Feds to help Tucson police tackle violent crime

A federal initiative aimed at curbing serious violent crime is coming to Tucson.

The U.S. Department of Justice has chosen the city’s police department to take part in its National Public Safety Partnership, which provides specialized training, technical help and other expertise to law enforcement agencies.

About 40 U.S. communities have taken part in the program since its 2014 launch. Some cities have seen double-digit declines in serious violent crime, officials said.

The Tucson Police Department applied three times to join the program before being accepted this year, TPD Chief Chad Kasmar said Monday at a news conference.

Tucson broke a record for homicides in 2021 with 93 slayings, most of which involved gun violence, Kasmar noted.

The federal help will allow TPD to better tailor its crime prevention activities, particularly among young people, he said.

“We are seeing younger and younger juveniles down to (age) 13 being involved in gun crime,” Kasmar said.

The department hopes to “identify opportunities to intervene before a harmful act occurs,” said TPD Assistant Chief Kevin Hall, who oversaw the application process.

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The federal program helps police departments develop “data-driven, evidence-based strategies” tailored to the unique local needs of participating communities, its website says.

For example:

The Nashville Metropolitan Police Department used federal help to strengthen its community relations “which contributed to a 42 percent reduction in serious violent crime from 2017 to 2018 in pilot neighborhoods.”

The Wichita Police Department in Kansas achieved a 100% solve rate for all of its 2020 homicides after receiving training and investigative support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Davenport Police Department in Iowa generated hundreds of leads in gun violence cases by making use of a national database that stores images of cartridge casings from gun crime scenes.

TPD is one of six law enforcement agencies chosen to start the program this year. The federal assistance typically continues for three years.