Columbus will expand a program aimed at improving the city's response to homicides. The Violent Crime Review Group will begin working in the Hilltop neighborhood.
The group connects a number of agencies in the 48 hours following a homicide to review what happened, and provide services to victims and bystanders. Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts explains they analyze the incident from a public health perspective.
“The goal ultimately is to get enough data and get enough experience reviewing these cases, where we can provide some valuable recommendations to not only our police leaders but also our community of how we can reduce homicides in the city,” Roberts says.
The initiative, part of the mayor’s Neighborhood Safety Strategy, began as a pilot program in the Linden neighborhood this May. The group will now review homicides in the Hilltop, and in October they plan to expand again to include the South Side.
“I think based on that and based on the data I’ve seen from police, we’re probably going to be covering about 70-80 percent of homicides in our community by taking on those three neighborhoods,” Roberts says.
