MCCA Panel Discussion on PNI
Dr. Robin Engel, Director of the University of Cincinnati Center for Police Research & Policy, moderated discussions on Place-Based Crime...
A holistic governance public safety model to reduce chronic gun-related violence.
PNI is a citywide strategy to substantially reduce violence. The strategy is grounded in evidence that persistent crime patterns and violent hot spots are visible indicators of underlying crime-place networks. Offender groups use crime-place networks that provide the infrastructure necessary to operate illicit markets and promote violent interactions. Skilled PNI investigators, working in chronically violent micro-locations, identify crime-place networks and build cases against individuals who own and operate network locations. Eradicating deeply entrenched crime-place networks produces the sustained crime reductions needed to support community redevelopment and long-term economic growth.
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This summary provides an overview of the PNI strategy, defines crime place networks, and provides guidance for uncovering places within these networks. This summary further discusses how PNI expands on traditional police responses to promote sustainable crime reduction guided by crime science research with the intention of strengthening communities and reducing reliance on police resources.
How the PNI strategy reduces gun violence.
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Analysis identifies places with disproportionate numbers of community requests for emergency assistance related to gun violence
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Surveys, interviews, and focus groups with community members guide PNI implementation
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The PNI Board engages community stakeholders, city departments, and police in strategic problem-solving
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City leaders champion the PNI strategy, ensuring active participation and holding Board members accountable for implementation of effective, ethical, and equitable crime interventions
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Cities identify and prioritize government, non-profit, and private-sector resources to prevent and eliminate harmful place dynamics
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Evidence-based and locally tailored place interventions produce long-term reductions in gun violence and lessen the need for reactive, short-term, and costly traditional justice responses
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Focused problem-solving improves community health and resiliency in historically disenfranchised and vulnerable neighborhoods
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Police-community partnerships help investigators identify crime place networks and leverage PNI Board resources to improve safety
PNI, previously called PIVOT, was piloted first in Cincinnati. This video highlights the impact of the PNI initiative in Westwood, a neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio.