and formalized manner.