By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, September 19, 2008

A proven strategy to reduce violent crime will be tested in Pittsburgh where politicians and anti-violence experts said today they hope to show gun-toting youths a way out of the thug life.

The approach is based on a model that has produced dramatic drops in gun crime rates in cities such as Boston and Chicago, and one of its creators and chief advocates believes a community-oriented approach could reduce violent crimes here by 50 percent to 75 percent.

"We know this works. This is not an idea, it's not a theory, it's not a proposition, it's not a proposal; you will get these good results if you do the work," said David M. Kennedy, director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

City Councilman Ricky Burgess and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl teamed to spend $200,000 in grants to bring Kennedy's expertise in crime prevention to Pittsburgh. Kennedy will work with the University of Pittsburgh's School of Social Work and city and county police to systematically identify gangs and other criminal groups that are responsible for most of the violent outbursts in the city.

Kennedy said one key is to recruit people in the neighborhoods who can directly influence the behavior of young criminals including "neighborhood elders, mothers and ministers."

Ravenstahl said efforts to meet with community groups would begin today. He said he expects to begin seeing results -- in the form of a lower number of violent crimes -- within six months.

The program, called the Pittsburgh Initiative to Reduce Crime, is a crucial addition to Pittsburgh's law enforcement efforts, said Burgess, whose mother-in-law was killed by gun violence…

"We must prevent gun violence from claiming two victims, the one who shoots and the one who is shot. They are both our children, and they both deserve a brighter future," Burgess said.