KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville leaders met with faith and community organizations on Wednesday to finalize a plan meant to reduce gun violence across the city.
Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said part of the plan involves working with groups like the McNabb Center to offer cognitive-behavioral intervention and prevent cycles of violence from continuing. It also involves programs meant to help people who were formerly incarcerated get jobs and stable housing.
"We need to address those issues surrounding adverse childhood experiences and lack of opportunity. But first, you have to stop the bleeding and that's what this effort is — to help the people who are most at risk of being victims of murder, or of being perpetrators of that," said Kincannon.
The Knoxville Police Department said it analyzed its violent crime from 2019 through 2021 and found that around 42% of suspects were incarcerated in the past. They also said that the average age of suspects was 29 years old.
They also said that the number of homicides in Knoxville dropped last year to 35 people killed, compared to 41 people in 2021. However, those numbers are still higher than in previous years.
"Knowing that helps us understand where we need to focus our efforts in building trust, and interventions, and also sanctions, on that side of things," said Kincannon.
She also said part of the plan to reduce gun violence includes analyzing patterns in suspects of violent crimes to better intervene with other people who may show similar patterns.
The Community Violence Reduction Committee said they want to see at least a 10% reduction in violent crime across Knoxville. The plan was also created in partnership with the University of Maryland's Violence Reduction Center.